Online data entry jobs can look pretty appealing when you don’t have a lot of work experience, are between jobs or need a flexible position you can do from home.
These positions aren’t all they are cracked up to be in many areas, however. These are the main reasons you might want to pass them up for something better.
1. Repetitive movements associated with entry can cause hand or wrist issues.
Online data entry involves a lot of finger and wrist movement from keyboarding and using your mouse. Without rest, this can cause the muscles and tendons of the hands and wrists to become inflamed or cramp – carpal tunnel affects up to 1 in 4 data entry workers.
Some data entry jobs might let you use voice recognition or similar software that can reduce the amount of physical strain, but this type of injury is extremely common among computer-based workers.
If you start to have problems, you might have to stop working for the muscles and tendons to heal.
2. Sitting at the computer can wreak havoc on your spine.
Online data entry keyers typically sit for the bulk of their work day. In a seated position, all the weight of the upper body is forced onto the lower spine and sit bones.
The discs in between your vertebrae that provide support and cushioning have to deal with more pressure and, subsequently, can become compressed over time, losing their function.
Loss of flexibility and mobility in the lower back is common and can cause additional problems in the mid and upper spine.
Frequent stretch breaks, using a sit-stand station and other strategies such as sitting on a donut cushion can help.
3. You might strain your eyes.
When you do online data entry keying, you have to look at your screen for hours at a time.
The muscles in the eyes can become fatigued, especially because online data entry keyers generally have to look back and forth between multiple software programs or their screen and hard copies of documents.
Adding to the problem is the fact that people tend to blink less while they use their computers, a habit that can lead to dry eye, redness and irritation.
These issues can be especially irksome if you wear contacts.
Reducing screen brightness and using drops are good tips here.
4. Scams are always lurking.
Part of the allure of online data entry keying is that you can find jobs from many different providers or websites.
The trouble is, people know that individuals are looking for easy, convenient work, and a lot of them take advantage of it.
They develop scam schemes, most of which involve you paying for classes or materials that don’t really train you, or which have you do work only to avoid paying in various ways.
With thousands of data entry job postings to fish through, it’s sometimes difficult to figure out which ones really are good opportunities.
5. There is little opportunity to demonstrate creativity.
The job of a data entry keyer is relatively straightforward. You take information in front of you and transfer it into the computer software.
You might use multiple programs or pieces of hardware to make this work, but all in all, you won’t get the chance to come up with new ideas or innovate.
Many people are okay with this at first, but over time, they end up wanting to show their individual talents and personalities and feel locked into a box.
Without the experience coming up with your own concepts, other companies might not see you as desirable later on.
6. Your boss might see you as easily replaceable.
People are often attracted to online data entry positions because, along with being flexible, the jobs don’t require an extensive amount of training.
This very trait makes employers tend to see data entry as a lower-level or entry-level position that just about anyone can do.
They know it is fairly easy to find someone else who is willing to work and who can learn the job, so they don’t always put as much effort into making sure you are happy and are quick to show you the door if you aren’t. You might have to deal with a lot just to work.
7. It’s difficult to advance into a higher position.
Data entry, whether done offline or through the Internet, is a support job. Others take what you do and use it for their own work.
Although you might be able to advance to supervising or coordinating other keyers over time, most online data entry jobs don’t offer opportunities to move up through the corporate ladder.
With no real chance to earn a new title, there’s not a whole lot you can do to stand out or earn recognition from your employer.
Even as you stay stuck, you’ll have to watch the people you are supporting move up and get pay raises.
8. Pay is usually nothing to write home about.
According to 2012 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, data entry keyers earn an average annual wage of just $29,220, or $14.05 per hour.
People in the lowest 10th percentile earn as little as $19,330 per year, or $9.29 per hour.
Even if you have great experience and skills, your pay likely will max out around $41,610 a year, or $20 per hour, the rate for workers in the 90th percentile.
This pay rate can be a tight squeeze for anyone, but it’s especially tough on parents or those who have high expenses such as mortgages to deal with.
9. Technological advances might mean less job security.
Having a real person do data work often is advantageous, allowing companies to double check information and ensure better accuracy.
In many businesses, however, a small number of problems is justifiable if the company can save money by automating the data entry process.
As technology has improved, many workers who relied on keyers in the past are inputting their own information, or companies are using other systems that eliminate the need for keying altogether.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics includes data entry keying as one of the occupations with the largest declines, estimating a drop of nearly 25% through 2022.
10. If you have computer issues, you might not be able to work.
People tend to think of online jobs as having the perfect combination of flexibility and reliability, as you can work anywhere with a good Internet connection.
Technical problems do crop up, though. You might have trouble because your router is on the fritz, for instance, or your Internet service provider might have an outage.
These kinds of issues are usually bumps in the road, but they can cause you to miss deadlines or forfeit some work hours.
Some companies are very picky about how and where you connect, as well, so hopping on a different machine or network isn’t always the answer.
11. You must be extremely detail oriented… and willing to catch the heat if you mess up.
One of the things that employers value most in a good data entry keyer is attention to detail.
They want you to be able to input high quantities of numbers or words with a very low percentage of errors, and to be able to catch mistakes in the original data you are entering.
If you do things like transpose digits or create multiple records for the same information, you’ll likely catch flack from your employer.
Your boss will know that you were responsible for the mistake, so you have to accept whatever consequences the errors bring.
12. It’s hard to stay focused and not get bored, which can lead to mistakes.
Even though doing data entry online can be easy work, it’s also extremely routine in most cases. You will do the same thing for hours at a time.
The predictability of the job might make it very difficult to push away distractions – you’ll probably start to look for something different or more interesting eventually, if only subconsciously.
Your productivity might slow if you can’t laser beam your attention on your task.
In the worst case scenario, you might get so distracted and bored that you start getting careless and make errors that put your job and reputation at risk.
13. Jobs tend to be short term.
Many data entry jobs are temporary positions.
Companies might hire online workers when they have finished some market research, for instance, or the work might be seasonal, such as you’d find with taxes.
The brief duration of the jobs means that you will have very little predictability as to your income.
You might not know if you’ll land another project, and you must be able to adapt quickly to different employers philosophies or entry systems.
Some data entry keyers who work online end up with dozens of projects over the year, all of which they have to track and administrate themselves.
14. Competition is intense.
Competition for data entry keying jobs traditionally has been decent, simply because the job isn’t especially difficult to learn or do.
It’s particularly fierce for online jobs, however. Instead of competing with other local keyers, you have to compete with people from all over the country, or in some cases, from other nations, as well.
Many keyers find they are underbid a lot when this is the case. They spend just as much time looking for their next gig as they do actually working.
Experience is usually what lands jobs, as the duties themselves aren’t complicated.
15. You might have to cover equipment expenses to make everything work.
Unless you are fortunate enough to land an online data entry job that is long-term, your employers will assume you have all the equipment you need to do the work.
They might provide you with some specialized software, but for the most part, they don’t want you to apply unless you already are set up to start keying.
That means you’ll need to foot the bill for your Internet service, computer, modem, router and other equipment you might need (for example, a scanner or transcription machine) yourself. You sometimes can write this off on your taxes.