It’s hard to when you are restricted by your health condition. The good thing, though, there are a lot of home-based jobs for people with chronic illnesses nowadays, which makes coping with such situations easier.
According to a report by the United States National Health Council, there are approximately 133 million Americans who have chronic diseases, which actually represents more than 40% of the total population in the country.
Furthermore, the report says that experts project the number to grow even more to an estimated 157 million in a few years.
Having an illness may not be a good feeling, but here’s the thing, it should not limit you to work and make a living.
Having a chronic disease per se, while it restricts you to do certain things, should not hinder you from making money just like anyone else. Ironically, all the more that you need to find ways to make a living to help yourself manage and live with your disease.
Realistically speaking, work may cause stress, but it can also help people struggling with chronic illnesses feel a little normalcy in their lives, which is great for their overall mental well-being.
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Back in the day, work means going out of the house, driving or commuting to work (and dealing with traffic at the same time), dealing with different kinds of people, and so on and forth.
Today, thanks to digital technology and the internet, people with chronic illnesses have the option to keep working and make a living without having to deal with the typical work cycle.
With technology and the internet, home-based jobs for people with chronic illnesses became possible.
As we have mentioned earlier, there are, if facts, lots of work from home jobs for people with chronic illnesses out there to choose from – and no need to go elsewhere because, in the next sections, we are going to share with you some of the best home-based jobs for people with chronic illnesses and where to find them.
WHAT IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS?
First of all, before we even get into the details on the different jobs for people with chronic diseases, we thought it would right if we define what a chronic illness is all about.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both“.
There are several types of chronic diseases, but some of the most common ones and are, according to CDC, the leading causes of death and disability in the United States are heart disease, cancer, as well as diabetes.
As mentioned earlier, normally, people with chronic illnesses – depending on the seriousness of the case – are restricted to do certain activities. Sometimes, including doing their jobs – if their work involves activities that may be too dangerous for their condition.
But, before you even succumb to sadness and feeling hopeless, as we have mentioned, there is still a way for you to keep earning. This time though, you do it in the comforts of your home.
Before we proceed, for a little inspiration and insight about working while having a chronic illness, sharing with you the video below by Samantha Wayne:
HOME-BASED JOBS FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES
Having a chronic disease should not mean your life is over – particularly your work life.
In this day and age, we are fortunate enough that work from home jobs or home-based jobs are prevalent. This gives us an opportunity to continue working and earning without having to leave the house.
For some, it may be a totally different world (jumping from a certain type of job to a totally different industry), others may find it surprising that they can actually continue doing what they do in a work from home setup.
So, without taking any further, below are some of the best work from home jobs for people with chronic illnesses:
- Blogger
- Bookkeeping
- Coach
- Freelance Writer
- Graphic Designer
- Online Entrepreneur
- Industry-Related Jobs
Blogger
Of all the home-based jobs out there, blogging is probably the most ideal job for people with chronic illnesses.
Blogging is very flexible. You get to decide what topic you’re going to focus on, how often you publish a post, and even where you do it.
Blogging does not limit you to anything. You can do your own thing. You can be as creative as you can be. You can opt to share helpful wisdom with other people, or teach them about something that you are an expert on.
Surely, the challenging part may be earning your first few bucks from blogging, but once you’re at it, it’s all going to be a great ride, we bet.
If you are a first-time blogger, and you feel intimidated by it, well, we tell you, do not be.
Starting to blog is not as hard as you think.
We are actually lucky now because a lot of blogging platforms have made it easier for users. But, if you are not that confident about building your blog from scratch on your own, you can always ask an expert’s help.
Once you are done setting up your blog, it’s time to start writing, as well as promoting your blog posts through different social media platforms.
Keep in mind that blogging relies on traffic. Meaning, if you want to earn from blogging, there has to be enough traffic on your blog. You have to have a lot of people reading and following your blog. Otherwise, you won’t earn from it.
Now, as you build your traffic, you can start monetizing your blog.
How to do that?
