If you’re looking for the top remote jobs that pay well, or wondering what remote jobs are in-demand… the list below will give you 10 great remote career choices.
The rise in remote work has created amazing opportunities to earn a high salary while working from home, but not all remote jobs pay well or lead to long-lasting careers.
Rest assured that the choices below are the best of the best when it comes to in-demand and lucrative remote jobs.
10 Highest-Paying Remote Jobs
1. Data Scientist
Average base salary: $96,589 (according to Payscale.com).
Data science is one of the best and highest-paying remote jobs you’ll find, but it’s not an easy job to perform or an easy field to break into.
In terms of job duties, data scientists work to analyze/process data.
They’re employed by both large and small firms, including the biggest social media sites, e-commerce brands like Amazon, and companies in many other industries from health care to logistics.
Since data scientists work primarily from a computer, there’s no reason that this job can’t be done remotely.
Turning this gig into a remote role is simply a matter of finding a company that allows remote work in general and then asking/negotiating to go remote.
To land an entry-level data science job, you’ll want a bachelor’s degree in computer science or mathematics, or you’ll need to attend a software coding bootcamp with a specialization in data science.
If the hurdles to enter this field seem too much, keep reading for more options of easier high-paying remote jobs/careers.
2. IT Project Manager
Average base salary: $88,798 (according to Payscale.com).
Project managers coordinate with multiple teams/people to ensure a project is completed successfully. Their duties include managing project timelines, budgets, quality of work, and more, while delegating the day-to-day work to others.
Project management is a high-paying role with job duties that can be done remotely in many industries.
Though, your ability to go remote in this career will depend on your employer’s openness to the idea.
Project managers tend to have a lot of human interaction in their job duties as they coordinate and guide multiple project teams and people and sometimes even update customers/clients on project progress.
Since technology firms seem to be leading the way in offering remote benefits right now, your best bet at going remote as a project manager or project director would be to find a tech firm to work for.
IT companies tend to let more employees work from home, and they tend to pay higher for this type of work, too.
But if you’re in another industry already and have some experience working on, coordinating, or managing projects, then there’s no reason you can’t ask to turn your current gig into a remote job in your industry.
3. Software Engineer
Average base salary: $87,797 (according to Payscale.com).
As a former tech recruiter, I can tell you that many software developers earn $120,000 and above once they’ve gained experience.
Along with the high average salary, they receive quite a bit of flexibility and freedom from their employers, in general, since the work they perform is so critical to any tech or online company.
If you have some programming knowledge or are willing to attend a coding bootcamp to learn, then going into software development will get you one of the higher-paying remote jobs and will lead to an in-demand career.
This article covers whether a coding bootcamp is worth it.
After becoming a software engineering, you can also progress from an individual contributor role into a leadership role, such as software development manager/team lead, while still working remotely.
Or, you can move into project management. As mentioned earlier, IT project managers are highly paid and can work from home in some organizations.
4. Cyber Security Analyst
Average base salary: $76,754 (according to Payscale.com).
Cyber security is a fast-growing field with a high average salary and great job prospects/job security looking forward.
As more companies do more business online, cybersecurity is becoming paramount for practically every organization, from online stores to social media sites to hospitals and health insurance organizations.
All of these companies have valuable data to protect and rely on cyber security specialists to ensure this data is kept safe.
While not every company will allow you to work remotely in this role, some certainly will. There’s no fundamental reason that cyber security analysts cannot do everything in their job description in a remote work setup.
So if you have any type of technical background or an interest in learning about cyber security, this is one of the highest-paying remote jobs to consider and will certainly see a rising demand in coming years. (And likely a rising average salary with it).
One website that offers a solid “Intro to Cyber Security” course is Udacity. You can read my full review of Udacity here.
5. Business Analyst
Average base salary: $70,097 (according to Payscale.com).
With an average salary above $70K, another great option for a remote career that pays well is being a business analyst.
Business analysts work within an organization to improve processes and systems through the use of data.
While many of the high-paying remote careers earlier on the list are tech-focused, this role is more business- and data-focused.
So a business analyst role is an excellent option to earn a high income while working remotely if you have a business degree or any type of business background.
I’ll share more business-related options coming up on the list, so keep reading if you don’t have an IT background and still want to find a remote job that pays well.
6. Digital Marketing Manager
Average base salary: $68,219 (according to Payscale.com).
