Thoughts about getting prepared to go to work, making an Uber booking, hurrying to get to the 8-o-clock metro, or frantically looking for car keys now appears to be a thing of the past.
Almost in an instant, everything changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic triggering a worldwide lockdown. Both social and professional life got disrupted, as people were compelled to adopt social distancing as the new normal.
Today, people are getting accustomed to wearing masks, standing several feet apart from one another, and meeting up with families and friends over video calls. The greatest change that many people experienced, however, was in their field of work when the concept of WFH (Work from Home) started becoming mainstream.
Global organizations, demonstrating social responsibility and complying with government regulations, have provided their employees with flexible working conditions. Social media conglomerate Facebook was one of the first companies to take radical measures, allowing most of its workforce to engage in WFH after the initial surge of COVID-19 in March 2020. Lately, Facebook spokeswoman Nneka Norville announced that the tech giant would permit its workers to keep operating remotely until July 2021.
In May, Google extended its work-from-home policy urging its employees to continue remote work until June 2021. eCommerce behemoth Amazon has also allowed its workers to work from home until January 2021. Other multinational corporations have followed in their footsteps in letting a significant portion of their workforce to work from home.
As work from home rapidly becomes a new norm, here are 10 best work from home jobs (5 permanent roles and 5 best freelance jobs), which will help you get started if you are serious about pursuing a remote work career.
Top Companies Know For Work From Home Jobs (Permanent Roles)
Slack
Slack, a premier business communication platform, provides real-time archiving, search, and messaging services intended to enable knowledge sharing and team collaboration, allowing users to easily and effectively communicate and exchange files with co-workers.
The Slack workforce already has the opportunity of working from their home, and the leading communication platform has expressed its willingness to recruit more remote employees. Work from home job options include:
- Account Executive, Enterprise – State and Local
- Senior Account Executive, Large Enterprise
Coinbase
Coinbase, a digital currency trading and exchange platform headquartered in San Francisco, California, facilitates transactions in peer-to-peer, open-source digital currencies, such as litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin, and more.
Coinbase recently announced its "remote first" strategy, which allows all its employees to work from home. The remote job opportunities at Coinbase are:
- Senior Software Engineer, Tools
- Staff Engineer, Security Engineering
Upwork
With more than four million companies, ten 10 million freelancers, and 2.5 thousand skill categories, Upwork's digital platform is the biggest freelance marketplace worldwide.
Upwork is adopting the remote-first business model, with all its existing employees currently working from home. Remote employment openings at Upwork include:
- Associate Employment Litigation Counsel
- Vice President of Contingent Workforce Solutions
Nielsen
Nielsen, an American organization, specializing in information, performance management, and measurement, with operations in more than 100 countries, provides its clients with data and insights about consumer preferences and buying trends.
Nielsen implemented the work-from-home model for all its employees, and post-pandemic, the company will turn all its offices into meeting spaces. Remote work openings include:
- e-Commerce Associate Sales Director
- Client Director
Square
California-based Square, Inc. has come a long way from its modest beginning as a card-reading app. Today, Square is one of the world's largest mobile payment companies and merchant services aggregators, empowering merchants with capabilities to accept credit/debit card payments, sell online, and manage POS (Point-of-Sale) and POP (Point-of-Purchase) systems.
Square, Inc. announced that even when businesses start opening after the Covid-19 crisis, its employees will work remotely. Recent work from home job openings include:
- Senior Security Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure, GCP
- Senior Product Designer, eCommerce
The best freelance jobs for 2021
Web Developer
Web developers build websites, web-based applications, and solutions for organizations and individual clients. You can start your web development business today from the comfort of your home, with just a laptop/desktop computer and a stable internet connection. You will, however, have to be proficient in CSS, HTML, and programming languages like Ruby and JavaScript to develop visually appealing websites and apps.
Software Engineer
Just like web developers build applications for the web, software engineers develop computer systems or software. Software engineering is a high-paying work from home job, where you will play a critical role in creating technologies that run businesses. Besides being a good team player, you need to have a deep knowledge of coding and computer programming.
System Administrator
Companies need system administrators to monitor the installation, acquisition, upgrades, and maintenance of their computer systems. As a SysAdmin (system administrator), you will guide organizations in choosing the best computer systems and ensure their efficient operation. With access to remote technologies, you can do it all from your home. A system administrator is one of the best freelance jobs that pays well.
Digital Marketing Specialist
As more and more companies turn towards the Internet to intensify their marketing endeavors and reach out to a wider target audience, the demand for digital marketing specialists is rising exponentially. Your role as a digital marketing specialist will be to plan and implement digital marketing strategies that help organizations achieve their business goals. You can pursue this interesting career and start working from your home if you have an understanding of social media and mobile campaigns, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Social Media Manager
As businesses are ramping up their social media presence, social media management is increasingly becoming a booming sector in recent years. This is an ideal work from home job, which involves roles like writing blogs, creating social media content, coordinating with marketing efforts, developing online communities, and noting feedback. To be an outstanding social media manager, you will have to keep yourself updated about industry and market trends.
The Era of Learning is Earning
While those were some of the best work from home jobs for 2021, in the post-COVID world, remote work being the new normal is poised to open up a world of new opportunities.
Many forward-thinking organizations, including the big five—Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google—no longer place much emphasis on university degrees for new recruits. The trend is only going to gain more momentum as more and more companies adapt themselves to a world where technology and automation are changing how we work.
In this era, the only way both professionals and companies themselves can stay ahead in the race is through lifelong learning. As businesses understand the importance of upskilling, they are increasingly looking for skilled candidates with certification from industry-recognized educational institutions.
We are the world's #1 online bootcamp and certification provider with a comprehensive portfolio of certification programs that can help you kick-start your remote work career and take it to the next level. Check out our short-term certification courses here to get started on your journey to success.