There has been plenty of talk for the last decade about the ‘laptop lifestyle’ with images of freelancers working on a laptop at home, or more often a coffee shop. While this is partially correct, the assumption that you can only work this way if you are a writer of some type of graphics expert is a bit wide of the mark.
Other jobs exist that can be done this way and are open to those that can’t string two words eloquently together, or whose attempts at drawing look like they were created by a five-year-old. They are quite different, and one even involves the very infrastructure that makes the ‘laptop lifestyle’ possible for many others.
#1 Affiliate Marketer
This one isn’t for everybody, but for those who have a flair for it, it can create a life-changing income. This involves acting as the conduit between people on the internet and companies that wish to sell them products. So, you don’t have any inventory, shipping or actual sales to do – something that can be achieved using a laptop, or possibly just using apps on your mobile device.
One standard practice is to post videos on TikTok to create interest, then provide a link to the product you will receive a commission for if a sale is made. Things like this can take a while to get going or might not take off at all – so affiliate marketing is best run as a side hustle to begin with.
#2 Work in cloud computing
Cloud computing is one of the key elements in what makes the ‘laptop lifestyle’ a reality for many, providing access to a vast number of documents and applications with just a valid login. Maintaining and building such a vast network is a career in itself, and one that is in demand and typically very well paid.
There are a large number of positions on the larger cloud services including AWS and Google. They can range from entry level roles right up to other more specialized roles like Google certified professional cloud architect. Training for these roles can be done online and should fit around your current commitments.
#3 Amazon FBA seller
The problem with selling goods online was that you had to store them, pack, and ship them – something that was a costly and time-consuming experience. The advent of FBA, however, has taken all of this out of the equation and can all be done using just a laptop.
The manufacturer ships your product straight to Amazon, which then takes care of all of the logistics and all you have to do is list the products for sale. Of course, Amazon charges a fee for this, but on balance it is usually much cheaper than renting storage space and taking 50 packages down to the post office each day.
Wrapping up
The ‘laptop lifestyle’ is not just for writers and people who know their way around photoshop. By using the device you already have, and apps or courses available online, there are other possibilities open to you, some that you can get started right away.
