AARP Hearing Center
Among the millions of job openings available nationwide, employment opportunities are growing for workers without degrees. Many of those jobs even offer the potential to work from home, a condition older workers strongly prefer. According to an AARP Research survey of people 40 and older, 44 percent of respondents said they work from home at least some of the time.
FlexJobs, a website that specializes in remote work opportunities (full access to the website costs $2.95 for a 14-day trial), combed through the job postings on its site to identify fields with the most openings that don’t require a degree. Many of these positions could be a match for the skill sets older adults have.
“Remote jobs that tend not to require a college degree do typically require a decent amount of experience, which is why they’re a great fit for someone with a longer career history,” says Brie Reynolds, a career development manager and coach at FlexJobs. “Especially if you’ve had the experience of working remotely over the last year and you can demonstrate to employers that you excel in a remote environment or have remote-friendly professional skills like communication, self-management and a proactive approach to your work, you’re well positioned for these types of remote jobs.”
The following jobs are examples from the FlexJobs list. Clicking on the “Find jobs” link will take you to a list of job openings, either on AARP’s free Job Board (not all of the openings are for remote work) or the FlexJobs website. You may click on this link for a search of all work-from-home jobs available on the AARP Job Board. Average pay is taken from data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other industry sources.
1. Accounting clerk
- Average pay: $22.05 per hour
- Find accounting clerk jobs
If you have an eye for detail and are good with math, you might do well in this position. Accounting clerks examine bank statements, invoices, accounts payable documents and other reports to ensure that all of the numbers add up correctly.
2. Executive assistant
- Average pay: $29.27 per hour
- Find executive assistant jobs
Job opportunities as an executive assistant (or an administrative assistant) were shifting to remote work before the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have continued to trend in that direction. The responsibilities — managing schedules, coordinating meetings, communicating with clients — can often be done from home.
3. Bookkeeper
- Average pay: $22.81 per hour
- Find bookkeeper jobs
This job requires strong skills with numbers. Many employers place a higher value on experience than on a college degree. Work at Home Vintage Experts, which specializes in placing older workers in remote jobs, typically has several openings available for this role.
4. Client services
- Average pay: $24.62 per hour
- Find client services jobs
If you’re good at managing professional relationships, you could put your skills to use in this field. Client services managers serve as liaisons between a company and its clients, ensuring that communication is clear and projects meet expectations. This field also offers opportunities for contract assignments.
5. Customer service
- Average pay: $18.16 per hour
- Find customer service jobs
If you have good communication and problem-solving skills, a job as a customer service representative could be the right fit for you. Most companies provide extensive training to prepare workers for the important role of being the person their customers turn to when they need help. Some companies will also provide the technology necessary to respond to requests by phone, email or chat.
