10 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs For Veterans
To work from home is a dream of many, and because of the Pandemic this dream has become reality for a large number of people. We as a country and a world have learned many lessons over the last year of the COVID Pandemic. Many of us have learned (hopefully) to be content with what we have, and not be so concerned about those things we don’t have. We have learned that there are many actually nice people all around us who want to help. And many industries have found that remote work is not only possible, it may save money in the long run. There are many companies, including some of the largest ones in the country, who are actively recruiting people to work from home.
I got my first work from home job about eight months into the pandemic. Because I was waiting to get hired by the county, I took this job to make some money until that one came through.
I’m sure you have seen and heard of ‘work-from-home’ jobs that ended up being scams. However, this job was legitimate, working for a major Contractor answering and making phone calls related to Covid-19 contact tracing. Since the company supplied the laptop I would need for the work, I was only required to have a high-speed internet connection. And, the job was full-time at 40 hours a week.
There Are Legitimate Jobs From Home
The point is that there are many legitimate work-from-home jobs to be found. You don’t actually have to get out and go into an office in order to make money. However, the caveat to this is the amount of money you may make. Just like traditional jobs outside the home, the pay will vary with the specific skills and knowledge required for the job. However, you should know that there are jobs in a lot of fields and often posted by some of the largest companies. A cursory search on one well known online job board lists nearly 150,000 remote work-from-home jobs.
The key is to do your due diligence and check out the company. Make sure the company is legitimate. And remember, if the offer sounds too good to be true, that is probably because it is.
There are several perks with remote jobs. Aside from the obvious of being able to work from the comfort of your own home, you are not limited in the choice of who you may work for. Many of the remote opportunities may come from corporations across the country from you. With high-speed internet access and direct deposit, the need for companies to be in the same town has lessened greatly and allowed many employers to take advantage of remote workers, thus eliminating the requirement for large office buildings.
The Jobs
1. Call Center
If you are comfortable talking on the phone this may be the job for you. Many companies hire people to work from home as customer service representatives. These jobs can pay $10 per hour and up depending on the company you work for. Although there is usually a train up period, the time spent training is often paid time. Most of these jobs provide equipment needed to do the work. Therefore, you would not be required to lay out a large sum of money to buy your own computer if you do not have one. Now this doesn’t apply to all remote jobs, but that would be something to discuss in the hiring phase. Even the largest retailer in the world has a remote Customer Service Associate job on one of the online job boards.
To find: Search remote call center in any of the major online job boards.
2. Data Collection / Contact Tracer
There are still jobs available for contact tracing. Contact tracers work on the phone contacting people who have been diagnosed positive for COVID and collect information including possible contacts. These positions are location based in that most of the time you must live in the state you are calling for. Therefore Arkansas residents would search for Arkansas contact tracer jobs.
To find: Search remote data collection or contact tracer in any major online job board.
3. Medical Transcription
Many doctors have outsourced their transcription work to transcription services. This job won’t be for everyone. But, if you have good typing skills and a good ear for listening to difficult to pronounce medical terms, this may be just the job you are looking for. There are always a lot of positions open with various transition services so you can shop around for the best paying position.
To find: Search medical transcription in any major online job board.
4. Travel Specialist
Many travel and hospitality companies are looking for specialists to join them remotely. Called Travel Specialists or Travel Agents, the job includes being very familiar with the travel industry and helping to book both business and personal travel.
To find: Search remote travel specialist or travel agent in any major online job board.
5. Patient Care Coordinator
This is a sub-set of Customer Service which deals with the medical profession. Some of the positions would entail cold calling individuals to inform them of possible future medical concerns, while some positions will be interacting with established patients following up after appointments or answering questions. So, if you are not comfortable cold calling people you would need to discuss this during the interview to make sure what the job actually entails.
To find: Search remote patient scheduler or remote patient coordinator.
6. Social Work
Yes, there are remote opportunities for Social Work. These opportunities may include things like virtual visits with clients, assisting other Social Workers in data entry, performing evaluations and other responsibilities.
To find: Search remote social work.
7. Helpdesk Operator / Technical Support Specialist
For the tech-savy, there are multiple opportunities to work remotely as a tech support specialist. Even though some of the positions may be brand specific, or platform specific helping clients with email, chat capabilities, or office style programs., some will be more general in nature. However, all of these positions will require a well rounded technical background.
To find: Search remote technical support specialist.
8. Data Entry
Data entry generally includes anything from word processing to presentation creation and spreadsheet creation and maintenance. They will generally require the applicant to be very comfortable with office software.
To find: Search remote data entry.
9. Social Media Specialist
The social media specialist will be a wizard at social media. Some companies will want someone who is versed in several different platforms while others may concentrate on one or two platforms. Social media specialists generally are responsible for administration of a company’s social media presence, making sure to build the brand of the company and post relevant material on an ongoing basis.
To find: Search “social media” or social media specialist.
10. Investigator
There are many remote jobs in investigations. For example, these can include jobs from claims investigation requiring licensure to investing public records and social media. Although most of the positions ask for certain requirements which show evidence of abilities and experience in investigation and analysis, some are open to those with no licensure.
To find: Search remote investigator.
Some of these types of jobs may require knowledge and/or skills which you don’t currently have. Remember, as a Veteran you may qualify for education benefits through the VA which could help you prepare for a new career. Take a look at the link for education benefits to see some of the benefits you may be eligible for.
You will notice that we have not specified where to find these jobs. There are many reputable job boards on the Internet. Some of the top sites include:
https://www.indeed.com https://www.monster.com https://www.glassdoor.com https://linkedin.com