Any job in the field of digital marketing has the potential to become a lucrative remote career, so don’t let the “manager” title here deter you.
I simply wanted to list the manager position on this list of highest paying remote jobs, since it’s technically the highest paid, based on average salary.
Yet overall, I cannot recommend digital marketing enough as a remote career to consider.
I’ve seen people earning great base salaries doing:
- Email marketing
- Website copywriting
- Social media management
- Much more
From any of those positions, you can step up to a manager or director role, but it’s okay if you don’t have a digital marketing background and simply want to get your foot in the door with a remote job that pays well.
If so, an individual contributor marketing role will satisfy your goals.
Here are the best places to learn digital marketing online.
If I were 18 again and knew what I knew now, I’d only consider two careers: digital marketing or software engineering.
So I cannot say enough about how strong digital marketing is as a career choice that can lead to remote job opportunities and high salaries/high demand skills in general.
7. Systems Administrator
Average base salary: $63,131 (according to Payscale.com).
Next on our list of best-paying remote jobs is another IT job: System Administrator, also called Network and Systems Administrator.
This person’s job is to ensure that their company’s computer networks are functioning properly on a day-to-day basis.
Depending on the size of the systems administration team and the size/setup of the overall company, workers holding this job could be allowed to work remotely or work from home.
Like many jobs in IT, more of this type of work is able to be performed online/remotely with each coming year. That’s the trend we’re going in, which is exciting if you’re eager to work remotely.
It’s possible in this role that if you rose to the director level or acquired another senior position in this field, you’d be asked to come back to the office to work on-site. But that’s a problem you’d only have to worry about after acquiring many years of experience.
Also, by that time, it’s possible that organizations would allow this entire department to be remote. Some companies are already doing this.
It’s just slightly less likely that senior managers, directors, etc., would be permitted to work from anywhere in the world.
8. Technical Writer
Average base salary: $61,325 (according to Payscale.com).
When I worked as a job recruiter, I was recruiting “medical writers”. They’re one specific type of technical writer (typically with a nursing degree or other basic healthcare background).
I spoke to one woman who was earning $150,000 per year while working remotely from a Caribbean island.
Years later, I started diving into the world of digital marketing and began speaking to direct response copywriters — writers responsible for putting together advertisem*nts and other written materials (and video scripts) to drive more leads/sales for a business.
I quickly discovered that many of the top copywriters also earned six figures per year or more and worked remotely.
I’ve done more research on this and discovered that there are quite a few types of technical writing positions that earn a high salary, and since you’re simply writing, almost all of these roles can be performed remotely.
Even the top content writers charge 40 cents per word or more if working freelance, or earn a salary at or near six figures if working full-time for a single company.
You can absolutely earn great money and work remotely as a writer, so don’t discount this option.
9. Account Manager
Average base salary: $56,048 (according to Payscale.com).
Any business that has clients or ongoing accounts needs account managers to maintain the relationships.
Such businesses include telecommunications companies, software as a service (SaaS) companies, and many more.
The job can almost always be done remotely, and this is also a career that you can obtain at the entry-level in some companies. They’ll train you/teach you, as long as you seem like you have the following traits in the interview:
- Good communication skills
- Problem solving ability
- Ability to work under pressure
Companies pay well for this type of work because a lot is riding on your success in the position. If you keep your clients happy, they’ll stay for many months or years and continue to pay for whatever it is your business provides.
If you’re a “people person” with more of a business background and/or great communication skills, and you want to earn high pay while working remotely, account management is a strong option to consider.
Sometimes, you’ll be responsible for “upselling” clients to encourage them to spend more with the business, too, and you may be rewarded for that in the form of commissions and bonuses. So this type of role has some crossover into sales at times, in terms of job duties.
The difference is that salespeople bring completely new customers/clients into the business, whereas your duties would be focused on supporting existing clients.
Typically, the salesperson will “hand-off” the clients to an account manager once they’re brought on board, so the salesperson can return to just selling.
Sales positions can also bring in a six-figure salary if you go into business-to-business (B2B) sales. And at times, these jobs could be done remotely, too. Look for “inside sales” positions if this sounds interesting, since those positions don’t require you to go door-to-door or meet anyone face-to-face, greatly increasing the chances the job can be done remotely.
10. Web Designer
Average base salary: $52,114 (according to Payscale.com).
Before a software developer starts building a website, they need a visual design. Colors, layout, dimensions.
