Just about every company on the planet can use a good computer programmer. Whether they hire someone in-house or use freelancers, programming is a skill that will always be in demand.
Do you know any of the following programming languages?
Java
Javascript
SQL
C
C++
Python
PHP
If so, then you can build a portable, and lucrative, income with the skills you already possess. You can either use one of the micro-job sites to find clients or launch your own business as a Freelance Programmer. If you’re good at what you do, then word-of-mouth may be enough to keep you as busy as you want to be. To ensure that your clients refer you to other companies or provide testimonials for your website, you need to focus on customer service. Focus on the client relationship, stay organized, and ALWAYS deliver your projects on-time!
If, however, you looked at the list above and thought they were written in a foreign language – technically speaking, they are – learning to program can be relatively easy and quick. It is best to focus on one of the programming languages and make it a specialty. After learning some basic programming skills, your abilities will increase with usage and studying the code on websites, apps, and trial and error.
Here are some of the best-rated, FREE, computer programming courses:
MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. There are over 2,400 courses available. Through OCW, educators improve courses and curricula, making their schools more effective; students find additional resources to help them succeed; and independent learners enrich their lives and use the content to tackle some of our world’s most difficult challenges, including sustainable development, climate change, and cancer eradication.
edX: Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere. We were founded by and continue to be governed by colleges and universities. We are the only leading MOOC provider that is both nonprofit and open source. Enroll in the latest computer science courses covering important topics in artificial intelligence, cyber security, software engineering, and big data. Add a portfolio of programming skills or get an overview of the field with Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science, a free course that you can start today.
Coursera: Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums. When you complete a course, you’ll receive a shareable electronic Course Certificate. Courses are online and open to everyone. You can learn a new skill in 4-6 weeks. Courses are priced at about $29-$99.
PVTuts: PVTuts (PVT) is a free website devoted to providing concise text and video tutorials in all popular programming languages. The goal of our tutorials is that they only explain what is relevant and practical without any repetition or needless theory, so as to give you a highly efficient learning experience.
Udacity: Learn in-demand skills, build incredible projects, and gain an industry-valued credential. Take your first step by exploring our schools to find your perfect program. Programming is a critical skill in today’s economy, and there is a shortage of qualified developers. Whether you’re new to coding, adding more skills, or advancing your career, 10 hours a week will prepare you for your ideal developer job.
Udemy: Udemy is a global marketplace for learning and teaching online where students are mastering new skills and achieving their goals by learning from an extensive library of over 80,000 courses taught by expert instructors.
freeCodeCamp: freeCodeCamp is a donor-supported tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission: to help people learn to code for free. We accomplish this by creating thousands of videos, articles, and interactive coding lessons – all freely available to the public. We also have thousands of freeCodeCamp study groups around the world.
The Odin Project: The Odin Project provides a free open source coding curriculum that can be taken entirely online. Since it’s inception, it has helped many students get hired as developers and has assisted countless others learn enough programming to work on their own personal projects. The Odin Project is now sponsored by Thinkful, a new type of technology school that provides 1-on-1 learning through its network of industry experts, hiring partners, and online platform to deliver a structured and flexible education. The Odin Project is maintained and continually improved by a team of volunteers, many of whom learned to code with us. This curriculum itself is free and we tried to link to resources that are themselves free so anyone in the world can use them. The Odin Project curriculum is full of projects that will help you build a strong portfolio of work on Github to fill out your resume. We’re committed to connecting students together so they can stay motivated and learn faster.
Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We’ve also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content. No ads, no subscriptions. We are a not‑for‑profit because we believe in a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We rely on our community of thousands of volunteers and donors.
Codecademy: Whether you’re trying to level up your career, build your side project, or simply play around with programming, you’ve found the right place to start. Our online coding tutorials with easy-to-follow instructions, immediate feedback, and a tested curriculum take anyone from non-technical to “I can code.” Our courses are designed to keep you on track, so you learn to code “today” not “someday.” Most of our free courses take fewer than 11 hours. Our global community of coaches, advisors, and graduates means there’s always someone to answer your question.
Are you bi-lingual or tri-lingual? If so, becoming a translator could be the perfect portable income opportunity (PIO) for you.
You may believe that translators are only used in the world of international relations such as the United Nations. Nothing could be further from the truth! People who are fluent in two – or more – languages can use their language skills in all types of business situations. You could become involved with interpreting, online teaching, or bilingual telephone calls.
The possibility of working as an online translator has become more realistic and you can probably find something that fits with your schedule and your skills. The only tools you will need are a computer and a reliable internet connection. Some translation jobs may also require you to have access to a reliable phone connection.
Native-level language proficiency is preferred for most translation jobs. Your high school language skills, Duolingo, and Babbel may be great for extended conversations and native interactions while traveling abroad, but they are probably not sufficient for a translation position where you need easy familiarity with colloquialisms and everyday use of the language. If you are not “natively fluent”, it would be best for you to translate from another language into your native language where you can easily determine correct language usage.
Be prepared to take a fluency exam if you apply for translator positions with an agency. Agencies need to be able to assure their clients that the translators they hire can perform all the required assignments accurately.
Translate.com: Some translations need a human touch. Translate.com has a thriving community of paid translators that provide highly accurate human translations. Are you multilingual? Sign up and get started today! Work any place, any time. Log in to our translation portal wherever and whenever to start translating. Be your own boss. Work as much as you like. Translate all day or in your downtime. Translate blog articles, social media posts, support tickets, and more! No bidding for work. Every task is first-come, first-serve. No more bidding or waiting for translations. Make good money. Translate.com offers competitive compensation, paid by the word. Cash out your earnings anytime, directly to your Paypal® account.
