The past few years ads on the sides of websites have been promising you the ability to work from home part- time and make more than you’re currently making. Many of these ads bill these jobs as a sort of saving grace, a way to leave your monotonous day job with set hours for something that will require little to no effort. I will be reviewing several of the more talked about online jobs, discussing their ease of use, safety, and money-making potential.
Online Surveys:
This is by far one of the most well known and popular online job ideas, and one that has been billed as a scam, and a full-time job.
Safety: 7/10
For the most part, these are relatively safe. There are a decent amount of fraudulent sites, but an easy way to avoid those is through a bit of research on google.
Money: 2/10
These are in no way a full, or even part-time job. For starters, registering on one site is not going to be enough. To make a decent amount of money, it is recommended that you join at least 8-10 sites. Each site has a limited amount of surveys that you can take, and each site has a different point system(points are redeemed for cash or gift cards). With some practice, If you do this for about 4-5 hours a day, you can make about $200 a month. So, its a good way to get some extra spending money if you have free time, but don’t quit your job to become a survey taker.
Scribe:
A scribe is someone who is sent an audio recording, and is then asked to type the recording into a word document. It requires you to have an average typing speed of at least 40 words per minute, a decent internet connection, and a pair of quality headphones.
Safety: 10/10
Unlike the online surveys, becoming a scribe requires an actual application, and I have yet to come across a fraudulent scribe service.
Money: 6/10
A scribe can make anywhere from $10-$15 an hour. So it is certainly possible to make a living as a scribe. Most companies offer performance-based promotions, and one company offers employee benefits such as full coverage insurance and a 401k. If you spend a decent amount of time on your computer, and can type fairly fast, then this would be a fantastic way to make at worst a bit of pocket change.
Data Entry: A job in data entry requires you to convert paper text into digital text, put things into alphabetical and numerical order, and maintain system files. It’s essentially a secretary that needs to have a good understanding of how to streamline computer systems. It also requires a typing speed of about 60 words per minute and some computer related experience.
Safety: 10/10
Again, this is a job that requires an actual application to a professional company, unless you run across a site that has malware on it, you should be safe.
Money: 8/10
Out of the three listed in this article, data entry has the highest potential for making money. The salary ranges from $19,000-$44,000, with some of the high performers reaching over $66,000 a year. The companies hiring data entry professionals provide employee benefits along with a possibility in job advancement. This job while the highest paying, also has the highest requirements for employment. Most companies want you to have at least two years of college and 1-3 years of experience in a computer related field.
So, while I still wouldn’t recommend clicking any of the to good to be true links at the sides of websites, there are legitimate ways to make money online. Should you quit your job to pursue online employment? Probably not. But can you? Yes, with the correct education and training, you can. To conclude, can you get rich in months just by using your computer? No. Can you make some spending money, or even get a full time job on your computer? Absolutely.