Work from home jobs typically consist of freelance or piecemeal work, with the exception of high-tech industries such as information technology that naturally support telecommuting. Internet affiliate marketing, online auction sites and affiliate vendor programs have also enabled many individuals to start home based businesses without spending much money.

Many work at home jobs require minimal experience and training. Examples include data entry, assembly work, and even telemarketing using VoIP. However, there are also home based jobs in the medical and legal fields that require completion of a certification program. Document coding (i.e. medical and litigation coding or medical and legal transcription) is a popular example. Telecommuting jobs in professional sectors such as Web design, programming or technical writing would require the same work and educational background as traditional location-based jobs.