A lot of people have been asking me about how to make money online. Now that I have the opportunity to write, I’ll be sharing here an introduction about some things I know about it. Take note, though, that I won’t be discussing earning passive income online on this entry (yet). Instead, I’ll be discussing for now an introduction about real online jobs and actively earning income, where you have to actively work, spend time, give effort and a lot of dedication in the work you applied to. If you’re having trouble finding office work, tired of commuting or travelling from/to office, would love to spend more time with family, or simply just need to work from home, then continue reading.

First, it is important for you to take note that this kind of work requires some basic things:

• You own a laptop/desktop computer that you can trust.
• You have access to a reliable Internet connection.
• You can communicate in English, written or spoken. (For a diverse team).
• You have skills that can be delivered over the Internet.
• You are comfortable working from home and having to communicate with your clients/teammates over the Internet.

Regarding skills, it’s basically just a question on what you can offer that can be delivered in quality, online. Some clues: Graphics Design, Illustration, Programming, Transcription, Writing, Proofreading, Editing, Marketing, Business Coaching, Business Plans, Accounting, Bookkeeping, Data Entry, Translations,… and more! There’s a large list to give. But if you’re not sure on what you can offer, there’s also this Virtual Assistant position who are usually trained at the start. And based on my observation, this is currently the most in demand one, because of a noticeable increasing needs in Online Marketing.

Now, where to find these legit home based jobs?

A lot exists actually, but I personally like the following platforms as I’ve tried these myself both as contractor and client, and I definitely recommend these:

• oDesk/Elance – I prefer oDesk most.
• Fiverr – you can buy/sell services for as low as $5
• iWriter – for writers

There are also registered companies that actually uses these platforms for outsourced services. There also actually exists some registered businesses that operate on a virtual office (i.e., employees/contractors communicate remotely). And I’ll discuss these specific topics on a later entry.

Now, the most wanted question. How much can you earn from working from home? Don’t be surprised on the large gap, but in the case of oDesk-Elance, it’s between US$3 to US$50+ per hour. Yes, per hour. Okay, don’t celebrate yet. See that there’s a large difference between the high and the low. Why? Because it depends on your skills, your expertise, the quality of what you can produce, your experience, and your client.

So, what do you think about online jobs? What else do you want to know about it? Do you have questions or an entry request? Would you be interested in some tutorials/how-to’s? Please add it in the comments or contact me, and I’ll be glad to share my experience and knowledge about it.