Greg's Corner

Tagged: remote workers Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Greg Collier 9:01 am on February 20, 2026 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: careers, clean energy, employment ( 46 ), healthcare ( 46 ), information technologies, infosec, jobs ( 10 ), remote workers, skilled trades   

  Best Jobs of 2026, According to Geebo 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The strongest careers in 2026 are not defined by trend cycles or viral headlines. They are defined by structural demand. Demographics, technological integration, infrastructure investment, and energy transition are reshaping labor markets in measurable ways. When you examine primary labor data rather than promotional rankings, several clear themes emerge about which jobs offer the strongest outlook this year and beyond.

  The evidence comes directly from government and international workforce projections, not speculative forecasts.

  Healthcare Remains the Most Reliable Growth Engine

  Healthcare continues to lead job growth across the United States.

  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and its Employment Projections 2022–2032 release, healthcare occupations are projected to add roughly 1.8 million jobs during the decade, more than any other occupational group. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, home health aides, and mental health counselors are among the fastest-growing roles. The Bureau attributes this expansion primarily to an aging population and increased demand for medical and supportive services.

  The BLS makes clear that this demand is structural. As the population over age 65 grows, so does the need for chronic care, long-term support, and in-home services. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced or meaningfully automated. They require people on the ground in local communities.

  Technology Work Shifts Toward Security and Integration

  Technology remains a top employment driver in 2026, but the emphasis has moved from consumer apps to enterprise infrastructure.

  The World Economic Forum outlines this transition in its Future of Jobs Report 2023, which identifies AI specialists, cybersecurity professionals, data analysts, and cloud engineers as among the fastest-growing roles worldwide. Nearly half of surveyed employers expect their business models to be transformed by automation and digital integration within five years.

  Supporting this, the BLS projects much faster than average growth for information security analysts driven by escalating cyber threats across healthcare, utilities, government, and manufacturing.

  The common thread in these primary sources is that foundational digital systems, not startup hype, are driving hiring. Organizations need workers who can build, maintain, and protect critical infrastructure.

  Clean Energy and Infrastructure Expansion

  Energy transition is now a core employment engine rather than a niche sector.

  The International Energy Agency reports in World Energy Employment 2023 that global energy employment reached roughly 67 million workers, with clean energy accounting for more than half of all new job creation. Solar, wind, battery manufacturing, and grid modernization are major contributors.

  In the United States, the BLS projects rapid growth for wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers, reflecting sustained public and private investment.

  These roles span engineering, skilled trades, project management, and maintenance. They are tied to long-term capital projects rather than short-term stimulus cycles.

  Skilled Trades Gain Renewed Economic Power

  One of the most underreported labor shifts in 2026 is the shortage of skilled trades workers.

  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to project steady demand for electricians, HVAC technicians, industrial machinery mechanics, and construction managers, while demographic data show large portions of the existing workforce approaching retirement age.

  Industry surveys from the Associated General Contractors of America confirm that labor shortages remain one of the biggest constraints on housing and infrastructure development.

  For many workers, these careers now offer rising wages, faster hiring, and strong regional mobility, often without the burden of four-year degree debt.

  Remote Work and Distributed Opportunity

  Work location has permanently shifted.

  The U.S. Census Bureau reports through its American Community Survey that remote work participation remains well above pre-2020 levels, especially in professional services, finance, IT support, and administrative roles.

  This has broadened access to employment outside major metro areas and changed how people search for work. While massive platforms dominate visibility, many job seekers are also turning to established classifieds and community-oriented employment sites that emphasize safety and transparency, including long-running services such as Geebo.

  As the labor market decentralizes geographically, so does the way workers connect with employers.

  What Defines the Best Jobs in 2026

  When primary data from federal agencies and international institutions are compared side by side, a consistent pattern appears. The strongest careers in 2026 cluster around healthcare, digital infrastructure, clean energy, and skilled trades.

  These jobs are tied to essential services, resistant to automation, and supported by documented workforce shortages or long-term investment. They are backed by measurable projections rather than marketing rankings.

  Career decisions should not be guided by lifestyle headlines alone. The most reliable signals come from labor statistics, demographic trends, and infrastructure spending.