And a lot of work goes into that design. The website has to be great for users. It has to be engaging. It has to make sense.
This is what web designers do, and they can earn a great income completely remotely.
On average, you won’t earn quite as much as the software engineer/developers, but you’ll still earn a great salary without having to learn to code. And working as a designer can be done from any location.
In my opinion, there’s little to no concern about whether the actual job duties can be performed via remote work, so more employers are likely to say “yes” to the idea of you going remote.
Web design is an important job in many organizations and if you gain enough experience, it can certainly be one of the highest-paying remote jobs, especially considering you can start this career without obtaining an expensive degree.
You can find more careers that don’t require a degree here.
Graphic designers also can earn a high average salary, so if you want to specialize only in creating digital graphics but not full website designs, then consider this as another high-paying, remote job option.
To learn these fields, I recommend an e-learning site like Udacity, which is cheaper and faster than traditional education/college.
Are These the Only Remote Jobs that Pay Well?
Absolutely not. There are far more jobs out there where you’ll find companies hiring remotely.
Whether you’ve got a background in IT/computers, business and finance, or simply customer support/sales, it’s worth looking for remote positions in your search.
There are completely different virtual jobs that didn’t make this list. And there are jobs similar to some mentioned above, too. For example, I mentioned project managers. Well, product managers are slightly different but can also work virtually in many cases, and it’s not uncommon for workers in this field to earn $100,000 or above after building up their skills for a few years.
And with each passing year, I expect more companies to stop worrying about the location of workers, which will lead to more workers being able to go remote.
Deciding Which High-Paying Remote Job is Best for You
If you read the list above, you now know multiple high-paying remote jobs in a variety of industries/sectors.
When choosing a field to pursue, I’d encourage you to consider the average salary but also whether the field interests you, and whether you have any existing skills to help you land that first job in this career.
You don’t necessarily need prior experience or job-related skills to land a virtual job. But any skills or prior knowledge you do have will only help you.
If you don’t have any prior skills, consider the type of background employers look for when hiring for the job, and the competition you’ll be up against.
For example, if you try to become a data scientist, you’ll be up against people with degrees in math and computer science. They have an advantage if you don’t have these in your background.
This doesn’t mean you can’t work in this career field, but you’ll have a better chance of landing a high-paying remote position (and being able to earn promotions/raises in the future) if you look into a role that requires less technical education/background.
Even a web developer job would be a lot easier to break into and would be less reliant on a strong academic background, in my opinion as a former tech recruiter.
For this reason, I often suggest that clients study web development via coding bootcamps, rather than data science or other fields.
And if you look at a job like marketing, the duties are more reliant on real-world skills that employers will teach you in an entry-level role, or that you can learn on your own through a marketing course online.
So consider how well you’ll be able to compete with other people in a given field, based on your academic background.
Researching Remote Jobs and Careers to Understand the Requirements
If in doubt, you can look on LinkedIn at people who currently have the roles you want and check their academic background and career path. How did they get to where they are?
If your plan is to attend an online course/bootcamp but you can’t see any employees in top companies who have done this, that may be a red flag.
I suspect with data science, you may find this to be the case. You can handle some basic job duties with a coding bootcamp background, but you’ll likely be limited in how far you can rise as you gain more years of experience.
But each industry is different and you should do your own research.
If You Can’t Find a Remote Job at First, Look for Flexible Schedule Benefits
If you have the work experience, skills, and knowledge to land a virtual position but are just struggling to get an employer to hire you on a fully-remote basis right away, then you may want to look for a flexible schedule to start.
For example, find an employer who lets you work from home three days per week and come into the office for two days.
Sometimes, a company prefers to get to know an employee on-site at first and then become more flexible.
This is NOT always the case, though, so you’d still want to confirm in your interview that a company is open to letting you work fully remotely in the future.
Also, confirm with each employer whether they put any restrictions on location for their remote employees. For example, some fully-remote jobs will require that you stay within your home country while working.
Conclusion: Remote Jobs that Pay Well
You now know 10 remote jobs that pay a high salary and are likely to rise in demand in the coming years.
You also know how to research a company’s current employees to see the path they took to get their positions.
Review the previous section of this article if you skipped down to here, because it’ll share a great tip for making sure your career plan will work in the real world.
By picking a career with job duties that allow for virtual work and then building the skills employers want, you’ll create the remote career you want.
Further reading:
- The best remote job boards
- 22 jobs that can be done remotely
