The Best Types Of Jobs For Aspiring Digital Nomads, According To Redditors

Imagine spending your work day posted up under a thatch roofed cabana next to the ocean. The clicking of your laptop keyboard merges with the sound of crashing waves and once your work day wraps up you spend the rest of the evening surfing. Perhaps you'd rather spend rainy mornings working in a cozy cafe before wandering cobblestone streets in Europe. For digital nomads, working from glamorous locations all over the world isn't just a fantasy. It's their reality because they're able to work remotely while traveling just about anywhere with a strong WiFi signal. Some countries have even started to offer special digital nomad visas.

For many travel lovers the digital nomad lifestyle is the ultimate career goal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many offices closed down for several months and some employees got their first taste of the work from home lifestyle and the freedom it allows. Return to work orders began to be issued far sooner than many would have liked, and some members of the work force are searching for opportunities that allow them to travel. Reddit has become a popular place for would-be digital nomads to ask for advice and share career tips.

Reddit is a popular online forum where people from all over the world seek advice and share experiences. There are several subreddits that cater to digital nomad communities, and they're a great place to research potential career opportunities. We sifted through subreddits to find the most popular job suggestions. According to Reddit users, a few of the most popular options for digital nomads include tech, freelancing, online teaching, digital finance, and entrepreneurship.

The majority of commenters on Reddit suggested that aspiring digital nomads should seek out careers in tech. Many tech companies allow their employees to work from home, which ultimately helps them save money because they don't have to provide office space and equipment. It's easy for tech companies to communicate with employees through online platforms and ensure work is getting done efficiently via online portals.

There are tons of different opportunities in tech, but almost all of them require significant education and training. Software developers, web developers, data engineers, data scientists, and security analysts are a few examples of tech jobs with opportunities to work remotely. If you're willing to put the work in, you have the opportunity to be a very high earner. The median salary of an IT professional in the United States is around $116,000 per year.

"I'm in tech and am fully remote so I'll jet to somewhere for a few weeks when I feel bored of the states. The pay is more than enough that I'm traveling usually 6 months of the year," wrote one Reddit user. Recently, there have been concerns that AI is coming for jobs in tech. Some experts predict that AI could replace millions of jobs in the coming years. A few years ago, if you worked hard learning IT skills, you were almost guaranteed to score a high-paying job. Now, there is a strong possibility that the industry will become much more competitive and remote jobs in tech will be harder to come by. They won't be impossible to find — but you'll have to be willing to work hard and adjust to constantly changing technology if this is the route you take.

Whenever someone posts a question about how to become a digital nomad on Reddit, someone else responds with rave reviews about remote teaching jobs. Teaching English online is one of the most common ways to get started and, according to Reddit users, you can make a decent amount of money. Many claim that they are able to support themselves while living abroad by teaching online anywhere from 15-30 hours per week.

"I lived in Guatemala for 5 years in the second largest city of 250,000 people (Quetzaltenango). Cost of living was between 550-750 USD, I put little effort into class preparation and basically worked between 15-25 hours (teaching + prep + homework + admin), sometimes I worked 30 hours but I wasn't happy doing that lol, I bought a car (on a tourist visa!), rented a decent room in alright houses, ate out almost all of my lunches, drank alcohol on weekends, went on trips with car, ate out 2-3 evenings a week," wrote u/gaifogel on Reddit. Other commenters mention that while $20 per hour online teaching jobs may seem like a low wage, it's easy to live on an income of $15,000 a year in countries where that is the median annual income. Teaching English online doesn't always require a teaching degree, so it's an option worth checking out if you've attended a university and are a native or fluent English speaker.

Teaching English isn't the only way to make money teaching online. Some Reddit users suggest creating online courses or teaching classes in something you're passionate about. You could even create educational content for schools. "I write physics questions and make other educational resources for study websites," commented u/ParfaitDisastrous306. If you build up your client list and do your own marketing, you can make a good living.

