Top 25 Self Employed Jobs That Pay Well

Are you looking for a job, but you just can’t seem the perfect fit? Or maybe you’ve been interviewing, but you haven’t heard any good news. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to find a job that fits your experience, has a company culture you like, and likes you back.

If you’re running into roadblocks while job hunting, why not create your own job?

There are plenty of people who need niche services. Just make sure you know there’s a market for your skills before you get started.

Key Takeaways:

• The top three self employed jobs are photographer, nanny, and painter.

• When being self employed it’s important to be a good boss to yourself and learn to delegate or outsource when possible.

• Networking and growing your business is the best way to become successful when self employed.

The Top 25 Self Employed Jobs

1. Management analyst
   Average Annual Salary: $74,000

   Similar to a consultant, management analysts work with companies to analyze their processes and then recommend ways to maximize their efficiency. The benefit of working as a management analyst is that you can choose your clients and work with local businesses or whoever you choose to help them find success. Once you find your groove and establish yourself, you can expect to earn around $40 an hour, the median salary.

   Common skills you need to succeed are strong analytics and communication skills. The most common jobs before becoming a management analyst are administrative assistant, internship, and customer service representative.

   Requirements needed: To become a management analyst, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) will help you to earn more as a management analyst.

   Find Management analyst jobs near me

2. Home stager/designer
   Average Annual Salary: $50,490

   Sometimes people need help designing their home before selling it, so they’ll call in a home stager to make their house look great. You’ll be responsible for doing some decorating to make the house look good before potential buyers visit.

   You can also work as an interior designer who makes houses look beautiful for their current occupants and design the house to their taste.

   Requirements needed: If you’re interested in becoming a home stager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 58.5% of home stagers have a bachelor’s degree. Even though most home stagers have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

   Find Home stager/designer jobs near me

3. Tutor
   Average Annual Salary: $33,000

   If you love working with kids or you’re passionate about a subject, becoming a tutor might be a great idea. You can set your schedule and decide which subjects you’ll tutor in, so it’s a very flexible position. The average salary for tutors is around $25 an hour, but you can raise your rate depending on your experience and effectiveness.

   Requirements needed: You don’t need any special training, but you should have at least a bachelor’s degree in your chosen field. Tutors usually study psychology, business or English. Getting a certification as a Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:) will help you to earn more as a tutor.

   Find Tutor jobs near me

4. Painter
   Average Annual Salary: $31,000

   Not to be confused with an artist, painters are there to help when you need anything painted. They work in homes, offices, stores, and even outdoors, pretty much any place where you might need a coat of paint applied.

   You don’t need a lot to get started, so it’s an easy field to break into, plus over 40% of painters are self-employed. Most people earn around $35,000 a year as a painter.

   Requirements needed: To become a painter, you usually need a high school diploma. Getting a certification as a OSHA Safety Certificate will help you to earn more as a painter.

   Find Painter jobs near me

5. Home care specialist
   Average Annual Salary: $54,000

   As people live longer, more and more people need help living in their homes and getting basic housekeeping tasks and medical reminders.

   If you know anyone who could benefit from home visits to make sure their house is in order and they’re on top of their medical treatments, you could offer your services.

   Requirements needed: To become a health care specialist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) will help you to earn more as a health care specialist.

   Find Home care specialist jobs near me

6. Driver
   Average Annual Salary: $29,000

   If you love being out on the road and want to help people get where they need to go, driving is a great job. You can set your hours, your driving range, and your customers. Sometimes people need drivers to get to the airport once in a while, or other clients will need you to drive them around regularly for appointments or meetings.

   Having the flexibility to choose your clients means you can do this job the way you want it to be. You can usually make around $15 an hour. The most common jobs before becoming a driver are cashier, truck driver, and delivery driver.

   Requirements needed: To become a driver, you usually need a high school diploma and a valid drivers license. Getting a certification as a Commercial Driver License (CDL) (CDL) will help you to earn more as a driver.

   Find Driver jobs near me

7. Personal trainer
   Average Annual Salary: $38,000

   Fitness is an important part of life, but not everyone can achieve their health goals without someone’s help. You don’t have to be a world-class weightlifter or a marathon runner to help people meet their fitness goals.

   You can specialize in getting people healthy through good eating or focus more on the physical, muscle-building aspect as you please. Plus, you can choose who you work with and where you work, so it’s completely customizable. Usually, personal trainers charge about $20 an hour but depending on where you live and your experience, you could scale up from there.

