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4. Home Caregiver
Home Caregivers are number 7 on the US Labor Department's list of fastest growing jobs from 2000 to 2010 and the only non-computer related job in the top 10 on that list. This should peak at about 2007 and still continue to grow in large numbers through 2015. Caregivers supply personal needs to seniors in their homes including help with bathing and dressing, light housework, some cooking, transportation needs to doctors, stores, church and more.
As we grow older, we need help with tasks and the choice is often to get help from adult children, get outside caregiver help, or move into expensive senior living homes. Many seniors either don't have or are not close to adult children who can help, or those adult children do not have the time or ability themselves.
The qualifications at this time are relatively simple. You have to be able to take care of someone else like you do yourself, you have to have time, and you have to be organized and on time. In some areas of the country, you may take a licensing test which gives you additional credibility and this may be required at some future time.
To learn more about this opportunity, see Business Startup Idea: Home Caregiver.
5. Home Healthcare Nurse / Medical Technician Closely tied to the above trend, there is a growing need for nurses and medical technicians who can do housecalls, and many of these individuals are self-employed or work through small agencies. This kind of work generally requires more training and licensing than home caregiver work, but a medical technician program can usually be completed in less than nine months. This will set you up for considerably higher pay than basic home caregiver work.
Warning: this work is not for the squeamish. Some of the most common work done includes collecting specimens of blood and other bodily fluids, as well as administering injections and other treatments.
6. Virtual Assistant
While the number of people in this field has grown substantially in the last couple of years, the demand for this kind of service has grown even more. And as more and more people home office and work virtually, the demand will only continue to increase. Virtual assistants may do everything from bookkeeping to correspondence to research to marketing and publicity work. It can be exciting because of the variety, but it also requires a very diverse skill set.
High-speed internet access and an up-to-date computer are a must, as are a high level of computer literacy and familiarity with Microsoft Office and other productivity software. Make sure you're comfortable working with a lot of autonomy and very few instructions -- the people who hire virtual assistants are looking for as much time savings as possible, and really want people who are self-starters and require minimal management. If that's not you, this isn't the field for you.
To learn more about working virtually, see The State of Virtual Professionalism
7. eBay Trading Assistant, etc.
Many people would love to sell a few items on eBay (or other auction sites or Amazon, etc.), but they're unfamiliar with the process and not properly set up for it. While the mechanics of eBay may seem very simple for an experienced trader, they can be quite daunting to the first-timer: deciding on the proper auction options, pricing, writing good ad copy, taking and uploading pictures, and shipping to the winning bidder.
eBay has created the Trading Assistants Program to let more experienced sellers help less experienced sellers and make money in the process. It has already attracted over 13,000 members, but with 100 million users worldwide and continued high growth, there's ample opportunity still. There's also an opportunity helping businesses start selling in Amazon Marketplace, Yahoo Shops, etc.
You'll need some first-hand trading experience under your belt before you start. You'll also want high-speed Internet access, a digital camera, and appropriate shipping supplies for whatever kind of merchandise you're selling.