If you wander into a trendy looking bar in a remote surf town in Portugal and strike up some conversation you'll eventually encounter someone who claims to work in "finance." It's a vague response that is sometimes criticized. Some joke that people who are traveling the world while claiming to work in finance are really just people who were given a trust fund from their parents. While that may occasionally be the case, jobs in finance are prevalent and they can be a great option if you want to live the digital nomad lifestyle.

Some Reddit users who identified themselves as digital nomads work in accounting or run their own accounting firms where they assist clients with running their businesses or investing. "I have a remote accounting business. My husband and I run it together and travel nonstop. We've been on the go for 1208 days as of today on a slow journey between Seattle and Argentina. Currently in Lima. We work a LOT, doing accounting and making social media content — but weekends we get out and explore our surroundings and go on as many adventures as we can find," wrote u/ChaninKaye.

Others make their money through trading in various financial markets including crypto, stocks, and commodities like precious metals. "I hustle CBOE and the four indexes. The exchanges are open Chicago time for 6.5 hours. Basically, my workday ends at 1:15pm Pacific. I grind hard for 4-5 hours if I am daytrading and often, I hit my daily profit target before lunch time," wrote u/SVOG_TigerandCola. "I'm 38. Life is magical. I just woke up after sleeping for three hours next to my 70 pound poodle," they added.

A freelancer is someone who essentially sells their skills to clients on a project-by-project or contract basis. They usually have multiple clients as opposed to working full time for one company. Freelancing is wonderful because you can usually set your own hours and it's easy to work remotely.

If you're someone who has a background in marketing, you'll find plenty of freelancing opportunities. Many independently owned businesses of all sizes hire freelancers. Within the marketing sector Reddit users suggest specializing in copywriting, social media management, or SEO research. Graphic designers can also find freelance opportunities. Websites like Upwork are a good place to start finding clients.

Freelance writers have been living the digital nomad life since before it was popular, so it's no surprise many writers chimed in on Reddit. In order to become a freelance writer, it is important that you have a passion for writing as it can be challenging to find work and make a living. An educational background in journalism or creative writing helps, but if you're a talented writer with good ideas, you don't always need an extensive education. The same goes for freelance photography. "I only work maybe 15 hours a week at the moment," wrote u/90021100, a freelance writer and blogger. "Not making tons of money but enough to sustain full time travels for a few months." While it may be challenging to hit a six-figure income as a freelance writer, it can be a meaningful and rewarding way to make a living — especially if you love traveling. If the journalism route isn't your cup of tea, you could try grant writing. Charities and non-profits hire grant writers to secure funding, and Redditors report that it can pay quite well.

An entrepreneur creates their own job by starting a business. There are tons of opportunities to run a business that allows you to work remotely from anywhere in the world. In order to start your own business, you may need to first save up some money or acquire investors, but some opportunities don't have a huge upfront cost to get started.

Some Reddit users explained that they are able to live the digital nomad life after creating drop shipping businesses, which have a low startup cost. Drop shipping allows a business owner to sell products without keeping them on hand physically. Basically, you would create an online store where people can order products. When someone places an order, it is shipped to them directly from the manufacturer.

Other people who commented in the r/digitalnomad subreddit suggest running an Airbnb business. You can invest in properties all over the world and turn them into vacation rentals for other travelers to enjoy. You can manage your reservations on a laptop and hire local people to clean the rentals between bookings and act as your representatives on site. Social media influencers can also be considered a kind of entrepreneur. They run their own creative enterprises and make money through creator funds and advertisers. Therapists, personal trainers, and even chefs are all examples of careers that make it possible to create online businesses, share skills, and offer services as a digital nomad. 

To formulate our list of the best jobs for aspiring digital nomads, we spent hours reading through Reddit comments on subreddits for digital nomads. Multiple users submitted questions in regards to finding the perfect digital nomad career and we rounded up career suggestions that occurred most frequently in various threads. We chose to include popular responses as opposed to the highest paying jobs available, and attempted to include options for a variety of different skill sets. Here are some of the best international destinations for remote workers.