Stop Pumping Gas: Ten Hot Home Office Jobs

With fuel prices topping four dollars per gallon in some states, many Americans want to keep their paychecks in their pockets and out of their gas tanks. Thanks to cheap Internet access and fast computers, some workers can perform their jobs just as well from home as they can in the office. Government analysts recently identified ten fast-growing jobs that combine higher-than-average hourly wages with the benefits of working from home.

#1: Administrative Services Manager

Traditionally, administrative services managers oversee large support staffs in offices such as hospitals and law firms. As larger employers consolidate responsibilities for multiple locations into a handful of positions, more administrative services managers have earned the option to work some or all of their hours from a home office. Earning an associate's or bachelor's degree in business can help you gain the skills necessary for this managerial telecommuting job that often pays more than $30 per hour.

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#2: Computer Systems Analyst

These information technology professionals help companies design state-of-the-art systems to run businesses. As employers use telecommuting jobs as a key strategy in their recruitment efforts, computer systems analysts often test new ideas at their own home offices. Learning about tools like virtual private network (VPN), video chat, and virtual desktops during a computer science degree program can help qualify graduates for home-based jobs that pay over $30 per hour.

#3: Database Manager

All kinds of companies rely on databases, from mom-and-pop service organizations to global retailers. Because most databases can be maintained from any live Internet connection, a growing number of database managers work remotely over secure, private networks. Though some database managers earn salaries from large employers, specialists with business degrees and computer training can earn over $30 an hour working from home as freelance database specialists.

#4: Public Relations Specialist

Because most public relations tasks involve phone or email, many PR specialists enjoy working from home at least a few days per week. With a bachelor's degree in communications, an office veteran can transition to a home-based job writing press releases and responding to media requests. Experienced PR professionals can complete online business training programs to launch their own practices as freelancers in home offices. In both cases, public relations specialists frequently earn more than $22 per hour.

#5: Paralegal

As more Americans seek quality legal representation, many law firms rely more heavily on paralegals for research assignments and routine tasks. Unlike lawyers, who must complete law school and pass a state bar exam, paralegals can start assisting on cases after completing an associate's degree program . Some law firms prefer to hire telecommuting paralegals to avoid adding office space. Other employers like the flexibility of bringing on temporary paralegals to cover sudden spikes in their caseloads. In both cases, many home-based paralegals earn over $20 an hour.

#6: Probation Officer

With many state governments trying to balance crowded jails with increased prosecution, many local agencies seek home-based probation officers .While the job often includes making site visits, many probation officers spend a significant portion of time on the phone or on email from home offices. With a bachelor's degree in social work, an experienced security professional can transition to this home-based career that offers a typical salary of $20 per hour plus government benefits.

#7: Web Design Professional

Early Web designers often received criticism for being teenagers working from home in their parents' attics. However, today's most successful Web design professionals enjoy home offices that boast high-speed Internet connections and fast workstations. Earning over $20 per hour as a home-based Web designer requires design skill, programming prowess, and a solid career portfolio. Most novice designers pick up all three of these success ingredients during Web design degree programs , many of which are available online.

#8: Desktop Publisher

Just as small businesses rely on public relations professionals to tell their stories, company owners look to desktop publishing professionals to make their stories look good in print. Advanced publishing tools now make it possible for desktop publishers to work from home, often earning over $20 as freelancers or in staff positions. Advanced training courses in graphic design and desktop publishing help these specialists retain the cutting-edge skills that help build strong client rosters.

#9: Medical Transcriptionist

As many doctors' offices and health care facilities struggle to meet the demands of increased patient loads, home-based medical transcriptionists ride to the rescue. By leveraging skills gained in campus-based or online medical transcription training programs, these specialists can earn $14 or more per hour without leaving home. In many cases, agencies or employers also cover the costs of computers and Internet connections for efficient transcriptionists.

#10: Virtual Assistant

Bootstrapping a business in today's economy often requires creative thinking. Some of the most creative and successful professionals in consulting, real estate, and health care have realized that they can reap the benefits of having full-time administrative assistance without the costs of expanding their own offices. Virtual assistants provide high-end secretarial tasks on demand for clients, usually from home offices. Completing an online training course is often the first step toward an essential work-from-home job that pays $13 or more per hour.