  In 2026, usefulness is the clearest predictor of opportunity. The jobs that keep people healthy, systems secure, power flowing, and communities functioning are the ones most likely to deliver stability and growth for years to come.

   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Greg Collier 8:00 am on April 11, 2025 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: affiliate marketing ( 3 ), job scam ( 95 ), MLM ( 3 ), remote workers, Scams ( 1,661 ), work from home ( 15 )   

  Remote Job Scams Are the New MLMs 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The surge in work-from-home interest that began during the pandemic has opened the door not just to flexibility and productivity but also to a new wave of deception. As more people search for legitimate ways to earn income from home, scammers have fine-tuned their tactics to prey on those hopes, often dangling absurdly easy job offers that seem too good to be true.

  They usually are.

  One of the more common scams now comes in the form of unsolicited messages claiming that someone’s resume was “recommended” for a position at a remote work company. These offers tend to arrive out of the blue and immediately promise a job without any kind of interview process or background check. What follows is a pitch so unrealistic it should immediately raise alarm bells. Massive monthly paychecks for minimal work, often no more than an hour a day.

  The financial math these scams propose would rival some executive salaries. Offers often boast income figures like $9,000 a month for doing almost nothing. When compared to the average remote worker salary in states like Pennsylvania, which hovers around $58,000 annually, the gap between reality and fantasy becomes impossible to ignore.

  In recent months, many of these scams have evolved into elaborate affiliate marketing schemes. Instead of paying you, they push you to invest in a toolkit or course under the guise of setting you up for success. What you are really doing is handing over money to sell someone else’s course on how to sell courses about selling courses. It is a circular hustle that bears more than a passing resemblance to classic pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing operations.

  The underlying structure is familiar. Make a small investment, promise a high return, and profit only if you can convince others to do the same. But in this case, the product is often nothing more than a vague system for online success, filled with upsells and fine print. The only people making consistent money are the ones at the top of the funnel, not the ones lured in by grand promises and minimal effort.

  Scams like these rely on one simple fact, people want to believe that easy money exists. That they can bypass the traditional job grind and find something that pays well with little commitment. But what these fraudsters offer is not opportunity. It is a trap, one that takes advantage of economic anxiety and the legitimate desire for flexibility.

  In a world where remote work is not going away, the need to scrutinize job offers has never been more important. Real opportunities come with real expectations. If someone tells you that you can earn a six-figure salary for barely lifting a finger, they are not offering employment. They are offering false hope with a price tag.

   
• 

  Greg Collier 9:00 am on November 27, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: employment ( 46 ), job scam ( 95 ), remote workers, Scams ( 1,661 ), work from home ( 15 )   

  Remote Work Scams Ahead of the Holidays 

  

  By Greg Collier

  As the holiday season approaches, the promise of extra income can be especially appealing. Many people turn to remote work opportunities to help ease financial pressures, whether it’s for gifts, travel, or simply to make ends meet. Unfortunately, this is also a time when scammers ramp up their efforts, preying on people’s hopes for quick and easy earnings. Experts from the Better Business Bureau are raising awareness about a surge in remote work scams designed to exploit these very desires.

  These scams often begin with an unsolicited email or text message offering a too-good-to-be-true opportunity. The job descriptions are enticingly simple, promising significant pay for minimal effort. While it may seem harmless to explore such offers, experts urge caution, particularly if the contact is unexpected or if you haven’t applied for any jobs recently.

  Scammers frequently pose as representatives of legitimate companies, but there are red flags to watch for. Verifying the identity of the person contacting you is essential. A quick internet search of the company’s contact methods can often reveal inconsistencies or outright fraud. If the outreach seems out of the blue or bypasses standard hiring processes, it’s a sign to proceed with skepticism.

  Some schemes involve asking for upfront payments to cover ‘training’ or ‘equipment’, which then snowball into additional financial requests under various pretexts. These payments often add up to substantial losses before victims realize they’ve been duped.

  Certain groups are at higher risk, including college students seeking flexible ways to earn money and older adults who may be more trusting. However, no one is immune. The advanced tools available to scammers today, ranging from fake job postings to sophisticated phishing emails, make it easier than ever for them to appear credible.

