You may have heard the term “gig economy” thrown around a lot lately—but what exactly does it mean? In essence, a gig economy refers to a free market system wherein short-term hires are common. Companies and organizations seek temporary workers for specific jobs, or “gigs”—a term borrowed from the music industry to refer to a live show.
With the advent of technology such as Uber and Lyft, the gig economy has become part of the everyday fabric of the world economy. And beyond Uber or DoorDash drivers, gig employees can include a wide variety of arrangements, including freelancers, project-based workers, independent contractors, and other part-time or job-specific hires.
While many economists and other commentators have vociferously debated the merits and downsides of a gig economy, there are certain aspects that many freelancers enjoy: namely, the freedom to work from home and set their own hours.
This article will examine a variety of gig economy opportunities that let you work from home—and maybe even take a cruise at little to no expense!
Common gig economy opportunities
Photographer
Although it’s best if you have an indoor space available, you can also take advantage of places in your local area and offer your photography skills to would-be clients. They can be for social media, websites, wedding pictures, etc.
IT
As so much IT (Information Technology) work can be done remotely, clients may seek out IT services from information security engineers, systems engineers, and network analysts. If you have a background in computers, you can leverage your know-how to help out a wide range of companies and organizations.
Software/web development
Web developers are in high demand, with every business realizing they need a solid online presence. As long as you have some reasonable education and experience in this field, with a portfolio of sites that you’ve developed, you’ll be in good shape to attract clients who need help getting their website up and running.
Freelance writing
A common work-from-home opportunity involves copywriting (or editing or proofreading). Use your writing skills to help create promotional materials for companies, including blog posts and content for articles. You might also find jobs asking you to help write or revise letters, personal statements, resumes, and more.
Transportation
Uber and Lyft have become immensely popular. As long as you have a vehicle and a driver’s license, you should be in good shape to start making some money on your own schedule. Plus, there’s been a rise in food delivery apps, such as DoorDash and GrubHub, creating more gig economy opportunities for would-be drivers.
Art and design
Graphic design is one of the most common requests on freelancing sites. Most businesses have some—or many—design needs but don’t necessarily have someone on staff who is capable of producing high-quality content. If you have experience and design software (like the standard Adobe products), you can make solid money creating logos and other designs for organizations.
Education
Tutoring may very well be one of the older freelancing jobs on this list. Seeing as there will always be people in school and older people wanting to learn, tutoring can be a great source of income for people who have higher levels of education and a knack for conveying their knowledge in an effective manner.
inCruises
inCruises offers the unique ability to save money buying cruises and even provides the opportunity to cruise for free through their partnership program. Partners earn commissions and other incentives if they successfully refer others to purchase memberships. You can also just join as a member to save money on booking cruises.
This enables you to enjoy cruise travel—your next vacation, perhaps— and save money on the price.
Plus, you can do your referring from the comfort of your home!
Summing up
The economy has been drastically changing since the advent of the internet. The increasing digitization has led many jobs to transition into the gig economy—exhibit A being the transition of many taxi drivers into Uber or Lyft, or DoorDash drivers.
While there are certain concerns for gig economy workers—for example, health insurance—there remain many benefits. Freelance or independent workers often tout the sense of freedom they feel and love being able to work from home.
As outlined in this article, there is no shortage of freelancing jobs that enable you to work from home (and we really just scratched the surface). Whether writing or tutoring, IT work or web developing, photography or graphic design, there’s a way for you to use your skills and education to make some side money—and maybe even enough to stand in as a full-time job!
Perhaps the most unique and compelling is the inCruises opportunity, as you can potentially travel the world on a luxurious cruise ship while referring people from home. Sign me up!