Unbabel: Work anytime, anywhere. Join 50,000 Unbabelers who earn money powering the world’s most trustworthy translations at scale. Unbabelers love language, have excellent writing skills and attention to detail. We serve translators tasks where you see both the original text and suggested translations produced by our artificial intelligence technology. Starting at a base rate per hour, you can work your way up to higher rates, depending on your skills and the pace at which you translate paid tasks. No need to wait for the end of the month; we pay our translators on a weekly basis via PayPal and Payoneer.
One Hour Translation: One Hour Translation Ltd. provides high-quality professional human translation of 100+ languages and over 3200 language pairs. We are able to provide high-quality translations around the clock, any day, any time thanks to a community of over 25,000 Professional Translators from over 100 different countries. One Hour Translation Ltd. specializes in providing business translations in different fields including legal, technical, websites, applications and software, marketing and more. We are considered the fastest professional translation service in the world. Once a translator starts working on the translation, a countdown timer shows when the translation is going to be ready. Translation of one, 200 words, page takes about an hour.
Rev: Rev works with only the highest quality professional translators from around the globe. We are very selective, choosing only a very small fraction of applicants to join the Rev team of professional linguists and translators. Our clients value fast turnaround time for their Certified Translation and business document translation. While turnaround times vary by language, we generally can return a short document within a few hours. We aim to create long-term relationships with our clients. We understand that our clients value their privacy, particularly when it comes to personal or confidential business documents.
Tethras: Our vision is to fulfill all the localization needs of app development companies. Before we release languages back to you, our production team give them one last check to make sure everything is in order. We will notify you by email once your languages have been released. Once your files are back from translation we give them one final check to make sure everything is localized to the highest standard. Once we are happy with the quality of your translations we will notify you via Email or the Tethras iOS app. You can then download the translations, build them into your app and start selling!
TextMaster: TextMaster is the leading professional translation agency that’s available 100% online. Order your translations in just a few clicks and TextMaster will handle the rest all while ensuring the highest quality and optimal turnaround times. Textmaster features a network of translators which specializes in more than 50 languages and provides translation for: Marketing materials, Legal documents, Technical specifications. Websites Tourism, Ecommerce, Mobile Apps, Blogs, Press Releases, and Video games.
Lionbridge: You need to reach your customers—all your customers—in their native languages. With 100,000+ language experts across 15 industries aided by best-in-class AI, we speed and style your market entry with ease. We retain the integrity and spirit of your original message and infuse it with local flair, making your company feel at home in every market. You want to transcend cultural differences to forge a positive emotional connection with customers worldwide. Our global network of in-market experts and creative production specialists brings your creative content to life, recreating it for targeted languages, and markets while preserving its emotional appeal. When you need to bridge language barriers in real-time, we can help. Our carefully-selected team delivers highest-quality language interpretation services in 350+ languages and for multiple industries—from government and legal to medical and financial—on-site, over the phone, or via video. You need to ensure language quality every time. We are your quality guardian, through impartial translation evaluation services, monitoring, and reporting.
Acclaro: Acclaro is a language translation services agency that helps the world’s top brands succeed across cultures through a fine-tuned process, top industry talent, and long-term investment in your global reputation. From localizing products to transcreating global ad campaigns, we bring a personal touch to help you open new markets and gain a competitive edge in over 100 languages worldwide. More than just providing translation services, we enable you to communicate in your brand voice and style. Acclaro’s time-tested systems, wide-ranging technological expertise and dedicated teams provide consistent results including: unified brand message across all content, in all languages, translations that “sound like” you, brand positioning that resonates with the real-life culture of your target market, on-time delivery with responsive communication at every step.
Aberdeen Language Services Ltd.: The professional translators at Aberdeen Languages Services possess the skills to meet the most exacting translation requirements. Aberdeen employs native translators who work with any language combinations you require. Our translations are tailored to the specific vocabulary demanded by different industries. We have expertise in a wide range of industries, from accounting and financial to legal, medical, scientific and other technical fields. We work with translators from around the world. This diversity enables us to offer translation services for an extensive range of languages. We are committed to timely delivery and the absolute confidentiality of your materials.
American Journal Experts: American Journal Experts (AJE) is a division of Research Square founded in 2004 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Since then, our team has edited over half a million papers in 447 areas of study, and we have helped thousands of international researchers to eliminate language barriers and get their work published in the best journals in the world. We are a network and team of former academics and publishing professionals determined to change the world. Our mission is improving the way discoveries are shared by the international research community — by identifying areas for improvement within the ongoing cycle of research, publishing, and discovery.
Andovar:Andovar is a global provider of multilingual content solutions. Our services range from text translation and content creation, through audio and video recording, to turnkey localization of websites, software, eLearning, video and games. We are headquartered in Singapore and have offices in Ireland, Thailand, Colombia, India, USA, and the UK. Andovar focuses on emerging markets and technologies, such as websites, mobile, gaming, multimedia, and cloud software. Emerging markets are the new frontier in localization and where others struggle with complex scripts and lack of standards, Andovar has the expertise to succeed. We are a medium-sized company that is small enough to be agile and adaptable, yet big enough to handle projects of any size. While others try to automate everything and make localization a numbers game, Andovar creates customized solutions for each client to meet their needs and budgets. Andovar is employee-owned, and everyone has a stake in our clients’ success. We do not sell any software solutions and we use the latest technology ourselves, which allows us to give impartial advice to our clients. A wide range of professional talent from across the world coupled with our own audio studios means we are a one-stop-shop for all localization projects regardless of size, type and languages required.