  If you suspect a remote job offer may be a scam, it’s crucial to take a step back. Reach out to the company directly using verified contact information to confirm the job’s legitimacy. Resources like the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker can also help identify patterns of fraudulent activity. Reporting scams helps protect others and ensures that fraudulent activity is monitored and addressed.

  The allure of extra income during the holidays can cloud judgment, but taking time to research and verify opportunities is essential. In today’s digital landscape, caution is the best defense against falling victim to these scams. Whether through consulting trusted resources or simply slowing down to assess the situation, small precautions can go a long way in safeguarding your finances and peace of mind this season.

   
• 

  Greg Collier 8:00 am on March 17, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: remote workers, Scams ( 1,661 ), tech support scam ( 56 ), work at home ( 14 )   

  Tech support scams could be on the rise 

  

  Yesterday, when we discussed phishing scams that could affect people working at home for the first time, we were remiss not to mention another scam that could be targeting new remote workers. The scam we’re referring to now is the tech support scam. This scam has been a known nuisance to home computer users for years now. This scam has also ended up costing its victims thousands of dollars apiece.

  The tech support scam usually works in one of two ways. The first and most ubiquitous way is when the victim sees a pop-up on their device that tells them their device has been infected with some kind of virus or malware. The pop-up then instructs the victim to call a number that claims to be some form of official tech support for that device. Other tech support scammers will just cold call people posing as a company like Microsoft or Apple telling their victims that they have a computer virus.

  In some cases, the tech support scammers will ask for remote access to your computer. With that access, they can do a number of malicious things. For example, a man in New York State was locked out of his computer by the scammers and was told to overnight cash while thinking he was paying to have his computer repaired remotely. In other cases, the scammers could inject malware into your system that logs your usernames and passwords. And in even more cases, scammers will just rummage through your computer looking for any information that they could find valuable.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_52OwG87a04%5D

  As far as the pop-ups go that say you have a virus, you should always ignore them and close the window where they appear. You should only be concerned by warnings that are given to you by whatever antivirus protection you already have installed on your device. As far as phone calls go, companies like Microsoft, Apple or Google will never call you to notify you that you have a virus. While these companies do have a global reach, they’re not monitoring your computer for viruses. If you receive one of these phone calls, just hang up. Don’t even engage with these scammers as your number could be shared with other scammers if they know someone will answer.

  Anytime some stranger is asking you online for money to fix your ‘virus’ problem, it’s more than likely a scam.

   
• 

  Greg Collier 8:01 am on March 16, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cybersecurity ( 38 ), impersonation scam ( 208 ), phishing ( 92 ), remote workers, Scams ( 1,661 )   

  Are new remote workers a security threat? 

  

  With the new coronavirus recommendations designed to try to prevent the virus from spreading any further, many companies are requiring their employees to work at home. For many, this will be the first time that they will be working remotely. All these new remote workers could also mean new security risks that their employers may not be prepared for.

  One of these threats is phishing attacks. We’ve discussed phishing attacks many times before and they’re nothing new for most companies. In short, hackers or scammers will send fake emails trying to get the recipient to click on a link or download an attachment. Usually, these links or attachments contain malware that can infect a corporation’s entire system. In the corporate world, these emails often look like legitimate emails from your employer. If you receive an email like this, hover your cursor over the link to make sure it goes someplace safe. If it has an attachment, verify the sender exists within your company and then verify with them that the attachment is legitimate.

  For example in the UK, an email was sent to all the employees of several healthcare organizations asking employees to click on a link so they could register for a coronavirus safety seminar. The link went to a website that appeared to be an Outlook Web App and when the user would enter their contact information that information would then be stolen.

  Another corporate phishing attack that has been on the rise is the impersonation scam. This when an employee receives an email from a company executive’s email address but wasn’t sent from the executive. Often this scam targets payroll or other financial employees. These emails will often ask for large sums of money to be wired or to change the bank account from where the money is normally held. If you receive one of these emails it never hurts to contact the executive directly by phone to verify the transaction being requested.

  While working at home can be distracting to some, take a moment to verify questionable emails. A few minutes out of your schedule is better than bring an entire company to a halt.