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20 Jobs Where You Work Alone

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Are you someone who is introverted? Do you find working in close proximity to others to be mentally exhausting? Can’t stand having a nasty boss giving you a hard time every day? Perhaps you are someone who thrives in an environment where you are allowed a great deal of freedom to get your work done with minimal oversight.

If any of these ring a bell, you might be the type of person who is best suited for a career where you work alone. Good news: There are plenty of ways you can earn a living for yourself where you can work by yourself most of the time.

Let’s take a look at 20 jobs where you work alone to see what options are available. Some of these are small businesses that you can operate alone, while others are traditional jobs where you work for someone else.

1. Flip Used Stuff on eBay

I’m going to start off this list with one of my favorites. This is a great opportunity for those who are looking for a way to bring in some extra income, and there are also some who do this full-time.

The opportunity I’m referring to is finding great deals on used things and then selling them on eBay for profit.

People sell things for much less than they are worth all the time. They just don’t take the time to check the market value before they list them for sale. You can use this to your advantage to buy things well below what they are selling for.

It’s also possible to talk people down on their prices for better deals. In fact, many people expect you to haggle with them a bit on the price.

Unless you live in a rural location, used items in your community can be found all the time. You can very easily source them, for example, through Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, LetGo, Craigslist, and other online sources. You may also be able to find great deals on used items at flea markets, yard sales, auctions, and other places.

Although you will have to interact with people when you buy products and ship them, this is a business where you mostly work alone.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, Flipper University is an online course that teaches you all about the flipping business. The course instructors are a couple who earn their living primarily from flipping.

Check out the free Flipper University webinar to see what flipping is all about.

2. Start a Blog

Another opportunity for introverts is to start a blog. Although many don’t realize it, there are many bloggers who earn full-time incomes from their blogs.

Blogs are usually focused on a single subject, and there are several ways they make money including ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and selling digital products. Some blogs use one or two of these methods, while others use all of them.

Blogging isn’t a quick path to earning money. Every blogger’s experience is different. How much you earn and how quickly you earn it depends on many different factors including how often you post new articles, how well you monetize your blog, your knowledge and application of SEO, and other things.

Success as a blogger doesn’t come from winging it. You need a plan of action. You need to know what you’re doing from the beginning so you can avoid common mistakes. Thankfully, courses are available on starting and growing a money-making blog.

Launch Your Blog Biz is an online course on how to start and build your blog, grow your audience, and start earning money from it.

Pinterest Traffic Avalanche is an online course on how to drive traffic to your blog from the popular visual search engine.

Six-Figure Blogger is an online course on the strategies for generating a six-figure annual income from blogging.

The Pro Blogger Bundle includes all three courses at a discounted price.

3. Teach English from Home with VIPKID

Do you enjoy working with children? If so, another job for introverts to consider is to teach English to young students living in China through VIPKID.

With VIPKID, you can set your own schedule, and there isn’t a minimum number of hours you have to work. It’s important to point out that most of the company’s students are on the other side of the world from North America, so most working hours are either early in the morning or late at night.

Through VIPKID, all instruction is one-on-one. It’s just you and your student interacting through a video conference. There are no lesson plans to worry about, either. Also, you don’t need to know a foreign language to do this. VIPKID uses the full-immersion method of teaching, and all instruction is delivered in English.

To qualify to teach for VIPKID, you need to have a bachelor’s degree, be a native English speaker, and have teaching experience of some kind.

Check out VIPKID to learn more about teaching English online.

4. Freelance Writer

Do you consider yourself to be a good writer? Perhaps English was your favorite subject in school. If so, freelance writing is another job where you work by yourself to consider.

Many businesses use freelancers to write content for their websites, brochures, blog posts, and other advertising materials. Companies often prefer to use freelancers instead of keeping a writer on staff because they get to save money on benefits and also because they may not have enough work to keep a writer busy full-time.

Do you recall how we just talked about starting a money-making blog? Many bloggers also hire freelancers to write their content for them. Some bloggers work full-time jobs and don’t have time to write blog posts. Other bloggers like to use freelance writers to free up their time for other things.

Many freelance writers earn full-time incomes. To get to this level of income, however, you will need to land several clients that give you repeat business each month.

5. Sell Products on Amazon

For those who prefer working alone, selling products on Amazon is another option to consider. Did you know that many of the products on Amazon are actually sold by other companies – and many of those companies are small family operations?

It’s true.

Amazon’s program that allows people to sell products on its platform is called Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA). There are fees to participate. Amazon charges a monthly fee, plus there are fees every time a product is sold.

Although the fees may sound intimidating at first, there are several advantages to selling through Amazon FBA when compared to selling through a traditional store. You don’t have to lease or buy a shop somewhere, for instance. You also don’t have to hire employees or pay monthly utilities to keep the lights on.

