As the respiratory illness associated with the new coronavirus spreads, working remotely is quickly becoming the new reality for many U.S. workers. By March 24, 2020, 49,768 Americans have been infected with COVID-19, and companies have long since closed their doors to reduce the spread of infections.

That much of the workforce at tech powerhouses like Amazon, Google, and Facebook is working remotely is a given. The same can be said for white-collar workers employed at any company that once offered telecommuting as a basic perk.

While workers in all industries have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, some bear the brunt of the downturn much more than others. Hourly workers in sectors like hospitality, food service, and retail, in particular, risk being laid off or furloughed as people practice social distancing and their employers lose out on business.

Urban Outfitters, Nike, and other companies have announced plans to pay workers at least in the short term for lost wages. This is likely a relief to their employees, many of whom are among the lowest-paid American workers, but what about those at companies that aren’t willing to accept another hit to their bottom line?

For people working in these fields, losing out on a paycheck could spell serious trouble. Others are worried if they even have jobs to go back to. It’s an incredibly hard time—and seemingly a worst-case scenario for many. The unexpected silver lining, however, can be the discovery of new remote opportunities while employed.

This is where we’d like to help, with a list of fully remote jobs that encompass a variety of fields and skill sets, and highlight education requirements that range from a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree. You'll also find that salaries vary from comprehensive to six-figure pay.

Administration

Companies look to administrative workers for a range of support. Their work may include general office management, speaking with clients, and clerical work, such as maintaining records and entering data, among a variety of other tasks.

These remote jobs are ideal for self-motivated people who are skilled at multitasking and supporting busy executives. Positions that don’t require undergraduate education include translator and virtual assistant. Paralegal roles are available to candidates with an associate’s degree.

According to PayScale, translators pull in an average salary of $44,106 while virtual assistants can expect $40,974 in annual pay. Paralegal roles bring in slightly more, with an average pay of $48,179 per year.

Business and finance

Business and finance professionals have a wealth of valuable skills that enable them to make a significant contribution to the corporate and not-for-profit worlds. And since the bulk of these professionals’ day-to-day focus is digitally-based, they can easily work remotely and fulfill their organization’s goals.

Remote loan underwriters are responsible for reviewing borrowers’ documentation on information like credit history, employment, and income to decide if they qualify for the loan. Postsecondary education isn’t required, but they do need to be licensed, which typically involves at least 20 hours of coursework, a written exam, and a background check.

Bachelor’s degree-holders have a variety of remote jobs to choose from in the business realm too. These opportunities include business analytics, which typically specializes in planning, conducting, and analyzing initiatives that a business takes on.

Accounting and financial planning are also viable paths for bachelor’s degree-holders with financial expertise. In general, accountants do auditing work, financial forecasting, and putting together financial statements. Financial planners take on a greater sales and networking-based role, and typically help individuals with wealth management and retirement planning.

PayScale data indicates that loan underwriters earn an average annual salary of $65,294 and that business analysts make $60,259 per year.

In finance, accountants pull in an average $51,066 annually. Financial planners make slightly more, averaging $62,745 per year.

Healthcare

Healthcare may not be the first industry that comes to mind when you think of remote jobs. But due to the rapid growth of the healthcare industry and advances in technology, the field offers more opportunities to work-from-home than ever before.

Working as a remote medical abstractor is one example. The duties of this job typically revolve around analyzing and compiling chart-based medical information, patient and physician interviews, and various other sources for medical research purposes or to create medical recognition programs.

Medical abstractor roles typically require a high school diploma and training in medical coding. Some employers may prefer applicants with an associate's degree in medical coding or a related field.

Bachelor’s degree holders with an interest in research may consider working as a clinical coordinator, a role responsible for ensuring that all necessary resources are in place for clinical trials and other clinical research projects, such as guidelines, staff, and supplies. Remote work in this field may focus on conducting claims research, recruiting potential study subjects, and preparing data spreadsheets.

Meanwhile, working as a remote medical writer is an option for those who enjoy research, are skilled in technical writing, and have a bachelor’s degree. These professionals are responsible for taking technical and scientific data from studies and research to write papers, articles, and documents for clients like books and medical journal publishers as well as advertisers and pharmaceutical companies.

In terms of salary, PayScale notes that medical abstractors make an average of $54,045 per year and that clinical coordinators tend to earn an annual wage of $58,347. Medical writers can expect the highest compensation in this realm, which typically lands at an average yearly pay of $71,807.

Information technology

One of the things that draws people to tech is its potential for flexibility. Since many jobs in this sector can be done from anywhere a W-Fi connection is in reach, the industry offers many remote positions for people who are skilled in the hardware and software associated with complex computer systems.

To note, degree requirements in the tech sector are especially nebulous. Meaning, sure, if you want to be a network architect, you’re almost certainly going to need a degree in computer science or a related field. But for many other tech jobs, a computer science degree is a nice addition, not a necessity.

Candidates who are looking to join the ranks of remote IT workers but don’t have or haven’t completed a degree may consider becoming a technical support specialist. The position is typically tasked to provide help and troubleshooting tips to people and organizations using computer software or equipment.

Associate’s degree-holders who enjoy the logical and solution-focused work of information technology also have plenty of options when it comes to finding online jobs, including opportunities in computer programming, web development, and computer systems analytics.

With the right skills, a bachelor’s degree in a field like information or networking technology can easily open doors to some of the highest-paying remote jobs in tech. Cloud architecture, information security engineering, and application architecture.

On the starting end of tech-based salaries, Payscale reports that technical support specialists make an average of $50,893 and that web developers pull in $59,297 per year.

Computer programmer and systems analyst jobs come with a step up in pay grade by offering average salaries of $63,005 and $68,524, respectively.

Bachelor degree-holders can’t go wrong with remote information security engineer jobs, which typically offer an average of $94,318 per year. Salaries for remote applications architects and cloud architects are even more lucrative, paying out a respective average of $112,704 and $123,791 per year.

Marketing

Marketing involves promoting particular products and services to consumers, and convincing consumers that they should buy those products. The focus of many remote marketing jobs is no different—and is ideal for people who love to learn about products and consumer demographics and find creative ways to tell a brand’s story.

Those who don’t have undergraduate experience may consider working as a content creator, a role known for doing exactly what its title suggests. Also called content marketers, these professionals create content for all kinds of companies and organizations through blogs, social media, email, video, and other related content.

There’s also high demand in the marketing industry for public relations specialists, a position known to typically require an associate’s degree, and marketing specialists, which requires a bachelor’s degree. Whereas public relations focuses on selling a company or brand through positive media coverage and stakeholder communication, marketing generally covers promotional, direct marketing, and advertising, which seeks to create direct sales.

PayScale data estimates that content creators earn an average of $43,348 per year while public relations specialists pull in $48,362. Marketing specialists take home the highest earnings of this group at an average of $50,900 annually.

Questions or feedback? Email editor@noodle.com