Working from home is often a dream. We hope this guide to Work From Home jobs in Oakland will help make that dream a reality.

What educational background do you need to land a job in Oakland?

Work From Home jobs in Oakland are so diverse that it's hard to say what kind of degree will help you. For many of them, a degree isn't required, but a portfolio of work certainly is. If you want to be a stay at home illustrator, for example, it may not matter too much whether or not you graduated with top grades. However, you will want several examples of your best work to show your clients that you can, in fact, draw what they're asking for.

Still, a college education will certainly help you land a job. Many college degrees that lead into online freelance jobs (such as graphic design courses or technical writing degrees) teach you various aspects of your job that may be hard to learn on your own--even if you're already a decent designer or writer. A journalism degree may be necessary, however, if you’re looking for Work From Home writing positions for any of Oakland’s magazines or local newspapers.

For jobs in education (such as teaching English online) you may be required to complete a TEFL certificate, although sometimes you can find jobs that only require you to be a native English speaker.

PhD or higher education degrees can lead to consultant jobs in various fields. Alternatively, you can teach online classes at some of the universities in Oakland, such as the California College of the Arts and Mills College.

How can I land a Work From Home job in Oakland?

For more creative jobs, such as writers or designers, your portfolio will matter much more than your resume. To apply for any writing, editing or proofreading job, you’ll need a strong resume and cover letter and samples of your writing or editing work. Additionally, you may be asked to give a pitch or a description of how you might go about completing the project. Spend a good amount of time on the pitch, since this is often what carries the most weight.

Regardless of it's a full-time or part-time job, the company will ask to interview you. Whether it's in-person, on the phone or a video call, be sure to emphasize your experience in the related field.

To network in Oakland, you'll want to attend a meetup event. Bring a business card along so they can contact you, and be sure to mention that you are looking for a Work From Home-job.

What are common jobs in this area?

Work From Home jobs in Oakland vary quite a bit in their skill level. There are the jobs you can get writing copy, designing webpages or troubleshooting programming errors. There are also online educational jobs--you can easily get a job teaching English to students through Skype, if you prefer. These could be considered more mid-level.

Other kinds of online jobs involve selling a product you have created and are entry-level positions. If you have a popular blog around the Oakland area, you can try affiliate linking, where you get paid each time someone buys something through your link. If you’re a local Oakland artist, you can sell designs that will go on T-shirts. Sites such as RedBubble, Society6 and Etsy can bring in a profit.

Certain companies in Oakland may also offer Work From Home positions, such as The Clorox Company or Pandora Media. But with Work From Home jobs, you are by no means limited by your geographical location.

For senior-level Work From Home jobs in Oakland, there are consultant jobs or professorships for online classes.

What are the biggest industries for this field in Oakland?

The biggest Work From Home industries all relate to different aspects of advertising or writing for Oakland's newspapers or magazines. More Work From Home jobs include the following:

-Check out Highland Hospital to see if they're looking for Work From Home medical transcribers. This can be a lucrative position, if you have experience transcribing medical documents.

-Another popular Work From Home job here is a copywriter, where you get paid to write webpages for companies.

-As a graphic designer, you'll design logos for different companies.

Other options are jobs in the education industry or jobs selling your own creations, such as publishing fiction or selling pottery at local Oakland markets.

What kind of shifts can I work in this field in Oakland?

Probably one of the main things that draws people to freelance and Work From Home jobs are the flexibility of shifts. Are you naturally a night owl? No problem. As a freelance writer or designer, you can choose to work on your projects in the hours between sunset and sunrise. Want your afternoons free so you can hang out with friends? Also, not a problem. So long as you get the project done before the deadline, you can work whenever you like.

Full-time and part-time Work From Home jobs are available in a number of fields. Some longer-term jobs, such as online teaching, may require a schedule that aligns with the school year. This would be considered seasonal work. There are online tutoring services that cater to elementary and middle school students in the Oakland area, too. For temporary work, you may find companies that need short-term projects completed and require extra workers.

External resources

For graphic designers in California, check out the magazine Communication Arts.

For freelancers seeking a union, look no further than the Freelancer's Union.

While there are numerous conferences and meetup groups for freelancers, one of the biggest that takes place in Oakland is Bay Area Web Freelancers.

Check out Laney College for a variety of courses you can take to help with your Work From Home job.