Living off the grid doesn’t mean that you do not need a job or a career, far from it. The good news is that living off the grid isn’t that expensive if you have already everything set up like the septic system, solar panels, and a rainwater collection system. You can easily live off the grid with only a couple of hundred dollars a month, provided that you do not have any debt. Generally speaking, most people who live off the grid are skilled workers.
The best careers for living off the grid are the ones that allow you to capitalize on your skills and manual labor. If you have some DIY skills then you have a lot of career options if you live off the grid like, park ranger, handyman, or even artist. On the other hand, if you are not particularly skilled you will still be able to make a comfortable living by doing manual labor.
When talking about careers that allow you to live off the grid you have to know the most important thing, a degree is not important for the most part. If you are a good handyman, then nobody is going to ask you for a degree in plumbing, although a license would be ideal, but trust me nobody is even going to bother to ask you for it. Every community has a couple of handymen, Bob is good at building stuff, and if you have problems with the wiring you can hire Will, just an example.
If you want to make a full time living while you live off the grid then you can and you should rely on your skills, and if you think you have what it takes to be a handyman for hire then the most important thing is word of mouth, as this is how you are going to get most of your jobs. Working online is also a good alternative if you are looking for a career, the best part about it is that you can do it virtually from anywhere.
There are a lot of jobs that can be done completely online, all you need is to learn some new stuff, and who knows you might even love it, I personally didn’t even know what blogging was a couple of years ago, and look at me now. Although I have to confess that my son James has helped me a lot, and I couldn’t have done it without him. Just a side note, there are a lot of snake oil salesmen online promising you to make money, but any site or company that is asking for your money to “teach” you how to make money is just out for your money. If you don’t know if living off the grid is for you are not, then check out my recent article Is living off grid worth it? ( Top 8 Reasons Why ).
Best Careers For Living Off The Grid
Living off the grid offers a unique lifestyle that prioritizes self-sufficiency, sustainability, and a closer connection to nature. While it may require a shift in career choices, there are numerous professions that align well with the off-grid lifestyle, allowing individuals to earn a living while enjoying the freedom and independence that comes with this lifestyle. Careers such as organic farming and permaculture, renewable energy installation and maintenance, eco-tourism and outdoor guiding, artisanal crafts and woodworking, and remote freelancing in fields like writing, graphic design, or programming, are just a few examples of viable options for off-grid living.
Handyman
Although being a handyman is not actually considered to be a career by many, but that still won’t stop you from making plenty of money for your everyday needs. A lot of people who live off the grid tend to do almost everything by themselves, and with time they tend to learn a lot of new skills and ways to approach different problems. I also rely on a couple of handymen on jobs with which I need help.
Tourist Guide
If you are living in a remote area then you can combine work with pleasure, someone said once ” have a job which you love doing and you will never have to work a single day”. A lot of people started visiting remote areas, and most of them will need a guide to help them out. Generally speaking, tourist guides tend to get a lump sum of money, or they are paid by the day. I personally know a couple of people who are guides and they make enough money in the summer to last them through the winter. If you are wondering how much does it cost to live off the grid then check out my recent article How much does it cost to live off the grid? ( $38,095 ).
Hunting Guide
You will need some kind of permit for being a hunting guide, but in some areas, this is an extremely well-paying career. Hunting tends to be seasonal for the most part, although just a couple of trips per year should be enough to sustain your homestead.
Fishing Guide
In some areas of the country fishing is a part of the local culture, and a lot of tourists want to experience not only the local culture but fish at the best spots. Most people will pay big money for the fishing and camping experience, especially if they manage to catch some large fish with which they can brag about on social media.
Lodgings Administrator
Off grid living has started to be increasingly popular in the past couple of years, a lot of people either want to experience how off grid living feels like or they simply want to learn something new. There are entire communities that offer lodging and workshops, some companies have also started to look at these communities as excellent places for team building. There is big money in the tourism industry and if you live in a tourist area then you should probably think of a career in the tourism industry.
Farmer
Most homestead and off grid cabins do have at least some kind of vegetable garden, and you can make a nice profit by selling the excess crops. Farmers’ markets are extremely popular, and you can sell almost anything there. If you can bake then you will make a nice profit by selling dinner rolls if you are good at making soap you can sell homemade soap and so on. If you want to know what sells the best on farmers’ markets then check out my recent article Best baked goods to sell at farmers market ( Top 15 ).