   Requirements needed: To become a personal trainer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 6-12 months of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Personal Trainer will help you to earn more as a personal trainer.

   Find Personal trainer jobs near me

8. Artist
   Average Annual Salary: $72,000

   Creative people who have honed their craft can work for themselves and create their art for a living. About half of artists are self-employed, so it’s a great field to get involved in if you know you want to work for yourself.

   It gives you more creative freedom, and you can make whatever you want when you’re self-employed. The median salary for artists is around $65,000

   Requirements needed: To become an artist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certified Decorative Artist (CDA,) will help you to earn more as an artist.

   Find Artist jobs near me

9. Developer
   Average Annual Salary: $84,000

   Instead of looking for a developer position at a company and only working with their systems, work for yourself, and pick many different clients to work for. There’s always a need for a developer to manage and maintain software systems, websites, and other digital assets for companies.

   Working for yourself can pay off in this role since the average salary is nearly $90,000 a year. The most common jobs before becoming a developer are java developer, and software engineer.

   Requirements needed: To become a developer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Web Professional – Web Developer will help you to earn more as a developer.

   Find Developer jobs near me

10. Finance advisor
    Average Annual Salary: $79,000

    Having good finances is key for anyone, but not everyone has the skills or the knowledge to keep their finances under control. As a personal finance advisor, you can consult with different people (or even companies) to help them get to a healthy financial state.

    This is a lucrative field since it requires lots of knowledge and advising, so the median salary is around $80,000 a year. The most common jobs before becoming a finance advisor are internship, and customer service representative.

    Requirements needed: Having a degree in accounting or a related field helps and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Professional, Life and Health Insurance Program (CPLHI) will help you to earn more as a finance advisor.

    Find Finance advisor jobs near me

11. Transcriptionist
    Average Annual Salary: $28,930

    A popular job to do from home and on your own schedule as a freelancer is a transcriptionist. Transcriptionists take recorded audio or video and write down what they hear so others can read speeches, movies, lectures, and more. There are many fields you can specialize in, like medical transcription, depending on your skills.

    All you need to get started is strong listening, communication, writing, and organization skills. Transcriptionists can make around $13 an hour.

    Requirements needed: To become a transcriptionist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) will help you to earn more as a transcriptionist.

    Find Transcriptionist jobs near me

12. Web designer
    Average Annual Salary: $61,000

    If you’re great with creative design and you’re a master at coding, you can sell your expertise as a web designer. Keeping web designers on retainer is expensive, so many companies look for an outside freelancer to design or revamp their websites, so there are plenty of opportunities out there.

    You can get creative and create a distinct look and feel to your work, so people come to you for your unique design sense. The most common jobs before becoming a web designer are graphic designer, internship, and web graphic designer.

    Requirements needed: To become a web designer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Master Certified Web Professional – Designer (CWP) will help you to earn more as a web designer.

    Find Web designer jobs near me

13. Photographer
    Average Annual Salary: $49,000

    Getting professional photos taken is important for many life milestones, so if you have a good eye and the equipment to get started, you can find a client base pretty easily. You’ll need to know how to take good photographs, understand cameras, and have access to photo editing software to get started.

    The great thing about professional photography is that it’s easy to get more clients through word of mouth if you do good work, so you just need to find your first few clients and wow them. Typically, photographers charge around $15 an hour when starting.

    Requirements needed: To become a photographer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) will help you to earn more as a photographer.

    Find Photographer jobs near me

14. Marketing specialist
    Average Annual Salary: $52,000

    Companies are always trying to find new customers, increase their online visibility, or write compelling marketing materials. There are so many ways to get involved in freelance marketing work, so no matter your skills, you can find a way to land a marketing gig.

    Think about a company’s needs in the short term and work to sell yourself as a freelancer. The most common jobs before becoming a marketing specialist are marketing internship, marketing coordinator, and internship.

    Requirements needed: To become a marketing specialist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) will help you to earn more as a marketing specialist.

    Find Marketing specialist jobs near me

15. E-commerce seller
    Average Annual Salary: N/A

    Do you spend hours scouring sites like Etsy and eBay? Do you have a great idea for a niche product that you can make on your own? Try out selling on an e-commerce platform. People can make surprising amounts of money selling their passion projects to other people.

