There are many entry level jobs where you work alone. This is the first step in learning how to be an employee and what is expected of you while working. Every job includes specific duties that need to be done, some of which might be easier and some of which might be harder. You need to figure out which of these duties you can and cannot do by yourself, as well as how long it will take you to finish them.
Now that we are a full-blown recession, it’s getting harder to find a job if you’re young. College graduates and recent grads are entering the workforce with aspirations of big salaries and prestigious jobs they’ve been trained to do. Unfortunately, these entry-level positions rarely exist anymore – if they ever did. Many people find themselves doing entry level work because they have to pay back huge student loans and learn how to live on a very small salary. Even worse, some companies prefer hiring recent grads who come in at minimum wage or below because they’re less likely to seek another job elsewhere.
Entry Level Jobs Where You Work Alone
- Pet sitter
National average salary: $48,072 per year
Primary duties: A pet sitter supervises house pets while the pet owners are away by providing the animals with food and water. Pet sitters also provide care by walking and grooming the animals as needed. In addition to caring for pets, a pet sitter may also be asked to complete housekeeping tasks, such as light cleaning or vacuuming. - Data entry clerk
National average salary: $39,100 per year
Primary duties: Data entry clerks input data using spreadsheets and databases to maintain organized information for a company. They are responsible for updating records, such as names or addresses, to ensure the data’s accuracy. Data entry clerks can complete their work remotely and alone, depending on the software their company uses.
Related: Learn About Being a Data Entry Clerk
- Sanitation worker
National average salary: $39,288 per year
Primary duties: Sanitation workers drive garbage trucks to collect trash along regularly scheduled routes. To maintain clean communities, experienced sanitation workers independently remove trash from homes, businesses and other public facilities and transport the waste to necessary facilities. - Transcriptionist
National average salary: $44,114 per year
Primary duties: A transcriptionist listens to videos or audio files to convert what they hear into a typed transcription. These transcription services are often used to create legal or medical records. Transcriptionists typically work alone in quiet spaces. - Photographer
National average salary: $51,399 per year
Primary duties: Photographers take photographs of products or people for marketing purposes. They are responsible for ensuring their images achieve any established business goals or marketing campaign objectives. Though they communicate with clients to make negotiations and discuss photo shoots, photographers can complete their work independently depending on the scope of their projects. - Web designer
National average salary: $52,658 per year
Primary duties: Web designers determine the layout and formatting for websites. They focus on a website’s creative elements and appearance, ensuring the site is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Before receiving this user feedback, however, web designers can work alone to create their sites.
Related: Learn About Being a Web Designer
- Virtual assistant
National average salary: $61,404 per year
Primary duties: Virtual assistants provide remote administrative support to clients, companies or organizations. They are responsible for answering phones and emails, scheduling appointments and meetings and managing contact lists as needed. Virtual assistants require strong interpersonal skills, though they can still complete their work alone. - Graphic designer
National average salary: $58,855 per year
Primary duties: Graphic designers use creative software to make graphics for websites and marketing materials, such as posters and brochures. Graphic designers work by themselves to create aesthetically pleasing content that communicates a specific message on behalf of a company or organization.
Related: Learn About Being a Graphic Designer
- Social media manager
National average salary: $59,930 per year
Primary duties: A social media manager oversees a company or organization’s social media accounts to determine the most effective ways to reach target audiences. They are responsible for analyzing performance metrics, making social media posts and monitoring interactions across various social media platforms to increase engagement when delivering a brand’s message.
Related: Learn About Being a Social Media Manager
- Grocery shopper
National average salary: $45,044 per year
Primary duties: A grocery shopper buys groceries and products according to customers’ shopping lists. Grocery shoppers work independently when shopping to carefully select customer items, fulfill orders and ensure timely deliveries. - Accountant
National average salary: $53,473 per year
Primary duties: An accountant interprets a company’s financial records and analyzes its data to create reports, assess business plans and make projections regarding future trends. They are also responsible for maintaining accurate documentation for tax purposes. Accountants can complete their work remotely if they have access to the necessary reports and files.
Related: Learn About Being an Accountant
- Technical writer
National average salary: $58,325 per year
Primary duties: Technical writers compose written content for informative documents such as how-to guides and instruction manuals. Their writing can also be used for journal articles and other publications. Technical writers are skilled in simplifying complex ideas and effectively communicating them in ways that are easier to understand.
Related: Learn About Being a Technical Writer
- Truck driver
National average salary: $70,138 per year
Primary duties: Truck drivers are responsible for transporting goods and completing deliveries, and they typically work alone to complete their scheduled route. Truck drivers travel anytime throughout the day or night to pick up deliveries from warehouses or distribution centers to ensure product fulfillment.
Related: Learn About Being a Truck Driver
- Network administrator
National average salary: $71,298 per year
Primary duties: Network administrators install company computer systems and maintain the operations of internet systems, local area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). They work by themselves to provide technical support to improve network connectivity within a business or community.
Related: Learn About Being a Network Administrator
- Web developer
National average salary: $67,686 per year
Primary duties: Web developers are responsible for creating and developing websites. They work alone to update technical elements of websites to improve their functionality. By assessing website speeds, web developers ensure their sites can handle growing web traffic.