Park Ranger
Park ranger is probably one of the best careers to choose if you are living off the grid. Most of the time you will be outdoors, and if you live off the grid then you probably already love being outdoors. Park rangers tend to have a fairly decent salary, and as you are living off the grid you will have plenty of money left from your wage. Although being a park ranger can be a bit boring, but it does come with excellent job security.
Rafting Guide
If you live in an area where there are some rapids then being a rafting guide should be one of your career options. You will not have the normal 9-5 workdays, and you will usually mostly work on the weekends, but even with 2 days of work per week, you will still make more than enough money. Just keep in mind that rafting can be dangerous and the startup cost for getting all the necessary equipment can be fairly high.
Tree Planter
Although not an actual career some would say, but planting trees has become big business. As the world is focusing more and more on reducing its carbon footprint, a lot of areas started to plant millions of trees. Planting trees won’t make you a lot of money, as for the most part it is considered an unskilled job. On the other hand, if the area where the planting is happening is fairly remote then your earnings will go up significantly.
Event Host
If you own a plot of land you should think about being an event host, even if there are no buildings on your property you can still do it. Your man focus should be on attracting companies which want to do team building, and if you can think of some interesting activities then they will definitely come back every year.
Petting Zoo Administrator
If you have watched the Tiger King then you probably have noticed that these petting zoos are extremely profitable. You will need to invest some money into the zoo, but after everything has been set up you will start earning a nice chunk of profit. Just do not go down the trail of the Tiger King, as it will not end well.
Vlogger
Vlogging can be an excellent career path if you live off the grid, people simply enjoy seeing nature. There are a lot of YouTube channels that made it big by simply vlogging from their homestead or off grid cabin. The best part about vlogging is that you can do your daily chores, record it and people will watch it. Although the most important thing to be successful at vlogging is personality.
Blogging Off The Grid
This is what I tend to do, although it is not a career, it is just a small hobby, which I never thought of having. Blogging can make you some extra money, although it is rare to hit it big, the biggest problem is that it takes a long time until people come and take a look at your site. There are a lot of online tutorials, and in the past couple of years, I have probably watched hundreds of them.
Freelancer
Everything that can be online is excellent as a career if you live off the grid. All you need is a stable internet connection and a particular set of skills, this can be anything from editing to doing voice overs. The freelancing market is big, and the competition is extremely high, but with some luck and plenty of talent, you can make a career out of it.
Graphic Designer
Most of the graphic designs are being done digitally, although it has some upfront costs if you want to be a graphic designer, and I am not talking about a degree. You have to have the talent to become a graphic designer, and most importantly you will need a powerful workstation, these can cost quite a lot of money as graphic design programs need a lot of resources.
Writer
If you are good at writing then you will find it extremely easy to write while living off the grid. Most people tend to move off the grid because they want to escape the fast pace life in urban areas which often makes you feel that no matter how hard or long hours you work it never seems enough. On the other hand, if you live off the grid then you will have plenty of alone time, which is excellent for writing.
Crafting
There are a lot of careers in crafting, but probably one of the highest and most profitable ones is a blacksmith. There are very few traditional blacksmiths left in the world, but if you have the tools and the skill to craft something then you can make an extremely well-paying career out of it. Not only you can sell your handcrafted items, but you can also host workshops, where there is talent people will pay a lot of money to learn it. My grandfather told me that a craft is not learned it is stolen.
Freelance Editor
Freelance editors either stick with editing articles, videos, or music. The video editing career is a fairly high paying job, although you will need some specialized equipment and software to edit videos on a professional level. Most editors do have a degree in this field although you can become a freelance video editor without a degree, as long as your work is high quality.
Key Takeaways
- Sustainable farming: Engaging in organic farming, permaculture, or aquaponics can provide a self-sufficient lifestyle and income through selling produce, eggs, or other farm products.
- Renewable energy technician: With a focus on solar, wind, or hydro energy systems, working as a technician or installer allows you to contribute to sustainable energy solutions while providing a stable income.
- Remote freelance work: Pursuing careers like writing, graphic design, programming, or online tutoring allows you to work from anywhere, providing flexibility and the ability to support yourself financially while living off the grid.