    Think about the skills you already have and what other people would buy, like knit products, candles, or art you create. That way, you can do something you love and make some money off of it.

    Requirements needed: N/A

16. Makeup artist
    Average Annual Salary: $80,297

    Get creative and share your makeup magic with the world as a makeup artist. If you love doing your own makeup, you can share your passion with others, do their makeup for them, or teach them how to do it. You only need to be good at makeup and have a large stock of products to get started.

    It’s a good idea to start out on friends then get referrals to other people, but you can go about it any way you like. As a makeup artist, you can expect to earn around $20 an hour for your work. The most common jobs before becoming a makeup artist are sales associate, and cashier.

    Requirements need: To become a makeup artist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Decorative Artist (CDA,) will help you to earn more as a makeup artist.

    Find Makeup artist jobs near me

17. Meeting Event planner
    Average Annual Salary: $44,000

    Are you super organized and love planning? You might want to use your skills to become an event planner. You can organize anything from company parties to elaborate weddings and wow the world with your flair. Usually, event planners earn about $35,000 a year on average.

    Requirements needed: To become a meeting/event planner, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certification in Meetings Management (CMM) will help you to earn more as a meeting/event planner.

    Find Event planner jobs near me

18. Career coach
    Average Annual Salary: $45,000

    Maybe you have a ton of professional experience but don’t know where your next step should be. Try taking everything you’ve learned and helping others land their dream job as a career coach.

    You can help with everything from defining career goals to preparing for interviews. It helps if you have deep knowledge of one industry to focus on coaching for that industry specifically, but there is lots of room to build the job how you want it to be. The most common jobs before becoming a career coach are internship, and case manager.

    Requirements needed: To become a career coach, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) will help you to earn more as a career coach.

    Find Career coach jobs near me

19. Videographer
    Average Annual Salary: $38,000

    Similar to a photographer, many people want their events on video now. You can work as a videographer and record peoples’ life events, or you can choose to work commercially and film commercials and business materials.

    Typically videographers are responsible for filming events or creating videos, plus the editing afterward to make them beautiful and seamless. You can earn around $30 an hour. The most common jobs before becoming a videographer are internship, production assistant, and freelance videographer/editor.

    Requirements needed: To become a videographer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Apple Certified Pro- Final Cut Pro X will help you to earn more as a videographer.

    Find Videographer jobs near me

20. Resume writer
    Average Annual Salary: N/A

    Many people have great professional experience but don’t know how to sell themselves well on a resume. If you have great writing skills and some professional experience, you can help others make themselves stand out on paper and land a job.

    You can work as a resume editor if you want a lighter workload or work as a resume writer where you create resumes for others.

    Requirements needed: N/A

21. Nanny
    Average Annual Salary: $25,000

    There’s always a need for childcare, and you can get started working with a family or multiple families pretty easily. You can decide who you work for and what your hours are. For example, you can only work nights when parents might want to go for a date night or do day shifts while parents are at work.

    It also helps to advertise any extra skills or certifications you have, like you can tutor kids in a second language, or you have first-aid certifications. When you start out, you can expect to make around $13 an hour. The most common jobs before becoming a nanny are cashier, sales associate, and volunteer.

    Requirements needed: To become a nanny, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) will help you to earn more as a nanny.

    Find Nanny jobs near me

22. Graphic artist
    Average Annual Salary: $47,000

    No matter what your artistic specialty is, there’s always a need for good artists. You might have clients such as companies looking to rebrand or design handouts (like books or magazines) or just individuals who need designs.

    The great thing about working as a graphic designer is that you don’t need much to get started, just a computer and whatever software you like using to design illustrations. The most common jobs before becoming a graphic artist are graphic designer, and art director.

    Requirements needed: To become a graphic artist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) will help you to earn more as a graphic artist.

    Find Graphic artist jobs near me

23. Landscaper
    Average Annual Salary: $26,000

    This job is great for students who want to make a little extra money in the summer when school is out. You can make some good money tending to peoples’ lawns or managing their leaves in the fall.

    Any kind of yard work fits under landscaping, so whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, you can find tasks to help people with for around $13 an hour. The most common jobs before becoming a landscaper are cashier, sales associate, and cook.

    Requirements needed: To become a landscaper, you usually need a high school diploma and none of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Landscape Architect (CLARB) will help you to earn more as a landscaper.

