Military to Civilian Transition: Work Online

New Options in Digital Space

Anyone who's been paying attention recently will have noticed a new trend in employment: online jobs. It's an exciting development that holds the promise of multiplying your work and career options. At the same time, it's important, if you're interested in moving in this direction, to do so with your eyes open.

A Field Guide to Online Jobs

There are basically three types of work that can be done online. There's freelancing, virtual commuting, and home-based businesses. All three have evolved dramatically over recent years using resources made available on web to reinvent themselves. Let's take a look at each one.

Freelancing

If you have a marketable skill and are between jobs, or even if you're working but have extra time, consider freelancing. Thanks to the web, it really doesn't matter where you live as long as you have a reliable Internet connection. And no matter what your skill, somebody somewhere needs yous help. Here are three very popular services.

• Elance.com.  The popular online freelance site, elance.com, list well over 500 skills, from Admin Assistant to Zoho Creator, whatever that is!
• Textbroker,  a popular site for freelance writing services, has thousands of authors under contract with specializations in every field imaginable.
• Guru.com.  This site specializes in matching clients with experts in a range of fields organized into three categories: Technology, Creative Arts, and Business. Guru.com also makes it easy for clients to find talent by location, both nationally and internationally. This makes it easy for clients in your area to find you, which can be a big help if your particular specialization requires a certain amount of face time.
• Craigslist.com  In addition to these sites which are dedicated to promoting the services of freelance talent, generic sites such as Craigslist allows individual to post classifieds in the Services section advertising their expertise. The site is also organized by state, region and city, which again is helpful for making connections in your local area.

Finding online jobs with services like these is easy. There is a step-by-step process which guides you setting up your profile and enhancing your personal brand. In addition, there are support resources that provide additional help and answers to frequently asked questions. Elance.com, for example, maintains an "Elance University" with online videos and tutorials.