10 Ways to Punch Your Own Timeclock--And Make Great Money
by Joe Taylor Jr.
Top Ten Flexible Jobs
Recent studies indicate that today's working professionals desire control of their time even more than a bigger paycheck. Job seekers can often uncover flexible jobs in businesses that serve customers around the clock, and in industries with a backlog of projects to process. Telecommuting offers professionals the ability to eliminate long commutes without cutting connections from clients or colleagues. Flextime gives workers the ability to set their own hours. Job sharing is a relatively new form of work flexibility, allowing two or three team members to share a single set of responsibilities.
According to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, these ten careers offer great job flexibility potential:
1. Medical Transcriptionist
Complex insurance regulations combined with a backlog of patient data mean a surge of jobs for certified medical transcriptionists. Because most doctors' offices outsource this vital step in the health care process, most medical transcriptionists earn $28,000 or more each year working from home. Medical administration training courses can be completed in just a few months, opening up the potential for a lucrative side job or a highly flexible full-time career.
2. Financial Manager
Bank branches, stock brokerages, and other financial companies have radically changed the way they do business to appeal to today's active consumers. Earning an MBA in finance no longer means settling for banker's hours. In fact, companies are actively recruiting financial managers willing to work when customers need them the most. An online degree in finance can qualify you for jobs that frequently pay more than $81,000 per year.
3. Nurse
According to government analysts, a nursing career is as close to recession-proof as most professionals can get in the next three decades. The nation will rely on nursing school graduates for everything from rehabilitation to hospice care. Most nurses can choose their own shifts, or work for agencies as flexible contractors. A nursing degree can help you net $52,000 or more per year.
4. Database Administrator
If you prefer an IT career with a focus on hard data, train for a job as a database administrator. Companies of all kinds need detail-oriented professionals who know SQL, Oracle, and other platforms that keep data organized. A degree in information technology and an independent certification can qualify you for jobs paying $60,000 or more.
5. Accountant
Just because you count money doesn't mean you need to do it from nine to five. Not only can you earn an online accounting degree on your own schedule, you can work with clients in your office or theirs, at times that suit you both. With an online bachelor's degree in accounting and a few years of experience, you can earn a salary of $50,000 or higher every year.
6. Software Developer
Several years after the "Web 1.0" bubble burst, Silicon Valley is hiring professionals with computer programming degrees at a brisk pace. This time, instead of lush campuses with free lunches, employers offer perks that job seekers desire: flexible hours, job sharing, and telecommuting. Within a few years of earning your software development degree, you could take home an annual salary of over $74,000 - without actually leaving home most days.
7. Physical Therapist Assistant
As medical technology helps more of us live longer and survive trauma more frequently, demand for physical therapist assistants has grown. At physical therapist assistant school, students learn skills to assist physical therapists with patient work in the office and at the homes of patients. Earning a physical therapist assistant degree doesn't take very long, and can qualify you for jobs that often pay over $37,000 per year.
8. Paralegal
While industry analysts note the shrinking job market for new attorneys, the number of paralegals finding full-time work continues to rise. Most paralegal schools allow students to attend classes part-time, while building skills that can help graduates land flexible jobs that pay over $39,000 per year. Online paralegal degrees offer even more flexibility for students who crave a law career without earning a Juris Doctorate.
9. Graphic Designer
Thanks to new technology, a degree in digital graphic design opens doors to flexible jobs in a variety of specialties. Whether you work part-time at an advertising agency or run a freelance graphic design practice, you can join the ranks of creative professionals who often earn over $38,000 per year. Many graphic design degrees now include business management and marketing training electives to help graduates build flexible, creative careers.
10. Private Investigator
Although many private investigators work part-time hours, most detectives-for-hire earn over $32,000 per year. An online criminal justice degree can help you understand how to conduct effective private investigations without breaking the law or tampering with evidence.