Well, there are a couple of ways, which include advertising, sponsorships, collaborations, and of course, affiliate marketing. You can also earn from selling freelance services as well as products like eBooks, courses, and printable.
How Much A Blogger Makes:
How much you make as a blogger depends on a lot of factors. However, according to Millennial Money, it is normal for new bloggers to earn $500 to $2,000 per month during the first year.
Meanwhile, in your second year and beyond, depending on the traffic you have built, and the number of subscribers, you can make as much as $100,000 or more.
Blogging has so much earning potential if you only know how to properly do it (which is why we recommend knowing and understanding all the means to make money from blogging so you can take full advantage of your blog’s earning possibilities).
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is another profitable work from home jobs that would be ideal for people dealing with chronic diseases.
This type of job is especially ideal for those who love numbers or those with an accounting background who does not want to deal with hardcore accounting stuff.
Also, this type of job provides an opportunity for you to eventually run your own virtual bookkeeping business.
Similar to blogging, generally, bookkeeping jobs are flexible. It allows you to do work at your own pace (unless there is a deadline set by your client, and it’s tight).
What’s nice about this job is that even people without bookkeeping experience can work as one. There are a lot of short online courses you can take, or in some cases the clients provide training.
As a bookkeeper, it is important, though, that you are able to keep up with incoming expense as well as income documents from clients. You have to well-organized, able to work independently, meet deadlines, and of course, a good communication skills will also help.
How Much A Bookkeeper Makes:
According to Salary.com, the average salary of a bookkeeper in the United States is $43,965 (as of October 2020). However, the range usually falls between $38,583 and $49,317.
Generally, there are factors considered when determining salary. Your experience and expertise are just some.
Coach
No matter what you are going through, for as long as you have the capacity to motivate, mentor, and give advice to those who need it, becoming a coach would be ideal for you.
We actually thought people like you who are going through such a challenging ordeal would be a great coach (unless of course, you feel like you are not mentally and emotionally suited for it).
Coaching is an ideal job for people with empathy. It is an industry that allows you to help other people discover their path, and essentially, improve their lives.
There are many specialized areas when it comes to coaching. It could be a career, relationship, personal growth, or general life. More so, there are coaches who specifically work for people with chronic diseases.
If you think you are strong enough to help others improve their lives, then you may consider this route.
It is important to take note, however, that there are certain requirements to be able to pursue this home-based profession. Depending on your specialty, you may be required to get certified first for you to be able to practice being a coach.
How Much A Coach Makes:
How much you make as a coach depends on factors like your experience, education, certification, and specialty.
For a life coach, for example, the average hourly pay for a life coach in the country is $31.29. It could fall to as low as $12.56 or go as high as $147.83 per hour.
Again, the rate depends on what type of a coach you are.
Freelance Writer
Writing is therapeutic especially for people who are going through certain challenges in life like that of chronic disease patients.
If you are the type who has a great relationship with words (but does not want to run a blog), then perhaps working as a freelance writer is the perfect job for you.
Freelance writers may write blog posts, articles, and the like for clients. They may also consider contributing to publications if they want to.
Among the home-based jobs for people with chronic illnesses, freelance writing is the most popular online. In fact, there’s plenty of online gigs for freelance writers out there depending on skill, speed, as well as experience.
Freelance writing is very flexible. Needless to say, there is a diverse topics that you can work on depending on your interest and expertise.
As long as you are able to meet deadlines, and provide a great quality of work, you can certainly pursue this job.
By the way, there are various freelance writing specialties to choose from, some of these are:
- Article Writing
- Blogs
- Copywriting
- Ghostwriting
- Grant Writing
- Resume Writing
- Newsletters
- Technical Writing
- Social Media Updates
How Much A Freelance Writer Makes:
Depending on your experience and expertise, you can make an average hourly pay of $23.82 as a freelance writer in the United States, according to Payscale. It can get as low as $12.16 or as high as $60.71 depending on the factors we mentioned.
