15 Careers That Defy the 9-to-5 Routine

Author

JEAN PELEGRINO
August 31, 2024

1. Substitute teacher Average salary: $44,972 per year. Primary duties: Substitute teachers typically work on an on-call or ongoing basis, which gives you the ability to decide if and when you accept assignments. As a sub, you cover classes when teachers are out by following a lesson plan and facilitating the needs of the students.

2. Housekeeper: average salary: $34,262 per year Primary duties: Housekeepers clean homes and professional buildings, and their schedules almost always exist outside of the traditional 9-to-5 model.

3. Home care aide: average salary: $25,204 per year Primary duties: Home care aides provide those that are elderly, sick, disabled or unable to care for themselves with the care that they need so that they can continue to live on their own. These healthcare professionals usually work for themselves or for a home care service, and they are typically able to choose their clients and their schedules.

4. Blogg: average salary: $37,062 per year, duties: In order to optimize their sites for search engines, most companies hire bloggers to develop well-written and authoritative content that entices and educates visitors. As a blogger, you can freelance, contract your services or work as a full-time employee for one company o, this position enables you to work remotely and set your own hours.

5. Delivery driver, average salary: $54,198 per year duties: Thanks to an abundance of delivery services, there are more opportunities for delivery drivers than ever before. Whether you work for an app delivery service or a specific restaurant, you can expect to work a flexible schedule securing people's orders and transporting food to them in a timely manner. In fact, delivery drivers who work for services can usually choose the hours and frequency that they work.

National average salary: $34,389 per yearPrimary duties: Health care facilities often hire medical transcriptionists to transfer important information and codes from physicians' notes or audio recordings to a computer database. This position can either be part or full-time, and many professionals in this role have the ability to work remotely.

National average salary: $32,101 per yearPrimary duties: Dog walkers care for their clients' pets while they're at work, on vacation or otherwise unable to give them the attention and exercise they need. If you decide to work as a dog walker, you can usually set up a schedule that works for you and the client.

National average salary: $43,335 per yearPrimary duties: Photographers typically freelance or work as contract employees. Whether you decide to capture photos in a studio, at a wedding or for a company's marketing materials, you have the freedom to decide how often you work and which projects you take on.

National average salary: $39,795 per yearPrimary duties: Tour guides work for themselves or for landmarks and organizations, such as tour buses, battlefields, parks, national monuments and museums, leading visitors through the exhibits or sites and educating them as they go. This job requires great communication and interpersonal skills and is often done during unconventional hours.

10. Web designer average salary: $56,866 per year duties: Web designers design, develop and code websites to make them more attractive and user-friendly. Though there are certainly opportunities in this profession that provide a more traditional work environment, many web designers decide to take on freelance work, allowing them to choose their projects and schedule.

National average salary: $40,842 per yearPrimary duties: Entrepreneurs and organizations sometimes hire virtual assistants to help them handle everyday tasks when they don't necessarily need a full-time assistant. Virtual assistants often work remotely and set their own hours, just so long as they're able to meet the client's needs in a timely manner. Some of the tasks they handle can include things like setting reminders, scheduling appointments, answering emails and providing customer service.

12. Graphic average salary: $50,656 per year, duties: Though some companies decide to employ graphic designers full-time, many organizations hire freelance designers to handle a specific project. These professionals usually work remotely, but they do have to adhere to client deadlines. They often work on things like company logos or promotional materials, such as brochures or business cards.

13. Freelance writer, average salary: $74,316 per yearPrimary duties: Freelance writers usually write for their clients on a project-by-project basis, but they are sometimes compensated through a fixed or hourly rate. Most of the time, freelance writers work remotely and make their own schedules. They just have to make sure that they get the work done before the client's deadlines.

14. Social media manager, average salary: $55,933 per year duties: Social media managers create and post content on a company's social media platforms, as well as interact with their followers. In this type of position, you usually work on a contractual basis for several different clients, though some companies hire full-time social media managers. Most of the time, this job can be done remotely and it provides you with an extremely flexible schedule.

15. SEO specialist, average salary: $55,812 per year, duties: Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures that websites rank high when users search for their services or products online. As an SEO specialist, you ensure that clients have websites that rank higher on the results page, therefore generating more online traffic. Though there are full-time SEO specialist positions within certain companies, many in this fieldwork on a project-by-project basis.