Certified Languages International: Certified Languages International (CLI) prides itself on offering only the best interpreters in the industry. We are always seeking to contract with experienced linguists to provide interpreting services from home. These independent contract positions offer flexible scheduling, competitive pay, and the opportunity to help Limited English Proficient communities. If you live in the U.S., fluently speak English and other languages, have proven interpreting experience, and are committed to providing excellent customer service, you might be qualified to join our interpreting team. Qualified candidates must also have access to a dedicated landline telephone. CLI also prioritizes contracting with interpreters who have completed professional interpreter training programs and who hold national certifications.
Interpreters and Translators, Inc.: iTi is an award-winning multicultural language solution provider for a variety of industries which includes: healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, education, government, legal, marketing, and corporations. From document translation services to in-person interpreter services, iTi’s team prides themselves on quick response time, flexible and custom solutions, personal service with a smile and a ‘can do’ attitude. We work with a variety of industries specializing in each by creating dedicated groups of linguistic teams and personal account management. Through our years of experience, iTi has developed streamlined processes for scheduling interpreter encounters and translation projects that include an elite level of quality control. Since each organization we do business with has unique systems and procedures, we take a customized approach and develop workflows that suit each client while maintaining efficiency and accuracy. We are constantly searching for exceptional interpreters and translators to join our team. If you aspire to facilitate communication between people and businesses across the globe and have a dedication to customer service, then iTi may be the perfect fit for you!
Language Services Associates: Language Services Associates (LSA) offers a full suite of language interpretation solutions to help optimize the experience of limited English proficient customers and patients. Providing native language support improves the efficiency and productivity of staff, raises customer satisfaction levels, and builds loyalty. For more than 2,000 clients worldwide, in more than 200 languages, LSA provides a competitive differentiator in the healthcare, government, financial, insurance, banking, entertainment, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. Founded in 1991, LSA has a strong reputation for helping our clients build relationships, ensure accuracy, and make trusted connections with their limited English proficient customers and patients. As one of the largest and fastest-growing professional language services companies in the world, LSA’s passion for helping others drives our award-winning culture of service excellence. LSA’s services include Interpreting by Telephone, Face-to-Face Interpreting, Video Remote Interpreting, American Sign Language, Translation and Localization, and Language Assessments. Do you have a passion for languages? Are you interested in helping millions of non-English speakers get the support they need to survive and thrive? Do you approach every situation with passion, purpose and a positive, can-do attitude? All LSA full-time employees are eligible for a number of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k, flexible spending accounts, PTO, vacation and paid holidays.
Verbal Ink: Translation isn’t just a skill – it’s actually a finely tuned craft. Whether it’s from English to another language, or from another language to English, Verbal Ink appreciates the need for accurate, high-quality translation. Verbal Ink’s translation services team can handle just about any project imaginable: websites, marketing materials, guides, manuals, and contracts to name just a few. Getting every word just right is crucial in providing an accurate meaning in any language. We are more than just your average language company. We have some of the most highly screened linguists in the industry. Not only that, but we get to know our clients and look forward to building a relationship that can maximize our value.
VerbalizeIt: VerbalizeIt enables better universal communication for businesses and individuals. We measure our success by this fact. Communication is an essential aspect of life, and language barriers should never be an impediment to quality communication. VerbalizeIt uses its technology platform to connect those in need of translation with a global community of human translators. We increase your capabilities by allowing you to focus on your own goals, from creating the most effective global marketing campaign to asking for the best local gelato flavor in an Italian town. All of this is done on our world-class translation platform. Our translator community is a collaborative ecosystem. By uniting the global interpreter community, we have created a dynamic network that is constantly refining itself into the most reliable translation community.
According to Techopedia, a Web Designer is “someone who prepares content for the Web. This role is mainly related to the styling and layout of pages with content, including text and images. Web designers use many technologies but commonly rely on hypertext and hypermedia resources including HTML, CSS and additional Web design tools.”
“A Web designer will often manipulate actual HTML code. HTML is the common source code for a Web page. Other kinds of code are added into an HTML document to promote advanced functionality. Different kinds of tools can help to auto-produce HTML that will result in a specific design format. A Web designer may also use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create a unified style and color scheme throughout an entire website.”
“Web designers are often proficient in various higher-level programming languages used to create scripts for the Web. Many of them also focus on the ability to create good-looking sites that will display well on a range of browsers and devices.”
In short, web designers are primarily responsible for making a website aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly. They design the layout of the website, control the flow of information, and may be responsible for website analytics.
If you already know HTML, CSS, and other web design tools, you can find a project, short-term or contract job on one of the micro-job sites listed in that section of Portable Income Opportunities (PIO) on this site.
If becoming a web designer sounds appealing but you don’t yet have the requisite skills and abilities, explore the following courses and get started on an exciting new career that will enable you to experience the flexibility of either a digital nomad or work-from-home lifestyle. There are free courses and those that charge tuition – though some also offer financial assistance – so explore each opportunity and determine which course fits you best. Many of the schools also offer job fairs and are affiliated with top tech companies to help you land your first web designer jobs.
Free Online Courses:
Codecademy: Master the languages of the web: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This path will prepare you to build basic websites and then build interactive web apps. Whether you’re trying to level up your career, build your side project, or simply play around with programming, you’ve found the right place to start. Explore our programs and courses, try an exercise or two, and join our community of 45 million learners. Most of our free courses take fewer than 11 hours. Our global community of coaches, advisors, and graduates means there’s always someone to answer your question.