    Find Landscaper jobs near me

24. Hair stylist
    Average Annual Salary: $36,000

    As a makeup artist, you can help people in your area look their best if you’re great at doing peoples’ hair. You can decide to become a hairdresser and provide full cut and color service, or you can focus on hairstyling and getting people prepared for a special event.

    Typically hair stylists earn about $10 an hour when they’re getting started and depending on their experience.

    Requirements needed: To become a hair stylist, you usually need a high school diploma. Getting a certification as a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) will help you to earn more as a hair stylist.

    Find Hairstylist jobs near me

25. Social media specialist
    Average Annual Salary: $46,000

    If you’re great at managing social media accounts and creating compelling content, try selling your skills to different companies. Social media specialists can cover everything from creating a social media strategy to handling comments and customer conversations.

    Think about where your skills lay and sell yourself to companies for around $15 an hour.

    Requirements needed: To become a social media specialist, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) will help you to earn more as a social media specialist.

    Find Social media specialist jobs near me

Tips for Being Successfully Self Employed

No matter what career path appeals to you, these tips will help you be successful:

• Be a good boss. Some people think it’s a dream being their own boss until they discover it’s a nightmare. If you’re a perfectionist or a workaholic, be aware of your tendency to overwork. Depending on your business, learn to delegate or outsource when possible, and don’t take on too much responsibility yourself.

  Also, set firm boundaries on your time. Treat it like a normal job, where certain days and times are off-limits for work-related activities. Otherwise, you run the risk of burning out before your self-employment gig really takes off.

• Be smart about taxes. Being good at your career is great but unless that career is in accounting or a related field, you probably don’t have much experience with handling business taxes.

  The basic self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, covering both the employer and employee portions of the social security and medicare contributions. Beyond that, your tax situation really depends on how you’re self-employed and whether you’re a freelancer or business owner.

  Whether you reach out to an accountant for help or take a crash course in the accounting needs of your career, remember that you need to account for taxes as you set rates for your services or products.

• Be genuine. When you get started with self-employment, you might feel an urge to continue with your regular workplace persona. Maybe you come from the corporate world and have been living up to certain expectations of what that means for years.

  But when you’re running your own show, people aren’t relying on a big brand name or a staple organization in the community. They’re relying on you, and being successful means being trustworthy.

• Grow and network. Being self-employed doesn’t mean being entirely self-sufficient. You still need to connect with vendors, clients, and a whole cast of other characters to get your business going and continue generating income. Staying up-to-date on your skills and attending events related to your field is a great way to stay in the know.

  Plus, a bit of self-promotion is key when it comes to personal branding, so don’t be shy about selling the value of your work.

Self Employed Jobs FAQ

1. How does a self employed person make money?

   A self employed individual will earn an income by contracting with a trade of business directly. A self-employed person does not work for a specific employer who pays them a consistent salary or wage.

   Because the self employed person is employed with a contract, the payer will not withhold takes, so it is the self employed persons responsibility to withhold taxes.

   Self employed persons may be involved in a variety of occupations but generally are highly skilled at a particular kind of work. Examples include writers, tradespeople, lawyers, salespeople, and insurance agents.

2. What is the easiest business to start with no money?

   The easiest job to start with no money is blogging. When starting a blog you should choose a subject that you are actually passionate about and personally invested in to blog about.

3. What is the best business to start for beginners?

   The three best businesses to start for beginners are home cleaning, blogging, and photography. These jobs don’t need many requirements to start. As long as you are good at it and can get the word out about your business, you can get a decent client list.

Final Thoughts

Being self-employed is more than just deciding what you want to do and how to sell your skills. It’s about working with people and projects you choose and owning your personal brand. People can start working for themselves for many reasons, and flexibility is a huge draw for many.

Another reason to get started in a self-employed job is that the conditions are still good for outsourced work. As people continue to work and conduct their business from home, more and more people are relying on freelancers and outside consultants.

So what does a day in the life of a self-employed worker look like? It’s hard to say since everyone approaches it differently depending on their services and their industry. That’s why it’s such a great option with incredible flexibility.

For the most part, you can work from home and set your schedule. You can decide how many hours you’ll work, whether you want to be full-time or part-time.

Sometimes, it can be hard to decide what you want to do when you work for yourself, even if you have the motivation to get started. We rounded up a list of some common self-employed jobs that pay well, and you can start fairly easily. Feel free to get creative and use this list as a springboard when you think of ways you can sell your expertise.

Author

Amanda Covaleski

Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.