Another amazing benefit of selling through Amazon FBA is that it’s possible that your products will be seen by many more shoppers online than in a traditional store – perhaps many times more.

If you have a traditional store somewhere, the sales you make are usually limited to the people who come through your doors. But with Amazon FBA, your products can potentially be seen by people living all across the nation and beyond.

Another benefit of Amazon FBA is that you don’t have to ship individual products to customers when they sell. When you get some inventory, you ship it to Amazon’s warehouses. Amazon stores your inventory for you and takes care of shipping products to customers and dealing with customer service issues.

There are several ways you can source products to sell on Amazon. Some people buy products locally. Striking wholesale deals is another option. Some sellers also make deals directly with brands.

If you are interested in learning how to sell products on Amazon, The Proven Amazon Course is an online course that teaches you how to launch and grow an Amazon FBA business.

A great thing about the Proven Amazon Course is that it isn’t just one course. It’s actually a collection of courses, which means you get more value for your money. New courses are occasionally added.

Check out the Proven Amazon Course to learn more about the benefits of selling on the most popular eCommerce site in the world – Amazon.

6. Virtual Assistant

Working as a virtual assistant is another solitary job to consider if you prefer to work alone. Virtual assistants typically work from home and communicate with their clients via email, video conference, telephone, or some other method.

Virtual assistants help businesses of all sizes with various tasks. One day you could be responding to some customer emails, and the next day you could be processing online orders. No two days are ever the same.

One of the great things about being a virtual assistant is that you don’t need a college degree to do it. Your formal education isn’t a big factor. The main thing clients care about with virtual assisting is the results you can get for them and the quality of the work you do.

Refreshing, isn’t it?

Kayla Sloan is someone who works full-time as a virtual assistant. She scaled her business by taking on several clients and now earns six-figures working from home helping businesses with many different things.

Kayla also teaches an online course on how to start and grow a virtual assistant business. Her course, $10k VA, shows you how to attract and land clients, set your rates, create systems to work efficiently, and other things. The course gets its name because it outlines the process Kayla used to grow her business to earning over $10k per month.

Check out $10k VA to learn more about working as a virtual assistant.

7. Proofreader

Are you someone who is really good at spotting grammatical errors? Does it really bug you when something is misspelled in an email? Maybe you love to check your kid’s homework for punctuation errors.

If any of these sound familiar, you might enjoy working as a proofreader. People use proofreaders all the time to make sure everything they write is correct.

Court reporters are an example of people who use proofreaders all the time. Why is proofreading so important with this type of work?

Court reporters are usually paid by the case. The more cases they take on, the more money they make. If they have to spend a lot of time proofreading everything, they wouldn’t be able to work as many cases, thus causing them to earn less money. Because of this, they rely on proofreaders to make sure the documents they turn in are exact matches of the audio recordings from the cases they completed.

Proofreading is also a remote job. You don’t have to be present at an office to do this type of work. You could even do it from a coffee shop if you really wanted to.

Caitlin Pyle is someone who works full-time as a proofreader. She also teaches two online courses on the subject – General Proofreading and Transcript Proofreading.

General Proofreading focuses on proofreading for books and blogs. It’s a great course to start with because it isn’t as technical as proofreading for transcripts. The learning curve is also shorter.

Transcript Proofreading is a great follow-up course. The earnings potential with transcript proofreading is higher than with books and blogs, and it’s also possible to generate repeat business.

Check out the Proofread Anywhere courses to learn more about proofreading.

8. Bookkeeper

Working as a bookkeeper is another job where you work by yourself to consider. I’m not talking about working for a company as a bookkeeper, I’m talking about starting your own bookkeeping business that you operate from home.

Many small companies need the services of bookkeepers to help them maintain their financial records. They may not be big enough, for example, to keep a bookkeeper on staff full-time. By hiring a remote bookkeeper, they can save money on benefits and salaries.

The great thing about being a bookkeeper is that you don’t need a degree in accounting to do it. You also don’t have to be a CPA. Bookkeeping is something you can learn to do in your spare time and potentially turn it into a business.

If you are interested in learning more about starting your own remote bookkeeping business, Bookkeeper Launch is an online course that teaches you how to get started, attract clients, and grow your operation into a thriving business you can be proud of.

Check out Bookkeeper Launch to learn more about starting a remote bookkeeping business.

9. Truck Driver

Driving a large truck cross-country is a popular career where you mostly work alone. Aside from when you pick up and unload your cargo, it’s just you, the truck, and the road for hours at a time.

Many people love driving trucks cross-country. They love getting to see different scenery every day. Many believe it beats sitting in a cubicle or a small windowless office with stale office air. As a truck driver, you will be in control of the heat and air conditioning, so you don’t have to worry about thermostat wars with your coworkers.

