I wasn’t sure how I felt about writing this post, but in the end I thought it best.
By now, everyone has heard about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and is probably wondering how it will impact them and their families if it hasn’t already. I know in Australia, where I am, we’ve arrived a bit later to the party, and it’s all ramping up here unfortunately. Friday seemed to be a turning point. The Prime Minister announced that non-essential gatherings of greater than 500 people should be stopped. The Grand Prix was canceled, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival canceled, many other public events canceled, and some schools have closed. I am expecting that by this time next week, all or most schools will have closed, and workplaces will have tight restrictions placed on them. Of course the shelves in the supermarkets have been empty for a few weeks now.
I’m not writing this post to scare anyone, it’s just what is happening in the world right now.
I know there are people whose business are suffering as a direct result of COVID-19. I know that movie theatres and live shows are virtually empty. Travel and tourism are highly impacted. Jobs are at risk. People’s livelihoods are at risk. People just want to stay inside, and with good cause. For many Australians, they are still recovering from devastating bush fires. They have a long way to go, and still desperately need, but the world has moved on to Coronavirus. These are not fun times.
So why am I writing this post?
I have long held the belief that there is no such as job security, and have tried hard to plan work around a model that is as ‘future proofed’ as possible. After all, you can never predict what will happen. Even aside from things like pandemics and other natural events, nothing is secure.
In 2019, the United States experienced the longest government shut down in history. The shut down lasted for 35 days, and it was estimated that there were 800,000 government workers living without pay as a result of a partial shutdown of the government. I’d always thought that government jobs were relatively secure.
Time will tell the impact of COVID-19 on employment and earnings.
I believe it is important to build a few streams of income, so that if one (or more) fails, you still have income from other sources. Examples of other income might include:
- A second job (splitting your hours between more than one employer) – with the gig economy this is becoming easier to do, and with the global push for workplace flexibility
- Investments such as shares and property
- A ‘side hustle’
- Your own business, such as an online business
For the purposes of this post, I’ll be focusing on working online. There are actually lots of ways that people can work from anywhere in the world online, and be somewhat unaffected by the employment market in times of pandemic like we’re currently experiencing.
Work Anywhere Online Jobs
There are more ‘work anywhere’ online jobs than you might think. I’ve been researching and compiling different ways to make money online for quite some time now. When you think of online jobs, you shouldn’t necessarily think of a standard 9 to 5 job that just happens to be done online. While those do exist, that’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about all those opportunities available for you to potentially think outside of the square and create your own future.
If you look, you will find opportunities aplenty. Some are better than others, of course. Some are just downright scams, and you need to learn how to spot those and avoid them at all costs.
Let’s look at a few legitimate ‘work anywhere online jobs’:
- Testing websites – did you know you can sign up to various websites as a website tester? You can make money testing websites and testing new apps that product designers need feedback on before they put their new websites and apps out to market.
- Writing – if you have good writing skills, you can make money writing articles for other people, and there are a range of sites available. There are is a massive need for content, and people are happy to pay for you it.
- Freelancing – there are loads of websites popping up now looking to engage people online across a range of skill categories to complete short term projects for them.
- Completing tasks – like freelancing, there are more and more sties emerging looking for people to complete straightforward tasks for them.
- Surveys – my least favorite option, however if you need to make some money online, signing up for reputable survey platforms can certainly earn you some pocket money.
My prediction is that freelancing sites, and sites where you can complete particular tasks remotely, will only increase as people see that a workplace can actually be anywhere.
I have reviewed several platforms now that look at all of these ways to make money online, from the comfort of your own home or anywhere you choose. Check them out here.
What Is THE Best Work From Home Job?
In my view, the answer to this is pretty simple. Affiliate marketing wins for me hands down. Whilst there are plenty of opportunities to make money online with other options, affiliate marketing is the one that is able to generate a passive income for you over time.
To clarify what I mean by passive income, it’s much like a tap that you can turn on, and just leave running (probably not the best analogy in a time of drought here!). This type of recurring income is the most sought after thing in the working world. For many folks, it might take some time to understand that there is indeed a tap and recognising that anyone can create a tap, finding the tap for them, and then making the tap flow.
The way to do it is to create an asset that gets bought repeatedly by people. That’s easier said than done I hear you say. Creating your own online business is an excellent way to create passive income, and anyone can do that. You just need the right tools and support available. It will usually take some time to set up initially, but once you have put in the groundwork you will start to generate income. Most of the time there is nothing ‘passive’ about it, because you’re working really hard to set it all up. The ‘passive’ part comes much later! The key to it is to put in the work now so that it generates income for you, in an ongoing way, later.
With affiliate marketing, you may have a blog post with affiliate links to products that people are searching for, and your readers continually find the blog post through search engines and make purchases through your links. For as long as your post exists, it can continue to generate income. Multiply that by several posts, and even several websites – there’s your passive income. I do see people give up because they haven’t stuck it out long enough for their sites to produce regular income. The thing with creating passive income streams is that it does take time, and your best bet is to have an income stream whilst you’re working on setting up your passive stream. That’s where the other ways to make money online can help.
So, if you want to start creating your own future, why not make a start today?