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PART I GREAT PAJAMA JOBS

You may want a full-time job that can lead to promotions and career advancement, or a job for a season, for a stint of living in a different country or city for a few years, or one that will allow you to gradually unwind into retirement, or even a job that you clock into for a few hours a week to stay engaged and relevant. You may even strategically build an income stream from a tapestry of work-from-home jobs you enjoy and are skilled at doing.

Many remote workers I have interviewed say they aren't looking for high-pay, stressful management positions on the frontlines. Others say that's not so, but don't see why being in an office setting can help them perform better.

Deciding What (Else) You Want Out of Work

Flexible work enables employees to effectively manage their work-life responsibilities, leading to better outcomes in both spheres.

Talk with enough happy workers and you'll find the secret is a job that offers flexibility. For my book Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness, I interviewed hundreds of workers about what made them love their jobs. Flexibility and a sense of freedom and autonomy ranks high.

And happy translates into productivity on the job: 83 percent of global companies report an improvement in employee productivity after adopting flexible work policies and 61 percent report a rise in profits, according to a study involving 8,000 global employees and employers. The majority of employers with flexible workplace policies also say it has had a positive impact on their organization's reputation and helps retain valuable workers and recruit the best candidates.

For Sandra Molleck, 54, who works as a commercial lines account manager for a large California-based insurance company, the biggest rewards of working from home are “no commute, no drama, no purchasing expensive work clothes (and especially nylons), plus a comfortable and quiet work environment,” she tells me. Her biggest challenges: “Getting into a routine and staying away from snacks,” says Molleck. “It took me a while, but I have a set schedule. I work out before work and on my lunch hour.”

What motivates us to work and what each of us calls a “great pajama job” is as individual as we are. “Different flavors of ice cream,” as my sister, Pat, likes to say. But I implore you: Try to find a job you love and that challenges you. It will make all the difference in your health as well as your wealth.

While Gen Zers believe they are hardworking, one in four (26 percent) admit they would work harder and stay longer at a company that supports flexible schedules, with flexibility desired most in Canada (33 percent), the U.K. (31 percent), and the United States (31 percent). That's according to a global survey conducted by the Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated of 3,400 members of Generation Z across 12 countries.

It's easier to create flexible programs as a startup or small business, which gives them the advantage over large global enterprises that have to take many factors into consideration and change long-standing corporate cultures rooted in the status quo, says Dan Schawbel author of Back to Human.

Overall, people want control over how, when, and where they work and will seek an employment situation that satisfies that need, even if it means sacrificing pay, healthcare benefits, a team, free coffee, and office space.

In general, remote jobs come in two broad categories. The first are conventional professional jobs that are full-time or part-time, which pay you a salary or set hourly rate on a regular basis. You're part of a team. And you may be entitled to traditional employee benefits: health insurance, paid vacation time, an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The only difference is where you do your work.

The second type of remote work comes under the umbrella of freelance, consultant, or contractor positions. Typically, you have more control over when and where you work and how much, but you are in charge of paying your quarterly taxes and shelling out for health insurance. And when you go on vacation, you don't get paid. Pay can be project-based or hourly.

In the following pages, you'll find a plethora of professional occupations, some that may demand retraining and adding a degree or certificate. And you'll also find a selection of jobs geared for someone who wants a little income but doesn't want a full-blown commitment on a daily basis.

There are adaptable schedules, from a few days a week to a few months a year to a steady gig, or even one you might consider launching as a home-based business. Each job description follows this format: the nitty-gritty, pay range, and qualifications needed, with a smattering of job-hunting tips tossed in.

I’ve structured the snapshots roughly by career field: creative, financial, education, tech, and healthcare. Of course, pay will depend on myriad factors from the employer to your own negotiating moxie, but I've provided averages to give you a sense of current demand.

While remote work exists in most career fields, it is growing more quickly in some fields than in others. With that in mind, FlexJobs analyzed more than 50 career categories in its database to figure out which remote career categories have grown at a high rate.

Seven of the fastest-growing remote job fields are art and creative, bookkeeping, internet and ecommerce, K–12 education, graphic design, translation, math, and economics. Leading job titles include accountant, engineer (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.), teacher or faculty, writer, consultant, program manager, project manager, customer service representative, business development manager, account manager, and executive.

In the following chapter you will find snapshots of remote jobs that allow you to work from home either entirely or part of the time. Remote jobs are also known as telecommuting jobs, virtual jobs, and work-from-home jobs. This list is culled from ones from my extensive research on legitimate remote positions.

My aim is to help you explore remote jobs that suit your goals, ambitions, and life stage. It is by no means a definitive list, but a starter kit for you to begin your personal exploration. As employers accept the power and possibilities that remote teams can add to their success, great new pajama jobs are popping up all the time. Let's roll.