Best Career for Remote Work

As far as I am concerned, working in the marketing, advertising, public relations sector is the best career path one could select that has many opportunities for remote work. Frankly, working in any creative field has amazing remote work options.

For example, I have an artist client who creates caricatures and during the pandemic, they were able to pivot their business to offer online caricature drawings done live via platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. Then they can either email you the final drawing or mail a hard copy.

Off the top of my head, here are some of the best careers for remote work including but not limited to the following:

Writer for SEO (search engine optimization)
Digital marketing pro
Commercial Photography
Public relations specialist
Marketing analyst
Content writer
Communications specialist
Marketing manager
Website designer
Developer
Coder
Creative Representative
Advertising sales
Google AdWords specialist

Fourteen years before the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown and the rise of remote jobs, I worked remotely for the same company I work for now as a Senior Creative Representative, representing commercial photographers and designers. Today, I am the SEO Production Manager/Senior Writer.

Back in the early 2000’s, we operated as a part-time, remote company with plenty of flex time, working out of the office/studio only when needed for photo shoots or client meetings. Mostly, we worked on the road, met clients at their offices or on location, and attended business- and industry-specific networking events.

My sons were babies and toddlers then, so I needed more flexibility in my career. Let’s see what the experts have to say about other jobs that have flexibility for professionals with small children.

According to Indeed, “As a parent, you might be interested in pursuing more flexible jobs that allow you to better balance your responsibilities, develop a healthy work-life balance or supplement your income with extra money. A flexible job could be one that allows you to work from home, on nights and weekends or part-time.

Customer service representative
Transcriptionist
Data entry clerk
Medical billing specialist
Graphic designer
Proofreader
Researcher
Childcare provider
Freelance writer
Social media manager
Virtual assistant
Website designer
Contract recruiter
IT analyst,”.

We still work in the same capacity, but we collaborate in person at the studio/office at least two days a week, so more on a regular basis than when I was strictly a sales associate as my sons are young adults now. Yes, I have been with this company for twenty-two years! I was five months pregnant with my oldest son when I first began this journey with my company.

Why flex time is important for parents

Flex time is important for parents who have younger children because they need supervision and parents who are present in their lives. I certainly did not want to have children just to let someone else, some stranger, raise them. I wanted to be part of their lives, and I am forever proud of the sacrifices we made to make that happen for my sons. They definitely benefited!

I am also a product of a mom who was involved in my life and education. When I was a little girl, my mom worked in the schools as a para-educator, playground assistant, and lunchroom attendant. In the summertime, she babysat all the kids in the neighborhood- well, a lot of the kids, maybe not ALL of them.

She also taught catechism, led a Girl Scout troop, and was an involved classroom parent. She did not play sports, so my grandpa (Papa) was my mentor and trainer for baseball/softball. My mom and Papa were at all of my games cheering me on too!

When my sons were in sixth and second grade, my ex-husband and I started a landscaping company. I did all the marketing (of course), bookkeeping, and some sales, while my ex-husband handled sales, project management, and sometimes worked as a laborer.

Having a family business gave us a lot of flexibility to be present parents. It also allotted our sons opportunities to earn money at an early age. We had them help on landscape jobs, digging holes, planting, and shoveling snow in the winter.

What is the role of flexibility in parenting?

Being physically present and having flexibility in my career as a parent does nothing if I am not willing to practice healthy parenting styles. I never wanted to be that parent who picks their kid up from school, rushes them through homework and chores, races them off to extracurricular activities, feeding them junk fast food in the car, yelling at them at their activity, and then speeding home to force them off to bed with no quality time at all.

Instead, we had the following routine when they were younger:

We had a leisurely, healthy breakfast with PBS shows on for learning and entertainment, which we talked about together while snuggling on the couch before school
Went to school on time and early so we could do our greeting job together
Personally, picked them up from school, came home, emptied backpacks and lunch bags, and had a healthy snack while doing homework
Extracurricular activities were on Monday (catechism), Wednesday (sport), Friday night (Cub Scouts as a family), and Saturdays (sports)
On extracurricular days, I made sure that I had a healthy dinner done before picking them up from school so they could have a full belly for their activity
After dinner, they had simple chores to contribute to the maintenance of our home, like rinsing their dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, taking the trash out, dusting their rooms, and helping sort their dirty laundry and put away their clean clothes
At bedtime, they brushed their teeth, washed their face or took baths/showers, put on their jammies, and snuggled with Mom and Dad for reading time
When they were babies and little boys, I ended the day by singing them to sleep (such precious moments I will cherish forever!).
As they got older, after reading time, they would chat about their day in an effort to stay up later – little stinkers! I didn’t mind because we bonded and snuggled. I knew it would end someday (waah).
Turns out, this was instrumental in building trust that has created a safe space for them to share their feelings and their lives today as young adults.

In conclusion, creative careers can offer remote opportunities and flexibility that support both professional growth and family life. For me, the best career makes room for meaningful work and connection.