The main downside to being a long-distance truck driver, of course, is being separated from your friends and family for days at a time. Because of this, some people choose to work for companies that have short local routes.

10. Delivery Driver

Similar to driving a large truck, many companies need people to deliver products to customers. Delivery drivers usually drive vans or small trucks. Although delivery drivers do have some contact with people, they mostly work alone. They have to be around people when they pick up their cargo and when they reach their destinations.

An example of a delivery driver is someone who delivers flowers for a local florist. Many restaurants also deliver. It’s also now common for many people to go through apps to have someone do their grocery shopping for them. Janitorial and office supply companies are two more examples of companies that often deliver.

11. Freelance Graphic Designer

For those who are artistically inclined and are looking for jobs that are solitary, working as a freelance graphic designer is another option to consider. Freelance graphic designers are used by businesses of all sizes to design product packaging art, brochures, website art, company logos, and many other things.

Another option is to be a graphic designer working for a company. Although you will have to be around people if you work for a company, the work you do will be mostly solitary. It may also be possible to work remotely for a company as a graphic designer. Many companies now recognize that employees can be highly productive working from home and they are allowing many to skip coming in to the office.

12. Freelance Photographer

One of the more interesting solo jobs is to be a freelance photographer. There are a couple of ways you may be able to do this.

The first way is to take pictures of people. While you would have to be around people when you have sessions, this type of business allows you a great deal of freedom to set your own schedule and be your own boss. Many people need professional photographers for LinkedIn head shots, family portraits, senior portraits, pictures of children, and for many other things.

Freelance photographers are also used by some businesses to take professional pictures of their products for use in online eCommerce stores, brochures, and in other advertising media. Freelance photographers usually charge by the session for people, although they can also charge by the product.

As a freelance photographer, you will need professional photography equipment including a quality digital camera, lenses, and filters. You may also need to obtain backdrops, light boxes, lighting, and other things.

You may also need to obtain and learn how to use professional photo editing software. It’s now common for many images to have adjustments made to them to make them look better. Color, contrast, and other things can be tweaked to improve the overall image quality.

The second way to work alone as a photographer is to sell stock photos on various sites. Many people use stock photos on their websites, on advertisements, and for other reasons. You may be able to upload images you take in your community to stock photography sites and sell them.

The great thing about selling photos on stock photography sites is that you don’t have to be exclusive with just one company. You are the copyright owner. As such, you can upload each image you take to multiple stock photography sites.

It’s important to point out that you may have to upload several thousand pictures to stock photography sites to see any real money from this. Most stock photos earn an average of only $0.25 – $0.45 per month each.

Finally, there’s no reason why you couldn’t do both photography sessions of people and products and also sell stock photos.

13. Start a YouTube Channel

If you prefer to work by yourself, starting a YouTube channel is another possibility. You’ve probably watched many videos on YouTube over the years, but did you realize that many people make money from the content they upload? Some even earn full-time livings from their channels.

The most common way that people make money on YouTube is through ads. If you’ve ever watched a YouTube video and an add suddenly popped up, those are the ads I’m referring to. Money is made when people click on the ads or when people watch a short advertisement.

Starting a YouTube channel is easy, and you don’t need to purchase any special equipment. You can get started with the video camera on your phone.

Although it’s easy to start a YouTube channel, it isn’t easy to grow one. You do need to upload content that people are interested in viewing, and you need to upload new content on a regular basis. It’s also important to base your channel around a certain topic instead of it being a random collection of topics.

It’s important to point out that starting a YouTube channel is not a fast way to earn money. It usually takes a while to start getting followers and views on your videos. YouTube has also changed their policy so that they require a certain number of views and followers before they allow you to start running ads.

YouTube is a long-term strategy. If you have an idea for a channel and you don’t mind being in videos, it could be a way to earn some money.

However, it’s important to have realistic expectations about how long it will take for your channel to gain traction and grow. For some, it could take years. Some channels may never take off.

14. Sell Stuff on Etsy

Another job for people who like to work alone is to sell things on Etsy, a site for people who make and sell handmade items. If you enjoy making crafts – like jewelry, woodworking, clothing, art, and other things – then you may be able to start our own Etsy store and market your creations to the many people who browse Etsy every day.

An interesting option to consider if you prefer a more hands-off approach to selling is to sell printables on Etsy. Printables are things that people can download and print. Yes, people really do buy these things. A few examples of printables include checklists, grocery lists, planners, and greeting cards.

There is a strategy to selling printables on Etsy, so be sure you familiarize yourself with the process. A good place to start is by reviewing an overview of selling printables on Etsy.

It’s also important to point out that Etsy does have fees to sell on its platform, so you definitely want to learn about Etsy’s fee structure and other important information before you begin.