Earlier, we said that writing is therapeutic, the same goes for anything creative — and graphic design is one of them.
Graphic Designer
Graphic design is a growing field. These days, it is becoming very in demand.
Bach in the days, when we talk about graphic design, we think of print logos and brochures. Today, there’s more to being a graphic designer.
Graphic design has become broad. Needless to say, the tools available is increasing as well.
As a graphic designer, you can do simple projects like graphics for Pinterest up to as huge as designing websites.
So, if you are someone who has a creative spark, at the same time, an artistic eye, then this might be the right work from home job for you.
How Much A Graphic Designer Makes:
According to Indeed, graphic designers in the country earn an average of $3,462 per month. How much you make as one will certainly depend on your qualifications as well — just like the other jobs for people with chronic illness we mentioned earlier.
Online Entrepreneur
Another popular way to make money by working from home is by selling online – whether it be a product or a service (based on your expertise).
What’s nice about online selling these days is that you can offer any product or service you can think of. Of course, ideally, you sell something that you like.
You can be crafty, you can be artistic, and you can also be innovative. The more unique your product or service is, the better.
When it comes to online selling, you can sell through various platforms. You can choose online marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy (which, by the way, is the perfect platform to sell crafts and artistic creations), or you may opt to sell through social media channels like Facebook and Instagram.
How Much An Online Entrepreneur Makes:
Of course, it’s hard to specifically determine how much you can earn from selling online because that will depend on first, the kind of product or service you sell, and second, how you market your product to your target market.
Industry-Related Jobs
In addition to the work from home jobs we mentioned, there are also industry-related jobs that can be done from home.
For example, if you work as a nurse, there are jobs that are specific to people with a nursing background. If you work as an accountant, there are also home-based jobs that are available for that.
However, make sure that if you opt to continue working in your line of industry, you are capable, and your doctors have given you clearance to do so. As we have mentioned, some jobs may not be ideal for people with chronic illnesses – so, better ask first.
How much you make in these kinds of job will entirely depend on your qualifications as well.
At the end of the day, always remember that your health and well-being is still the number one priority.
WHERE TO FIND HOME-BASED JOBS FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES
So, by now, you already know some of the most popular work from home jobs for people with chronic illnesses.
In this section, we are going to share with you some of the places where you can find these home-based jobs online.
We can name a number of platforms that cater to home-based jobs for people with chronic illnesses but some of the most popularly known are as follows:
- Indeed
- Upwork
- Freelancer
Apart from these well-known job listing sites, though, there are companies that are specifically focused on helping people with a disability or chronic illness. Some of these companies are Chronically Capable and ciCoach – The Chronic Illness Career Coach.
On one hand, Chronically Capable is a company that aims to provide chronically ill individuals with a sense of purpose, financial independence, and security.
As stated on its website, Chronically Capable creates “a tacit understanding between employers and jobseekers: employers who are part of our network believe that people living with chronic illness or disability are capable of being productive employees—and job seekers who use the platform can feel secure that participating employers care about their success.”
On the other hand, ciCoach – The Chronic Illness Career Coach was founded by Rosalind Joffe. Rosalind aims to help people with chronic diseases with “tools to manage their work, create more balance, meet challenges with resilience, and look to the future with hope”.
Meanwhile, if your condition is so severe that you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, we recommend checking out My Employment Options as they offer home-based jobs for people who are receiving SSDI or SSI disability benefits across 47 states.
Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything. Their services are provided for free as part of a national return to work program. Some of the jobs they offer include:
- Customer service
- Clerical
- Medical billing and coding
- Nursing
- Sales
- Tech support
In addition, you may also check Ticket to Work, which provides a free and voluntary program that helps those individuals receiving SSDI or SSI benefits go to work and become financially independent.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON JOBS FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES
As you can see, no matter how chronic your illness is, there are still ways to get to work and earn a living. It’s not the end of the road for you. In fact, it’s the beginning of new opportunities!
Even with a chronic disease, you can still do something and make your time worthwhile, right?
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