MIT OpenCourseware: MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. Through OCW, educators improve courses and curricula, making their schools more effectile; students find additional resources to help them succeed; and independent learners enrich their lives and use the content to tackle some of our world’s most difficult challenges, including sustainable development, climate change, and cancer eradication.
Coursera: Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums. When you complete a course, you’ll receive a shareable electronic Course Certificate. It is online and open to everyone. You can earn a new skill in 4-6 weeks and is priced at about $29-$99.
Mozilla Developer Network: The aim of this area of MDN is not to take you from “beginner” to “expert” but to take you from “beginner” to “comfortable”. From there you should be able to start making your own way, learning from the rest of MDN and other intermediate to advanced resources that assume a lot of previous knowledge. If you are a complete beginner, web development can be challenging — we will hold your hand and provide enough detail for you to feel comfortable and learn the topics properly. You should feel at home whether you are a student learning web development (on your own or as part of a class), a teacher looking for class materials, a hobbyist, or someone who just wants to understand more about how web technologies work.
Coding Dojo Algorithm Prep: Our Algorithm Platform offers a free collection of online lessons and challenges designed to refine your knowledge of algorithms – the basic building blocks of all computer programming. Throughout the platform, will learn through a mixture of exercises, video tutorials, and coding challenges that will cover fundamental concepts such as for loops, if/else statements, array manipulation, and more. If programming is indeed a passion of yours, we offer more extensive courses at Coding Dojo for aspiring and advanced developers.
Best Bootcamps (online and on-location)
General Assembly: Today’s complex, global economy requires a skilled workforce that can leverage technology to fuel success. General Assembly’s robust suite of courses includes all the fundamental pillars of innovation to give individuals and teams several options for growth and development. Students can choose from a range of formats and modalities to help them best achieve their goals, including full-time, part-time, and short-form options — on campus, and online. General Assembly’s instructional team represents the elite of today’s biggest and brightest companies. Course instructors and designers come from top businesses including Google, Amazon, Airbnb, and IBM, sharing real-world experience and insight in the classroom each day.
Iron Hack: Whether you need to get a job in tech or launch your own business, Ironhack will help you achieve your goals. Learn by working on amazing projects using the tools and workflows you’ll encounter in a real work environment. Join a global network of +1500 graduates and professionals across our 8 campuses around the world. Become a UX/UI designer. Learn user-centered design applying the Design Thinking process and validate your ideas through user research, prototyping, user testing, and heuristic evaluation. Learn UI and IxD to prototype your solutions using visual and interaction design techniques. We offer this track in two modalities: Full-time Bootcamp Program and Part-time Program.
Designlab: Trying to learn design on your own is tough. Don’t go it alone—instead, get paired 1-on-1 with an expert mentor in our introduction to visual design course. You’ll learn key design concepts, and see what life’s like as a designer. Perfect for boosting your resume, or kick-starting a new career. Learn UI/UX design skills with the help of an expert mentor through our unique online courses. You’ll master the techniques you need to design stunning web and mobile products. Whether you want to become a designer, or just add design to your resume, see why our unique courses are the best way to learn design skills online. Practice with projects that teach you design principles. Learning by doing isn’t just the best way; it’s the only way. Designlab mentors are hand-picked for their design excellence and their top-notch communication skills. You’ll be learning from the best.
Bloc: Bloc is built for busy people. Whether you want to become a designer as soon as possible or learn while you keep your job, we’ve got you covered. Bloc designers are end-to-end problem solvers. Our graduates are among the most competitive new hires in the industry. Explore our curriculum for more details. Build a professional portfolio with 3-6 projects. Mastery learning assessments that model real interviews. Job-ready certificate that signals Bloc’s stamp of approval to employers.
Springboard: UX Design isn’t about making something pretty— it’s about creating exceptional products that people want and need. The best way to do that is to deeply understand your users, and keep them in mind through every step of the design process. Learn the fundamentals of UX including user-centered design and research techniques to gain customer insight. Build your own project and create deliverables like user personas, wireframes, and a portfolio website. Work with your own expert mentor to get detailed project feedback and career advice, via weekly 1:1 video calls.
Do you love spending hours online hunting down facts or verifying information?
As a Researcher, you will need to possess the following skills:
Attention to detail
Curiosity
Patience
Communication
Critical thinking
Interview
Data interpretation
If you would like to test the waters and determine if Researcher is a good fit for you, the micro-job sites list gigs for which you can bid and compete. After you have determined that you want to become a Researcher, you can either continue using the micro-job sites or you can set up your own research business.
At the very least, you will need to have an updated computer, a fast and reliable internet connection, and a website for you to offer and advertise your services as well as list your credentials and past client testimonials. Businesses in search of a Researcher want someone who has already proved themselves efficient, responsible, and knowledgeable about research methodologies appropriate to their industry.
All industries can benefit from a Researcher’s services.
You could fact check claims on a business website.
Conduct comparative market research on products and services.
Provide information and background data to authors and academics.
YouTube has a Creator Academy to help you get started earning money with YouTube. There are 6 “courses” to take you through how to earn money on YouTube.
The most basic way to earn money on YouTube is to post engaging videos that attract viewers and sign up to allow ads to be posted on your channel. What can you post? Anything you would like. Perhaps you want to share your knowledge about model trains or can teach people how to decorate cakes. Once you have filmed and edited your video, you can post it to your very own YouTube Channel.
How do you start a YouTube Channel? A simple Google search turned up these steps:
Sign into YouTube and click on the user icon at the top right of the screen.
Click on the gear icon to get to your account’s YouTube Settings.
Click on Create a new channel.
Then choose “Use a business or other name”
Add your Brand name and click create.
Then, you will want to monetize your channel.
