8 Best Tech Jobs for Making Your Own Hours

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Updated April 18, 2023
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  • Making your own hours can help with work-life balance.
  • Many tech jobs offer flexible schedules that allow you to set your own hours.
  • Jobs that allow you to make your own hours can be great for parents.
  • Making your own hours can increase your time with family and help reduce childcare costs.

If you feel like you struggle with work-life balance, you're not alone. A lot of people do. But what if you could set your work hours around your kids' school schedule? Would it improve your work-life balance if you were home in time for your kids to get off the school bus? Maybe you could make up the hour or two you missed in the evening, working from home? Or, what if you could work for a few hours on the weekend instead?

Consider another example. Perhaps you're not a morning person. Would it suit you better if you could come to work at noon instead of 9 a.m.? Sure, you'd get off later, too, but maybe it's worth it to be able to sleep in a little later. The point is, being able to set your own hours is highly desirable to a lot of people. If you believe that you would benefit from this work schedule, read on! In this guide, we will look at the eight best tech jobs for making your own hours. These jobs often offer enough flexibility to allow you to work a different schedule than the typical 9-5.

What Does 'Making Your Own Hours' Mean?

So, what does "making your own hours" mean, exactly? It means you have some flexibility to set the hours that you work. Some employers may give employees a little flexibility, while others offer complete control as long as they work the required number of hours.

For example, an employer offering a little flexibility may allow employees to start their day anywhere between 8 and 10 a.m.

Other employers may allow employees to work four 10-hour days or spread their hours out over six days. Employees can choose their hours based on their own needs. For example, they may prefer to sleep in later or get home before their kids are home from school.

8 Tech Jobs for Making Your Own Hours

There are several tech jobs that allow for flexible schedules, some of which can even be done from home. Here are the top eight tech jobs for making your own hours.

1. Social Media Manager

Social media managers post on various social media platforms on behalf of a company or organization. They often have a goal, such as getting people to comment or visit the company's website. Social media managers must be familiar with various social media platforms and know how to place ads on those platforms.

Many social media managers are self-employed and work from home. Others work directly for an organization, either on site or from home. Those who work from home have the most flexibility regarding their schedules.

Average Annual Salary (as of August 2022): $53,090


2. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers create visual designs for brochures, advertisements, websites, magazines, and more. They may use a computer or draw their designs by hand. However, most modern graphic designers use computer programs such as Adobe Photoshop to help them do their work.

Graphic designers usually work for a company or organization, but some are freelancers. They may work from home or in house. Some employers allow their graphic designers flexibility in their schedules.

Median Annual Salary (as of May 2021): $50,710


3. Freelance Tech Writer

Freelance tech writers write how-to guides, instruction manuals, journal articles, and other documents that contain technical information. They often try to write instruction manuals in such a way that the typical layperson can understand them. Other items, such as journal articles, may contain more technical jargon.

Freelance tech writers typically work from home on their own schedule.

Median Annual Salary (as of May 2021): $78,060


4. Web/App Developer

Web developers create and update websites. They may program the front end or back end of the website or both. They must know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for front-end development or PHP, Python, Ruby, or another programming language for back-end development.

Web developers may work for a specific company or organization as an employee, or they may freelance. Many web developers work from home and have the freedom to make their own hours.

Median Annual Salary (as of May 2021): $77,200


5. Project Manager

Project managers oversee projects. Projects are defined as temporary tasks that have a beginning and an end. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that the project is completed on time, within the allocated budget, and within the scope that has been determined for it.

Project managers may have a harder time setting their own hours than other employees because they often need to work with others and be available when those employees need them.

Median Annual Salary (as of May 2021): $94,500


6. Tech Salesperson

Tech salespeople often work for manufacturers or wholesalers. Their job is to find customers willing to buy the company's products. They identify prospects, contact them, and attempt to build relationships with them in order to sell products. They also attend trade shows and other events.

Sales jobs tend to include a lot of travel. Salespeople may have some freedom to schedule appointments with prospects according to their own needs.

Median Annual Salary (as of May 2021): $62,890


7. Web Content Manager

Web content managers oversee the web publication strategy for a company or organization. They come up with article or video content ideas and either produce the content or delegate it to a writer or videographer. They may commission the creation of images for use with the content as well.

Web content managers may work as employees or freelancers. Freelancer web content managers create their own schedules. Those who work for employers may also be allowed some flexibility.

Average Annual Salary (as of August 2022): $60,130


8. Transcriptionist

Transcriptionists type up transcripts for meetings, conversations, audio and video recordings, court sessions, and medical records. They must be extremely accurate and transcribe everything verbatim.

Some transcriptionists work online through online transcription companies. These transcriptionists have very flexible schedules. Other transcriptionists may be allowed some flexibility in their schedules as well.

Average Annual Salary (as of July 2022): $44,220

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Your Own Hours Jobs

What tech jobs are work-from-home options?

Many employees who work as web developers, web content managers, graphic designers, technical writers, and transcriptionists work from home. Some of the people in these fields may also be freelancers. Just about any job that can be done from a computer can be done from home if the employer is willing.

The pandemic has proven how easy it is for employees to get their work done while working from home. Even employees such as call center employees who must communicate with others on the phone all day can work from home, provided they have a quiet environment in which to work.

What are some freelance tech jobs?

Social media managers, writers, graphic designers, web developers, and transcriptionists are among those who can work as freelancers.

Freelancers have a huge amount of freedom in setting their schedules but often have deadlines to meet. They may work for one company or several, depending on how much work the employer has for them and how much work they are willing to do for one company.

Most freelancers work from home. If the company wants them to come into the office, they may charge extra for that since it is outside the scope of a typical freelance job.

Is a job making your own hours lonely?

Working from home may lead to isolation from co-workers, but it can also increase interaction with one's own family. In addition, those who work atypical hours at the office may find that there are fewer employees working at the same time as them, which could lead to fewer interactions with co-workers.

However, most employees who work in an office spend at least part of that time surrounded by other employees. Working from home is probably the loneliest work situation, but at-home employees can compensate by spending more time with nonwork friends.

Feature Image: Gary Yeowell / DigitalVision / Getty Images