Whether you're trying to navigate kids' school schedules or avoid soul-crushing rush-hour traffic, finding a flextime job or a job that allows telecommuting can substantially improve your quality of life. And now that technology has made work more portable than ever--allowing us to work from home, a neighborhood coffee shop, or even a distant city--many industries are allowing employees to take advantage of these advances.
Ellen Ernst Kossek, a professor at Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, says the jobs that are most adaptable to flexible work arrangements are results-oriented--jobs in which your output is easy to measure, no matter where you are. Writers, graphic designers, and salespeople fit into this category. Here are eight others:
1. Technology Worker (Information Technology Manager: $24 per hour)
Managers at software and information technology companies tend to be more amenable to telecommuting. "They understand the resources, and they tend to attract people who are unhappy in more-regimented environments," says Laurence Shatkin, the author of "The 200 Best Jobs for Renewing America." But this portability has its downsides: "The same thing that makes it possible to do work from home also makes it possible for someone from India or China to do that same job, and many high-growth tech careers are going offshore," he says.
2. Environmental Engineer (Environmental Engineer: $25 per hour)
As businesses, municipalities, and residences increasingly go green, environmental engineering has become a fast-growing field. And like engineering in general, it's quite flexible. "It involves a lot of site visits. However, a lot of the work, like analyzing the data, can be done from home. So it offers flexibility without much worry that your job will be off-shored," says Shatkin.
3. Nurse (Registered Nurse: $29 per hour)
Because nurses are in high demand, they have more power to control their time than people in many other professions. For example, many hospitals set up databases where nurses can set their schedules and swap shifts--without having to go through a supervisor. "You can put in the shift you want and match it up with other people who want different hours," says Ellen Galinski, president and cofounder of the Work Family Institute. This system is now being used in many commercial businesses, such as banks and stores.
4. Medical Billing and Coding Specialist (Medical Biller: $15 per hour)
As our healthcare system becomes increasingly complex, Shatkin says many hospitals and medical offices are outsourcing their billing to outside agencies, and those employees frequently work from home full-time.
5. Corporate Trainer (Employee Trainer: $20 per hour)
When a company gets a new computer system or managers decide that employees need training in soft skills--communication, presentation, and so on--they often hire outside consultants to come in and train employees. These trainers are hired by agencies that send them to offices across the country. "They have a lot of flexibility because they are needed one week and not the other week. And as workplaces become technological, there will be a greater need for trainers like that," says Shatkin.
6. Personal Financial Advisor (Personal Financial Advisor: $18 per hour)
With so many baby boomers approaching retirement age, Shatkin says that financial planning is a growing field. Certified advisors work for themselves, and thus have the freedom to take as much or as little work as they like. "This is growing very fast," says Shatkin. The downside is that meetings tend to take place during the evening, after clients have left work.
7. Transcriber (Medical Transcriber: $15 per hour)
From court transcripts to medical records to closed captions, there is plenty of set-your-own-hours work for speedy typists. Shatkin says closed captioning is a particularly hot field. "When you're watching CNN live, someone has to be pecking away as it happens. This skill is in demand, and the work happens at all times of the day and night. In fact, many people who prepare for court reporting never even set foot in a courtroom. It's the same skill," he says.
8. Social Media Manager (Social Media Manager: $19 per hour)
Are you a whiz at Twitter and Facebook? Many companies and public-relations agencies hire experts who can promote and manage brands from their iPhones. Annemarie Dooling, a social media manager for a digital advertising agency, loves the flexibility of her job. "I'm able to be completely mobile because of the nature of my job," she says. "I often work from a laptop on the way to a conference or meeting. I even check messages in bed on my iPhone."
For tips on making your current job more flexible and telecommute-friendly, see "5 Tips for Successful Telecommuting."
Source: Salary data from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are hourly rates for workers with five to eight years of experience.
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