Sign in to YouTube.
In the top right, select your account icon > Creator Studio.
In the left menu, select Channel > Status and features.
Under “Monetization,” click Enable.
Follow the on-screen steps to accept the YouTube Partner Program Terms.
Until you gain a large following of viewers or subscribers to your channel, you should not rely on YouTube for your full-time income. YouTube is great to supplement your income or drive visitors to your store or website.
Additional methods to generate income using YouTube:
Post videos promoting products that you sell on your e-commerce site.
Direct traffic to affiliate links. Use existing affiliate partnerships and upload videos to promote those products, driving traffic to your affiliates and earning your extra income.
Attract sponsors who will pay to underwrite and support your channel. You will negotiate contracts with potential sponsors based on your number of subscribers and impressions.
You can use your YouTube audience statistics to pitch live speaking engagements at conferences and special events.
How can you be successful with your YouTube channel?
Be engaging and enthusiastic in your videos.
Talk about what you know or about your niche.
Be consistent.
Use keywords in your title.
Fill out the description box.
Respond to comments and implement viewer suggestions, if possible.
Do you relish taking the perfect photo – either due to the subject matter, composition, or intrinsic beauty?
You earn money by uploading your photos to stock photo agency websites. The stock photo agency protects your image with a watermark so that nobody can use the image for free. When a person or company purchases your photo, the stock photo agency charges a fee, retains a commission, and pays you a royalty. The more photos you upload, the greater your potential to earn more a robust passive income. If your goal is to earn an income from your photos, stay away from the sites which provide free stock photos.
There are many online stock photo agencies, some of whom specialize in different types of photos. Do your research to determine where your photos would be the best fit. It can be a frustrating process to be accepted into a stock photo agency – you submit your photos and they are sent to photographic reviewers for acceptance or rejection. It may take multiple submissions before your photos are accepted by an agency.
Here are some tips to help your photos get noticed – and licensed – more frequently:
Think like an advertiser and leave room for text.
Take the same photo from different angles.
Pick a niche – this will help you with return buyers and label you an “expert”.
Review each stock photo company’s site to see what types of photos are most popular.
The top four photo stock agencies are:
Shutterstock: Produce high-quality images and videos for our customers to download. Upload your content with our easy-to-use platform, and get tips for success. Make money every time your content is downloaded by one of our worldwide customers. Earn even more by referring new contributors and customers. Over the last 15 years, we’ve paid out half a billion dollars to our worldwide community of contributors.
Adobe Stock: Gain exposure and sell content to the world’s largest creative community. Right inside their favorite apps. Add your images, videos, vectors or illustrations to Adobe Stock directly from Adobe Lightroom CC, Adobe Bridge CC and through the web. Plus our intelligent auto-tagging saves hours of adding keywords. Receive best-in-class royalties for your creative contributions. A dashboard lets you track sales in real time.
iStockPhoto: For more than 15 years, we’ve given our artists a platform to make money with their passions by licensing their stock content to businesses and individuals around the world for use in a wide variety of projects. Today we remain an industry leader and key destination for creative business professionals who want to make a big impact without breaking the bank. We believe that imagery has the power to move the world. We also believe that our customers deserve the very best stock content – that’s why we’re proud to offer millions of bold, unique stock images you can only get from us.
Getty Images: Applying to become a Getty Images contributor is the first step towards getting your photos, illustrations, and video clips in front of our 1.5 million customers in more than 200 countries worldwide – a reach no other company can provide. Apply now to join our international community of talented contributors and help move the world with imagery!
Dictionary.com defines an editor as “a person having managerial and sometimes policymaking responsibility related to the writing, compilation, and revision of content for a publishing firm or for a newspaper, magazine, or other publication.”
A proofreader is someone who “reads (printers’ proofs, copy, etc.) in order to detect and mark errors to be corrected.”
There is so much web content generated, sales emails composed, online advertising copy written, and so many self-publishing authors, that the job of an editor and/or proofreader has never been so necessary. If you are meticulously detailed and a stickler for spelling and grammar, then editing or proofreading may be the job for you.
There are plenty of methods on the journey to becoming an editor. A college degree in English is always beneficial, as is coursework in editing or proofreading. If you are at a different stage in your life, is it too late for you to become an editor or proofreader?
Of course not! The need is huge in every industry, so look below for courses you can take to learn this valuable skill. You’ll also find job sites listing both editor and proofreader positions.
Courses:
ed2go: ed2go is the industry leader in affordable online learning for adults. We provide the highest-quality online continuing education courses that are easy to use through a network of over 2,100 top colleges and universities.
Coursera: Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums. When you complete a course, you’ll receive a sharable electronic Course Certificate.
Proofread Anywhere: This is the perfect course to dive into the freelance world of proofreading. Learn the detailed mechanics of proofreading AND how to market your services to find clients, even if you don’t have any experience. This course is packed with 40+ lessons in 8 modules, grammar-specific worksheets, and real-life example jobs. After passing with 90% or higher on the final exam, receive a Certificate of Completion and access to the Self-Publishing School Preferred Outsourcer Rolodex.
Udemy: Udemy is a global marketplace for learning and teaching online where students are mastering new skills and achieving their goals by learning from an extensive library of over 80,000 courses taught by expert instructors.
Universal Class: Become a skilled Proofreader or Copyeditor. If you’re looking for a new career path or if you’re a writer who wants to improve your writing skills, learning how to proofread and copyedit with our easy to follow, in-depth course, may be just what you need. The course is completely online and self-paced.
