By: Sarah Stone
We’ve proven since 2020 that a great deal of work can be done without physically going to the office. And a lot of people who’ve been called back in have opted to quit their jobs for remote opportunities that give them the freedom and flexibility that they want.
You might be one of those people.
And there are a ton of remote jobs out there—especially for people who know coding!
But what if your background is in HR, or marketing, or project management, or something else that doesn’t really require coding? You may not have needed to learn programming languages like Java, Python, PHP, or the many, many others out there.
It can be frustrating to start a remote job search in other areas with less technical skill sets—but it’s not impossible. Let’s take a look at some very cool remote jobs and careers you can pursue that don’t require coding.
9 Best Remote Jobs (That Aren’t Coding)
1: Technical Recruiting
If you have some experience with HR, sales, or recruiting, this could be a fantastic opportunity. As a technical recruiter, you’ll work with hiring managers to develop job descriptions for technical positions, source candidates on platforms like LinkedIn and Github, reach out to and interview candidates, and make recommendations for new hires.
While this isn’t a position that would require active coding—you’ll work more with databases and need to have good organizational skills—it’s still good to know a bit about the different languages and platforms the candidates will need to use. And if you’re interested in learning coding yourself, getting into technical recruiting will help you figure out what language(s) you’d like to learn, what they’re used for, and what types of more technical jobs you might want later on in your career.
- Find open technical recruiting jobs on Indeed and SimplyHired
2: Teaching English Online
A mainstay of people who want to work remotely and travel—or find job placements overseas—teaching English to foreign learners is a wonderful opportunity if you want to build your own skills while helping others develop theirs.
While you can find online English teaching jobs pretty much immediately, we’d recommend that you put in the time and effort to get TEFL Certification, which lasts forever, opens you up to more positions worldwide, and earns you a higher salary—not to mention it makes you a better teacher! Getting certified can range from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars depending on what path you choose (online, in-person, or hybrid) and what organization you get certified with, and requires 100 to 200 hours of coursework plus 20 hours of live training.
3: Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is the dream for those of us who want to work independently, be creative, and not be tied down to a specific physical location. And there are a lot of different niches you can get into as a freelance writer—you can craft whitepapers, improve SEO and content on clients’ websites, write copy for newsletters and landing pages, and lots more.
- Read our guide to the most lucrative freelance writing niches here!
- Find opportunities for writers of all kinds on All Freelance Writing and FlexJobs
4: SEO
On the subject of freelance writing, SEO can be a solid path for people who are good at writing and editing, and who are interested in researching and tracking the performance of their work using analytics tools. It’s also a great segue into more technical fields, if you don’t have a lot of experience yet but would like to get into coding and development.
When you work in SEO, some of your responsibilities will be to research how your employer’s online presence performs in terms of organic impressions and engagement, and then find ways to improve that performance, find areas of opportunity that competitors aren’t tapping into (or that you can do differently and better), implement changes based on that data, and track the progress of those changes. And it’s not just copy that you’ll be updating or creating: SEO improvements also include things like site usability and speed, network outreach and collaboration, and much more.
- Find SEO jobs on We Work Remotely and SimplyHired
5: Social Media Marketing
Related to SEO but a bit more on the active engagement side, social media marketing gigs will have you creating, executing, and analyzing campaigns that promote a brand, product, or service. You’ll do everything from running day-to-day feeds and interactions across a variety of networks, to planning and carrying out ad campaigns, to analyzing the performance of those campaigns (and posts that aren’t promoted through ads), and even finding new channels to develop a presence on.
If you’re creative and organized, people-oriented, and if you have an interest in metrics, then social media marketing could be a great fit. You’ll tie together branding, messaging, creative elements (like photos, videos, blog posts, and lots more), and outreach in a way that gets your employer’s products and services in front of people, and gets them talking and engaging with every network you’re on.
- Find social media marketing jobs at Indeed and ZipRecruiter
6: Translation
If you speak two or more languages fluently and have an understanding of grammar and style for each, then picking up work as a translator could be a wonderful fit for your skill sets—and you can do it 100% remotely. Projects can include translating medical documents, legal documents, technical materials, recipes and other guides, websites (such as landing pages and blog posts), and even marketing collateral like downloads, whitepapers, brochures, and more.
7: Project Management
Project management is a multifaceted and extremely valuable skill set that can open you up to high-paying jobs in both general and niche areas. In general as a project manager, you’ll oversee all aspects of projects large and small by your employer—and yes, you can do this entirely online! A few of your responsibilities would include project planning, team coordination, and ensuring that any project is completed within the right scope, time, and cost.
And if you get a certification, like those offered by PMI, you can earn a higher salary and open yourself up to more and better opportunities. If you’re interested in building your own business, or working your way up into leadership positions, then getting project management training and certification is one of the best ways to do it.
8: Online Tutoring
Tutoring students online is a job that you can absolutely do from anywhere in the world as long as you have a good internet connection and reliable schedule. As an online tutor, you can work with students anywhere in the world, of all ages, on subjects that you have some experience or interest in. English and math tutoring are some of the most popular subjects that students need help with, but feel free to get creative: if you know how to play an instrument, for example, you can help a young learner become a better musician!
A few responsibilities you’ll have as an online tutor could be developing simple lesson plans to augment the student’s existing coursework, walking them through homework assignments and practice sheets, helping to prepare for tests and exams, helping to develop solid study habits and coursework skills, and providing feedback and encouragement as they improve or build upon their efforts.
9: Customer Service
If you pride yourself on being patient and helpful, taking up a job in customer service could be the best way for you to earn an income working remotely. Through online customer service positions, you’ll work with customers via chat, phone, or email to help solve their problems and answer their questions. You’ll help to diagnose issues and either provide solutions quickly and efficiently, or escalate their inquiries to a higher level manager or a different department entirely—knowing how to quickly troubleshoot issues and keep your customers calm and happy is a must. This can be a challenging role, but a rewarding one that you can easily find online if your goal is to earn even a little bit of extra income that’ll let you travel the world and work remotely.
Wrapping Up
Have you had the opportunity to work remotely in a non-coding field? Share your insights and advice with the Frayed Passport community!
About the Author
As the editor-in-chief of Frayed Passport, my goal is to help you build a lifestyle that lets you travel the world whenever you want and however long you want, and not worry about where your next paycheck will come from. I've been to 20+ countries and five continents, lived for years as a full-time digital nomad, and have worked completely remotely since 2015. If you would like to share your story with our community, or partner with Frayed Passport, get in touch with me at sarah@frayedpassport.com!
Featured image by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.