15. Appliance Repair

If you are good at fixing things, another job where you work alone to consider is repairing appliances. When money is tight and an appliance stops working, it’s much more affordable to hire someone to repair it than it is to buy a new one.

Another option to consider with appliance repair is to fix and flip appliances instead of repairing them for people. To do this, you first obtain a few broken appliances (washers, dryers, stoves, etc.). You then fix them and list them for sale on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or another online marketplace for buying and selling.

The great thing about flipping appliances is that many people will give you their old appliances for free for you to fix and flip. When you deliver a repaired appliance, for example, just ask the new owner if he would like you to take off his old unit. Since many people believe their old units are worthless, they will often jump at the chance to have someone get rid of their “junk” for them.

16. House Cleaner

Cleaning houses is another job to consider for those who are introverted and prefer to work alone. Many people need the services of a house cleaner for various reasons. They may work long hours and not have time to clean their homes themselves, for example. Many others just don’t like to clean and would rather hire someone to do the job for them.

Cleaning homes is hard work, but it is something you can usually do by yourself. You will most likely need to purchase your own cleaning supplies to take with you to different jobs.

There are several ways you can advertise your cleaning services including word of mouth and by taking out ads in local publications. You can also advertise by posting in local Facebook groups or by posting ads on Craigslist and other online marketplaces.

17. Vehicle Detailer

If you prefer to work alone, then detailing vehicles is another option to consider. Similar to cleaning houses, many people don’t have the time to clean their vehicles. When they get a day off from work, many would prefer to rest and relax instead of having to wash, wax, and clean the interiors of their cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, and other vehicles.

With vehicle detailing, you could either have people drop their vehicles off at your residence or you could arrange to detail vehicles at people’s homes. Mobile detailing is very popular. Many people prefer this option because it’s less hassle for them.

18. Social Media Manager

Many companies need someone to manage their social media accounts including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others. This is a great job for introverts because you can post on social media platforms from home, a coffee shop, or somewhere else.

In addition to making frequent social media posts, a social media manager may also have to respond to customer inquiries and do other things.

Another thing that many social media managers do is manage advertising. Advertising on Facebook, for example, is a great way for businesses to connect with people to sell their products or services. Many small businesses, however, don’t know how to advertise on Facebook. That’s why they turn to social media managers to take care of it for them.

19. Pinterest Virtual Assistant

Being a virtual assistant is one of several jobs where you work alone from home, but if you really enjoy spending time on the Pinterest platform, you might want to consider specializing working with clients who need your Pinterest skills.

Why would someone pay you to be on Pinterest?

Many bloggers and other website owners use Pinterest to drive traffic to their blogs. That’s the main reason why so many websites are on the platform. You didn’t think they were doing it just for fun, did you?

The amount of traffic websites can get from Pinterest can be substantial. Some blogs get well over 100,000 visitors to their blogs per month from Pinterest. That’s significant! And the more visitors blogs get, the more money they make for their owners.

Many bloggers don’t have the time to make and post all of those pretty pins you see on Pinterest. It takes a lot of work to run a successful blog – a lot more than many realize – and bloggers often spend the majority of their time creating new articles.

If you are good at creating pins and posting on the platform, you may be able to sell your services to bloggers as a Pinterest virtual assistant. You could do this as a side hustle to earn some extra money, but there are some who do it full-time. It just depends on how good you are and how many clients you take on.

20. Work a Remote Job

If you would prefer to work for a company instead of being a business owner, there are plenty of work alone jobs to apply for. Many companies now recognize that workers can be just as productive working from home as they are working at an office somewhere. Because of that, these companies now employ many remote workers who work from home.

If you are interested in applying to a work alone job, the best place to find available positions is on FlexJobs, which lists part and full-time remote positions from many different companies. FlexJobs states on its site that all of the jobs it lists are hand-picked by their researchers and that many different positions – from entry level to executive – are listed.

Make a Living By Yourself

Did you realize there were so many jobs where you can work by yourself? If you’re an introvert and prefer working alone, it’s good to know you have options.

There are many benefits to working alone. If you’re like me, it’s easier to get things done when you don’t have constant interruptions. It’s easier to focus when you are by yourself. You also get to take full credit for the work you do.

With some work alone jobs, you will have to have some limited contact with people, like when you pick up and drop things off with the delivery driver example. But with other solitary jobs, like selling printables on Etsy, it’s possible to work entirely alone.

Another thing to consider is the possibility of doing more than one of the things on this list. Maybe you could work a full-time remote position that you get through FlexJobs, for example, and also work as a social media manager in your spare time. There are many possibilities.

Working alone isn’t just for introverts anymore. All of the cool kids are doing it. There are now some small companies, for example, that have 100% remote work forces.

This list represents just a fraction of the jobs where you work by yourself. The good news is you do have options if you prefer to work alone – like me.

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