The Writers Bureau: As a freelance proofreader and copy editor you can earn a good income making sure that written copy is professional and error free. To help you succeed we offer you a first-class home-study Proofreading and Copy Editing course written by professionals, expert guidance from your personal tutor, tutor-marked and self-test assignments, advice on how to set yourself up in business, and valuable resources to get you started.
Job Sites:
Upwork: Upwork is a great place to find more clients, and to run and grow your own freelance business. On Upwork, you run your own business and choose your own clients and projects. Clients are now posting jobs in hundreds of skill categories, paying top price for great work. The greater the success you have on projects, the more likely you are to get hired by clients that use Upwork.
Remote.co: Find the best online editing jobs here. Are you hoping to proofread from the comfort of your own home? Or, maybe you’re a digital nomad with a keen eye for detail, and you want to take your copy editing skills on the road. Regardless, one of these online editing jobs could be the right next step in your remote career.
Cactus Communications specializes in academic and medical writing. If you have a background in academia or the medical fields, you can work as an Editor remotely or freelance.
EditFast: EditFast provides a free service to freelance editors. There are promotional tools provided to help the activated editors promote their free Web pages and their skills and talents as editors. When new projects are received from clients by the EditFast administration these projects will be sent out to the best-qualified editor, taking into consideration the needs of the client and the needs of the document. Our goal is to provide fast, quality service to our clients and send work to as many editors as possible.
Scribbr: Since 2012, Scribbr has helped thousands of students earn their degrees. Our team of 400+ academic editors on 6 continents help students across the globe perfect their theses and graduate. Enhance the language and structure of term papers, essays, and theses. Help students finish their bachelor’s master’s, or PhD program. Coach students to become better writers.
Scribendi: Scribendi is a pioneering internet-based language company that offers document revision services to clients in all sectors, including business, academia, and publishing. Our transparent, per-order pricing makes it clear how much a job is worth before you accept it.
Conclusion
If you have ever considered proofreading or editing online, check out one of the fantastic companies above and get started on making your dreams come true!
Writing is one of my favorite methods to make a portable income. You only need a laptop and an internet connection to submit assignments and post content online.
Please note that clicking some of the following links may result in me earning some income, however, it will not affect your costs at all.
Writing Courses
If you are confident in your writing skills, dive right in. Choose the method you would like to help you generate income and get cracking. If, however, you would like to learn some writing skills and find out information about different niches and types of freelance writing, then there are a number of online writing courses available to you.
American Writers & Artists, Inc. (AWAI). Helping people develop skills to acquire financial security, independence, and freedom – that’s been American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) mission since we opened our doors in 1997. And since then, we’ve helped thousands of people discover how to become a highly-successful copywriter and business owner so they can live their dreams, on their terms.
I have taken a number of their courses and learned a lot of valuable skills. The instructors are very hands-on and always willing to provide guidance and assistance.
ed2go: ed2go is the industry leader in affordable online learning for adults. We provide the highest-quality online continuing education courses that are easy to use through a network of over 2,100 top colleges and universities. Improve your job prospects with a certificate that employers will recognize. When you complete your ed2go online education, you receive a certificate from one of our 2,000 educational partners.
Udemy: High-quality and affordable courses. Learn writing today. Find your writing course on Udemy and learn techniques to be more productive and get the most out of your writing education. They have 190 courses – paid and free – for beginners through expert writers.
Coursera: Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online. Build in-demand skills and earn valuable credentials. Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes, and projects.
Blogging
Starting a blog about a topic where you have experience and great interest sounds like an intriguing method of obtaining the portable income you’ve always coveted. You will need a laptop, an internet connection to upload your posts, a domain name, and an internet host provider. There are a lot of internet host providers. I recommend SiteGround. It’s what I now use and I have found their customer service to be very customer-focused and efficient. I am an affiliate, but I switched to SiteGround from another provider and am much happier now.
After settling on your domain name and internet hosting provider, you need to determine which blog platform you would like to use. I use WordPress.org for three of my sites and find it very user-friendly. There are loads themes and plugins to customize your website, including monetization, e-commerce, and forum options. There are also free blogging sites available, WordPress.com and Blogger.com.
Blogging is a misunderstood writing niche. People start their blogs with plans to monetize them and lead a relaxing life. This may work for some people, but not for most. While starting a blog and writing about topics that interest you is not very technically difficult, ensuring that you drive traffic to your site and build your list are two facets of blogging that can be difficult. Even with a healthy list, it is often not easy to generate income.
Now, you could struggle and try strategies that a cousin’s friend used, or you could get some training, tips, and well-proven advice on how to develop, launch, and monetize your blog. Following are some courses in which you can enroll to start you on the road to financial freedom.
Blog Life & Blog Life Pro: Blog Life will help you to learn to develop a strong brand identity with personality and vision, to create a content plan that keeps you inspired every single day, to connect with your readers, to overcome periods of burnout, and to efficiently manage an editorial schedule. You’ll learn about networking and self-promotion, and honest, organic ways to increase your blog traffic. You’ll learn how to create content that has viral potential. You’ll also learn the basics of online advertising and how to assess your blog’s value. You’ll learn the basics of how to price, scale, and build an ad program including pitching your first campaign.
Copyblogger: At the heart of great content is powerful writing. If you don’t consider yourself a writer or you’re just starting out, we’ve got you covered. The free information on our Copyblogger blog will help you get started mastering content marketing so you can use it in your own business, or for a client.
Elite Blog Academy: Eliminate the overwhelm. At Elite Blog Academy®, we believe that blogging doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ve worked hard to figure out what works-and what doesn’t-and to put together a plan that gives you everything you need for massive success (and nothing you don’t). Because let’s face it, the problem with creating a successful, profitable blog isn’t that there’s not enough information out there, it’s that there is way too much! But that’s exactly what makes EBA® so effective. From figuring out what to say to getting people to notice and earning an income from your efforts, we’ve pared it down to only the most important and game-changing details.
