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Money Management
December 20, 2024
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There is a running joke on social platforms after President William Ruto made an address in Taptengelei village, promising the youth opportunities that would only require them to have a laptop. According to the president, these opportunities will allow young people to earn money easily. As he puts it, “unafinya compyuta, unapata dollar.”
Earning online, though, has been part of a global trend in the last 10 years. As technology and globalisation grow, companies have opted to tap into a bigger pool of talent that can also be cheap. This has led to the emergence of the freelance gig economy, where instead of long-term, permanent, and pensionable jobs, companies divide their work into tasks and hire according to the tasks they need to be completed.
You can work for international companies that will pay you in dollars.
The freelance gig economy was also accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic made companies reassess their way of working and figure out how to get things done remotely. This detached the work being done from physical availability.
The question on many Kenyans' minds is, what are these jobs where you only press the computer and you earn dollars? That is what we shall discuss in the article.
When you Google something, you get results that can run into hundreds of pages. What Google does is scour its database to find all the content that can potentially answer your query. However, Google doesn’t create that information. Google just indexes it for easy accessibility. Who then creates the information? Most of the information is created by content writers (article writers).
Article writers are contracted by companies to write about the companies’ products or services. This is part of a digital marketing strategy used by companies known as content marketing. This is where companies inform and educate customers about their industry and products with the goal of directing the customers toward their sales funnel.
Here are some of the jobs related to article writing.
Copywriting is the writing of competitive copy with the goal of advertising and selling a product or service. To take advantage of these copywriting jobs, you have to have the skill of writing. Copywriting is a very competitive field that has developed best practices based on what copy converts much more than the other. As a writer, on top of your writing skills, you will need to master these best practices. You will also keep yourself up to date since new trends on how to make your copy stand out emerge all the time.
You can find copywriting jobs listed on various online working platforms, such as Upwork and Fiverr. For beginners on the platforms, you can make anywhere between $5 and $10 per 1000-word article. However, as you gain more experience and have a stronger portfolio, you can revise your rates upward.
Once you master how to write copy, you can narrow it down into a niche or several niches that you can be an expert on. This will allow you to earn much more. Some of the more lucrative copywriting niches include business-to-consumer (B2C) copywriting, business-to-business (B2B) copywriting, social media copywriting, and ad copywriting, among others.
After a copy has been written, someone has to check for the accuracy of the content as well as adherence to the guidelines provided. This is done by a proofreader and/or editor.
A proofreader will primarily go through the copy, ensuring there are no grammatical or semantic errors. The editor, on the other hand, will assess the copy for adherence to the provided guidelines and the effectiveness of the article towards the desired goals.
To succeed in these roles, you have to be a good writer so that you can catch mistakes easily.
Gigs related to proofreading and editing can also be found on online work platforms and earn between $5 and $10 per article.
E-book writing is a little different from article writing; it is a longer format of writing. The goal of e-book writing is to provide customers with a comprehensive source of information packaged as a book. This is a way for companies to show their expertise to consumers.
As a writer, these are longer projects compared to article writing. Therefore, they fetch a lot more. Charges vary depending on the length of the ebook, the type of content in the ebook, and the formatting of the ebook. As an ebook writer, you can charge upwards of $100.
Nowadays, with advancements in technology, job applications have become even more technical. The use of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) has made applying for a job even more demanding. Hence, people opt to outsource their curriculum vitae (CV) writing to experts who understand how the ATS works.
There are still clients who prefer hiring someone to write their CV since they do not know how to or prefer a specific format.
As a resume writer, your job is to stay updated with the developments in the recruitment world to ensure that you help your clients create outstanding CVs that will earn them at least an interview.
CV writing charges start at $5 and go up depending on the complexity of the work.
Data entry is another cluster of online jobs where you can easily earn in dollars. These roles, as opposed to writing jobs, do not require a specific skill.
Surveys are questionnaires that you answer, providing specific information that the owners of the survey can use to derive data that informs their decisions. The money paid for taking surveys is just an incentive to get people to take the surveys. Since no specific skills are needed, surveys do not pay as much. Their pay can start at as little as $0.50 but can go up to $10 depending on the complexity and length of the survey.
Transcribing is the conversion of a video or audio file to a text file. This is done by listening carefully to the audio/video and writing down what is being said or describing what is happening. There are two types of transcription: clean and verbatim. Clean transcription is where you edit out the irrelevant parts, while verbatim is where you include everything.
Transcription jobs are paid per minute. The rates can start at $0.50 per minute. However, if you transcribe more technical subjects, such as medicine and law, you can earn much more.
You can find transcription jobs on online job boards or create transcription accounts with companies such as Verbit, Rev, and Transcriber.
Captioning is similar to transcribing, but you do not convert the audio or video content to text; rather, you caption it within the file. This is what helps generate subtitles.
A virtual assistant provides administrative, creative, or technical assistance to clients remotely. Basically, this is a personal assistant role, but done remotely. Therefore, you get to manage your clients' calendars, make calls, and manage their emails, among other tasks.
VA work is billed per hour and can start at $15 per hour.
Drop shipping is a business model where you sell products but do not hold the inventory. You sell a product and forward the order to the owner of the product, and they fulfill the order. Drop shipping requires one to have online marketing skills to be able to convert. Earning through dropshipping is dependent on how much you are able to sell.
Affiliate marketing has similarities with dropshipping. The difference is that with affiliate marketing, instead of making a margin on the order you secure, the company owning the product pays you a percentage of what you convert. This is why your favourite influencers give you promo codes to shop with. These promo codes help track their conversion, and that is how they are paid. Being paid as an affiliate marketer depends on the number of customers you convert.
Software engineering jobs can be gig jobs, or they can also be permanent jobs. Either way, you have to be very competent at writing software. You can work as a freelancer, working with different companies on specific projects, or you can get employed.
The pay range for this type of work varies greatly depending on project length and complexity. Expertise also matters in this line of work. Nonetheless, you can earn handsomely once you have the skills and experience necessary.
Web design work is related to software engineering work. These are jobs where you design websites for clients. With web design, you have to have some coding background and a good understanding of what it takes to create a great website. Work in this field can be project-based or long-term employment. Projects can be charged on a per-hour basis, project by project.
Graphics designers create visual content to communicate. Due to the competitive nature of the online space and the fact that everyone is looking to grab attention, powerful graphics are in demand. Clients can contact you to create graphics, from the logo to infographics. The rates for graphic design can also vary greatly depending on the project's scope. However, for a single logo, the charge can start at $10.
Social media management is similar to virtual assistants. However, with social media management, you can do it for both individuals and companies. To work as a social media manager, you need to be conversant with the different social media sites. You have to understand how they work and how to make your clients stand out and grow on those sites. Social media management work is also dependent on the scope of work. You need to consider whether you also need to create content for them or if you just need to post and interact with their audience. You can charge hourly, weekly, or monthly.
There is earning potential online. With the globalisation of work, you can even earn in dollars. However, it is not as easy as pressing the computer and getting paid. You need skills since the globalisation has also brought about a lot of competition. Bidding and applying for these dollar-paying jobs are open to everyone in the world. However, if you are good at what you do, you can secure work for yourself.
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