13 Location Independent Jobs That Will Make You Rich
So you want freedom, flexibility *and* a large salary? Look no further than these 13 location independent jobs.
Job searches are changing. But the newest benefit potential job candidates want in their future position: flexibility.
Let’s talk flexible work. Globalization and digitization have primed and prepped the world for location independent jobs - and job seekers are catching on. In a survey by PGI, 60 percent of respondents said they would leave their current job for a full-time remote position at the same pay rate.
Millennials in particular are interested in finding a location independent job after they graduate. A survey by AfterCollege showed that 68 percent of millennial job seekers said an option to work remotely would greatly increase their interest in specific employers.
This trend toward flexible work is telling, but it’s not the end-all be-all for job seekers. In addition to wanting to have more control over where and when they work, candidates also want to be compensated at a rate that they deserve.
Have remote work, will travel. Join a work and travel program today!
Many high-paying remote jobs were originally created in the tech space (and there are still plenty of opportunities in that realm), but other industries are jumping on board with the trend. Today, you can find location independent jobs in marketing, sales, medicine, law, and even administration.
How to find a high paying job
The first step to securing high paying job is actually finding one - but how do you go about that search, especially when you're looking for a position with flexibility? There are plenty of ways to find a remote job that pays well, but we recommend starting your search within your own network. Consider your personal and professional connections and find out if you are in the same circle as someone whose company is fully remote or is offering a remote position. If you don't have luck there, you can move on to remote job boards, which specialize in listings for location independent careers from entry-level to senior-level. If you want to learn more about location-independent jobs, take a look at our guide on jobs you can do from anywhere.
13 High Paying Flexible Jobs
If you’re in the market for a remote job that not only gives you the flexibility that you desire, but also pays well (make that money, money), here are some titles to keep in mind as you start your search:
Technology
Senior iOS Developer
Apps aren’t going away - and neither are the people who create them. Having the ability to create apps for iOS is a highly-desired skill and if you have a significant amount of experience , you’ll be able to make a substantial amount of money while working from wherever you’re most inspired. As soon as you create an app that allows us all to work from the most beautiful cities in the world, let us know. Oh, wait...
Estimated Salary: $130,000 - $160,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Customer Success Support Engineer
As the go-to resource when your tech company’s clients have questions, you’re set up for financial success as a Customer Success Support Engineer. You’ll be able to answer your client calls from wherever you want to work, though your schedule won’t be quite as flexible as those with other types of remote jobs. If you have years of experience in connectivity, firewalls, and customer support, this is a career that you’ll want to look into.
Estimated Salary: $100,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
User Experience Researcher
If you’ve always had an innate ability to see what a customer is interested in, what they’re stuck on and how to move them through the funnel, you may want to consider becoming a User Experience Researcher. You’ll work with clients to analyze their current website and sales processes and recommend solutions that will increase customer satisfaction and ultimately, revenue. Since this job is entirely digital, it can be done remotely without any extra effort.
Estimated Salary: $100,000 - $120,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Senior Business Analyst
As a Senior Business Analyst working for a tech company, your job has a few major responsibilities on the surface: make sure that everything is running smoothly, test for bugs in software, troubleshoot technical issues, and keep everything up to your customer’s standards. The good news? You can get down to business from some of the best places to work remotely with this remote job.
Estimated Salary: $57,000 - $90,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
DevOps Engineer
As a DevOps Engineer, you’re the one who is holding your company’s digital presence together through web and app infrastructure, the creation of new tools to make the business run more efficiently, and constant improvement to your your system’s performance. You guessed it - since this job can be done entirely on the computer, it can be done remotely. The only question is: which global city do you want to work from first?
Estimated Salary: $80,000 - $100,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Sales
Vice President of Sales
As a Vice President level position, it was clear that this was going to be a high-paying option from the start. More companies are allowing the heads of their departments to work outside of the office. As a location independent VP of Sales, you’ll rely heavily on video calls as a form of communication and digital tracking through CRM tools. You’ll potentially lead a team of salespeople who also work remotely. This gives you the perfect opportunity to educate them on the best practices of remote work and help usher in a new standard for work-life flexibility.
Estimated Salary: $150,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Administration
Project Manager
Project Managers are some of the most organized professionals in the workplace. If you decide to pursue this profession, you’ll be in charge of every aspect of a project from workflows, approval processes, task management and prioritization to cost proposals and execution. Most of your job is related to communication and organization, so it’s a good idea to look into tools that were created specifically with remote workers in mind. Why work harder if you can work smarter, right?
Estimated Salary: $65,000 - $105,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Learn how to take your remote job on the road as you travel the world.
Design
Product Designer
A Product Designer role could be perfect for you if you’re a professional with a creative mind. No matter your interests, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find a job in product design within your desired industry. If you have the ability to mock up your designs on the web, even better - that’s what makes a remote job work! Use your new freedom to work from places that truly inspire you and you’ll see an uptick in both your creativity and productivity.
Estimated Salary: $50,000 - $70,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Health
Teleradiologist
Many traditional medical professions can only be done in a hospital or clinic setting. They require the professional to see the patient in person to diagnose and treat illness or injury. That’s not the case with teleradiology. If you’re a Teleradiologist, you’ll be able to view x-rays from a home office or other location and report back to your patients on your findings - no white coat required. At this point in time, teleradiology jobs are scarce as they are just starting to become accepted in the medical community so if you see an opportunity, we’d suggest jumping on it quickly.
Estimated Salary: $100,000 - $400,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Speech Language Pathologist
Like virtual teachers, Speech Language Pathologists can use video communication technology to work with their clients from anywhere in the world. If you decide to become a Speech Language Pathologist, you can evaluate clients using different types of software, execute treatment plans through consistent video meetings, and track patients’ progress using varied techniques. By becoming a remote Speech Language Pathologist, you’ll open yourself up to working with clients from outside of your geographic location as well.
Estimated Salary: $80,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Law
Attorney
Using just the word “Attorney” may be too broad a term for the veritable pantheon of jobs that can fall under this category. There are so many facets to the law - and there are virtual Attorney positions available for each of them. For example, you can become a virtual patent lawyer, a remote research lawyer, a location independent estate attorney and, well, you get the picture. If you have a legal background, and are looking for an opportunity that is a bit more flexible than a traditional law firm, look into becoming a virtual Attorney.
Estimated Salary: $115,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Human Resources
Benefits Administrator
You may think that as a Benefits Administrator you would need to be able to work face-to-face with your company’s employees. Not so! Digital communication has come a long way and along with email and online human resources software, video call tools are now the go-to tool for human resources professionals. You can ensure that your company’s employees are taken care of and aligned with the benefits that they’re receiving, while working from anywhere in the world.
Estimated Salary: $50,000 - $80,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
Recruiter
As a Recruiter, your job is to bring in the best candidates for your client’s job openings. Couldn’t you do so much better if you didn’t have to report to a centralized office every day? As a remote Recruiter, you have the ability to travel the world and meet with desirable candidates for your clients, expanding their prospect pool to include people outside of the geographic location.
Estimated Salary: $50,000 - $75,000
Salary sourced from FlexJobs
The workplace is changing and the future of remote work is promising. It’s becoming more flexible and global, but that doesn’t mean that workers want to be paid any less. They are willing to put more time and focus into their positions as long as they are being adequately compensated. The jobs above are a great starting point if you’re one of those workers on the hunt for a position that gives you freedom, of both the geographic and financial variety. Here are some great tips for working remotely that will help you ease into any location-independent job you get.