List Building Academy: Learn how to create a list of raving fans and clients to end the cycle of feast or famine in your business. Learn the what & why of list building, how to design and create a Lead Magnet that your audience wants, what systems you need, how to create your own Lead Magnet Strategy, to set up a sales & marketing funnel for your business, how to promote your Lead Magnet, and proven strategies to get noticed.
ProBlogger: ProBlogger is all about inspiring, teaching and supporting bloggers from around the world to create blogs that not only serve their readers and make the world a better place – but which build income streams for the bloggers behind them. The course is organized into 8 portals: Start a Blog, Create Content, Find Readers, Build Community, Make Money, Be Productive, Understand Technology, and Get Work.
Billionaire Blog Club: Billionaire Blog Club is a community of bloggers that understand it takes work to make money with a blog. This is not a get rich quick community but a community of bloggers that support each other in their quest to build a better lifestyle. It includes courses, books, challenges, forums, and lots of other stuff that benefits bloggers and their journey.
Web content job sites:
There are A LOT of job sites that want to match you up with businesses seeking writers. The pay scale varies by project and by site, but working for one of these sites is a great way to build your portfolio and practice your writing skills. I worked with one for about a year and obtained some great experience and exposure to different writing requirements and styles. Sign up for a few – you’re not obligated to take any job and this can help determine what writing niche suits you best.
Media Shower: Media Shower focuses on the financial technology and cryptocurrency industries. They can help you make money, build your reputation, get better, and build your career. They look for financial and technology enthusiasts and great writers who are rock solid reliable and flexible.
Upwork: Upwork is a great place to find more clients, and to run and grow your own freelance business. On Upwork, you run your own business and choose your own clients and projects. There is a wide variety of jobs and high pay. The greater the success you have on projects, the more likely you are to get hired by clients that use Upwork.
Writer Access: Grow your freelance income with 25,000+ agencies and businesses that pay fair rates to freelancers for high-quality work. They have a pool of freelancers to deliver on the full spectrum of content marketing solutions required for success. Freelancers get paid more than fair rates either by the word or by the project depending on their expertise, experience, and performance.
Constant Content: Constant Content is trusted by thousands of businesses including Uber, Zulily, The Home Depot, Walgreens, Hayneedle, CVS, eBay and others, and is one of the largest and most established platforms for facilitating connections between big brands and you — the best freelance writers online. You can create your profile, apply for projects, connect with brands, and advance your career.
Copypress:CopyPress lives to help clients tell amazing stories, and to help creatives get paid to do what they love. Creating things is our passion at CopyPress. Since 2009, we’ve fed that passion by building software, products, and services that help creatives and advertisers do the same. We built a Community where writers, designers, and developers can create their own micro-businesses centered around their passion. Then we designed ways for these creatives to connect with advertisers in order to create campaigns centered on beautiful, compelling content.
Jobbatical: Work where you’re happy. Use Jobbatical to find a tech, business or creative job anywhere in the world. Because your skills matter more than your passport. Jobbatical thinks beyond borders to help the world work together. We connect globally minded companies with a community of ready-to-relocate tech, business, and creative talent.
FlexJobs: The best remote and flexible jobs, and a better way to find them. With FlexJobs, you can access hand-screened remote, part-time, freelance, and flexible jobs – quickly and easily. And there’s much more. We want to help you find your better. But what does better mean for you? It’s different for each of us, but also often similar. Maybe it’s about work-life fit or having more time for our families, paying our bills with less stress or being able to find a good job without having to move, getting rid of a long commute or having more freedom in where and when you work.
Everyone has at least one book inside of them. Most people, however, will never take the time to write the book. It is a time commitment. I wrote and self-published a book a few years ago and it took 4 years from when I first sat down with a basic concept until I was ready to start promoting and selling the book online. I have a few additional books in the initial planning stages, but have mainly been concentrating on writing for the web. I’ll get to them though…
A lot of people, with varying degrees of success, are able to write and publish their books. According to the latest Bowker Report (September 7, 2016), more than 700,000 books were self-published in the U.S. in 2015, which is an incredible increase of 375% since 2010. That’s a lot of competition.
Fortunately, it has never been easier to self-publish your book. Following are methods you can use to start selling your book today!
Your own website: Purchasing a domain and signing up for web-hosting is easy – the hardest part is figuring out what your domain name is going to be. Do you want to use the title of your book or your name or a cute company name? It’s your choice! You are in control! I recommend you use WordPress as it is very user-friendly and there are literally millions of plugins to make your website functional and attractive.
Step 1: Write your book.
Step 2: Save it as a pdf.
Step 3: Upload your book to your website.
Step 4: Start promoting your book!
If you don’t want to set up an entire e-commerce store, use a plugin such as Easy Digital Downloads which is, as the name implies, easy to set-up and easy to use.
Amazon – Kindle Direct Publishing (Aff): Self-publish eBooks and paperbacks for free with Kindle Direct Publishing, and reach millions of readers on Amazon. Get to market fast. Publishing takes less than 5 minutes and your book appears on Kindle stores worldwide within 24-48 hours. Make more money. Keep control of your rights and set your own list prices. Make changes to your books at any time. Publish in digital and print. Publish Kindle eBooks and paperbacks for free on KDP.
