Work from home - What are my options?

Online store

Setting up an online store is like operating a retail shop online. The idea involves designing your own online store and selling products ranging from apparel to books, bouquets, accessories, electronics etc. This option will not require a heavy initial investment outlay. However, since it entails online payments, you have to be extremely careful of all monetary transactions and dispatches. You can also outsource the monetary and logistics aspects of such a business to a specialized Internet marketplace like eBay.


Translation

A good command over two or more languages can provide an interesting option in translation. For example, a translation assignment within India would require knowledge of English, Hindi and one regional language. A lot of private companies as well as government offices have started outsourcing their translation requirements and offer jobs on a contractual basis. Knowledge of a foreign language and English is again a very interesting combination. You can approach a lot of publishers of books, magazines, software etc. wanting to republish their content in a foreign language. This career can offer you an earning potential of approximately $10-20 per page.


Day-trading

Day trading refers to the practice of buying and selling financial instruments within the same trading day such that all positions will usually (not necessarily always) be closed before the market close of the trading day. Day-trading is another good work-from-home option, the two pre-requisites for it being an Internet connection and a demat account. Because of the huge and the rapid returns that are possible, day trading can be either extremely profitable or extremely unprofitable. It is up to you to decide how aggressively you want to operate. While you start speculating, be careful how you are investing your money.


Authoring

If you have a sound knowledge of any subject, you can approach publishers wanting to publish a book on the proposed subject. This will give you an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and utilize your time to earn money from home. You should approach a publisher with a well-drafted proposal, which you can discuss in detail. The earning potential in this field depends upon your subject.


Proof-reading

Proofreading traditionally means reading a proof copy of a text in order to detect and correct errors, both grammatical and typographical. Any written material, be it a book or online content, needs to be proof-read before actual publication. So, proof-reading presents a good opportunity for those having a good command over a language. This job can fetch you anything from $150-250 to start with.


Blogging

A blog is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. If you know your subject well, you can start blogging it. Good content will attract a lot of traffic and hence advertising. You can generate monetary benefits via the contextual ad program from Google - Adsense. More recent additions that many are using successfully are Chitika’s eMiniMalls and WidgetBucks, Text Link Ads.


Forum moderator

A forum Moderator is a person with special powers to enforce the rules of an Internet forum (message board) or electronic mailing list. Moderators can move discussions to different sections of the forum, close discussions, edit the content of individual postings, answer questions and block/ban people from the message board. If the job interests you, it presents a good work-from-home opportunity. Remuneration for a moderator is based on the revenue the forum generates. This should be able to earn you something around $200-300 per month.


Graphic designing

Graphic designing entails the process of communicating visually using text and images to present information. This is a creative field which requires a range of cognitive skills and knowledge of working on software. Anything ranging from a small visiting card to a full-blown advertisement campaign needs graphic designing. So, if you have the requisite creativity and knowledge of creating graphics, this could be another interesting option. The earning potential in this field is linked to the size of assignment. Designing an A4 size ad for a medium level company should be able to earn you somewhere around Rs $100-150.


Typing

Every organization requires professionalized typing services. You can approach some organizations wanting to outsource such services to you. Also, there are several online content writing options available. The payments are made on a per page basis and can earn you anywhere from $2-10 per page, depending upon the company and the language you need to type in.


Content writing

Many online and print magazines employ freelancers to write for them. Many websites also require for content from freelancers that is both customer friendly and search-engine friendly. If you have a flair for writing, this field can offer worthwhile opportunities. The earning potential varies with the company and the subject and can fetch anything from $10-100 per article.