Barnes & Noble – Nook: A free, fast, and easy-to-use self-publishing service that enables you to publish and sell directly to millions of readers. All the great aspects of NOOK Press and one unified experience to make publishing your print or eBook as seamless as possible. Whether you’re a seasoned or first-time author, or you simply want to print a beautiful book for personal use, Barnes & Noble Press helps you create your book, your way. We’re here to help independent authors and content creators succeed by using the expertise and resources of Barnes & Noble.
Apple – iBooks Author: Create and publish amazing books for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Available free on the Mac App Store, iBooks Author is an amazing app that allows anyone to create beautiful textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, mathematical expressions, and more, these books bring content to life in ways the printed page never could.
Shopify defines dropshipping as a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. As a result, the merchant never sees or handles the product.
Shopify also says that the biggest difference between dropshipping and the standard retail model is that the selling merchant doesn’t stock or own inventory. Instead, the merchant purchases inventory as needed from a third party – usually a wholesaler or manufacturer – to fulfill orders.
Why use the dropshipping method?
Dropshipping is an effective solution for running an online store if you are a digital nomad. There is no need to maintain inventory or ship your goods. Your store is run from your laptop and inventory is managed and shipped by your suppliers. That is slightly over-simplified, but dropshipping also helps ensure that you do not end up with a load of unsellable merchandise stacked in your garage.
Can I set up dropshipping with my existing online store?
Yes! When you run a digital store, you choose your suppliers and the merchandise you want to sell. You can choose to buy or import your goods and maintain an inventory of the products you are offering for sale, or you can choose suppliers who offer dropshipping.
How can I learn about dropshipping?
You can certainly try to figure out how to choose suppliers and set up your dropshipping business on your own. There are, however, a number of online courses and guides that make it easier to set up your dropshipping business, start selling your products and improve your profitability.
Full disclosure: I may earn an affiliate income – at no cost to you – if you click on some of the links below.
Alidropship*: We take education seriously. Alidropship 7-day dropshipping course offers free access, convenient form, experience-based approach, consistency, and practical focus.
Udemy: Learn on demand. Study any topic anytime. Explore thousands of courses starting at just $10.99. There are 190 results for dropshipping courses on Udemy
eCom Elites: A step-by-step online entrepreneurial masterclass that covers topics such as sourcing products, creating your store, Facebook traffic, Advanced Facebook traffic, Instagram traffic, organic Google traffic, Email marketing, and Business 101.
The Product Winner Blueprint: A Proven Blueprint To Find Winning Productsand a step-by-step system to SCALE them using Facebook Ads.
Dropship Lifestyle : The step-by-step guide to creating a highly-profitable, semi-automated drop ship store. You will learn how to choose a profitable niche, how to do market research, how to create your website, how to get approved with suppliers, how to optimize for conversions, how to get traffic, and how to automate your new online business.
MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. There are over 2,400 courses available. Through OCW, educators improve courses and curricula, making their schools more effective; students find additional resources to help them succeed; and independent learners enrich their lives and use the content to tackle some of our world’s most difficult challenges, including sustainable development, climate change, and cancer eradication.
edX: Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere. We were founded by and continue to be governed by colleges and universities. We are the only leading MOOC provider that is both nonprofit and open source. Enroll in the latest computer science courses covering important topics in artificial intelligence, cyber security, software engineering, and big data. Add a portfolio of programming skills or get an overview of the field with Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science, a free course that you can start today.
Coursera: Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums. When you complete a course, you’ll receive a shareable electronic Course Certificate. Courses are online and open to everyone. You can learn a new skill in 4-6 weeks. Courses are priced at about $29-$99.
PVTuts: PVTuts (PVT) is a free website devoted to providing concise text and video tutorials in all popular programming languages. The goal of our tutorials is that they only explain what is relevant and practical without any repetition or needless theory, so as to give you a highly efficient learning experience.
Udacity: Learn in-demand skills, build incredible projects, and gain an industry-valued credential. Take your first step by exploring our schools to find your perfect program. Programming is a critical skill in today’s economy, and there is a shortage of qualified developers. Whether you’re new to coding, adding more skills, or advancing your career, 10 hours a week will prepare you for your ideal developer job.
The Odin Project: The Odin Project provides a free open source coding curriculum that can be taken entirely online. Since it’s inception, it has helped many students get hired as developers and has assisted countless others learn enough programming to work on their own personal projects. The Odin Project is now sponsored by Thinkful, a new type of technology school that provides 1-on-1 learning through its network of industry experts, hiring partners, and online platform to deliver a structured and flexible education. The Odin Project is maintained and continually improved by a team of volunteers, many of whom learned to code with us. This curriculum itself is free and we tried to link to resources that are themselves free so anyone in the world can use them. The Odin Project curriculum is full of projects that will help you build a strong portfolio of work on Github to fill out your resume. We’re committed to connecting students together so they can stay motivated and learn faster.
Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We’ve also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content. No ads, no subscriptions. We are a not‑for‑profit because we believe in a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We rely on our community of thousands of volunteers and donors.
Codecademy: Whether you’re trying to level up your career, build your side project, or simply play around with programming, you’ve found the right place to start. Our online coding tutorials with easy-to-follow instructions, immediate feedback, and a tested curriculum take anyone from non-technical to “I can code.” Our courses are designed to keep you on track, so you learn to code “today” not “someday.” Most of our free courses take fewer than 11 hours. Our global community of coaches, advisors, and graduates means there’s always someone to answer your question.
After settling on your domain name and internet hosting provider, you need to determine which blog platform you would like to use. I use WordPress.org for three of my sites and find it very user-friendly. There are loads themes and plugins to customize your website, including monetization, e-commerce, and forum options. There are also free blogging sites available, 
