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In recent months, nearly 50 million Americans have filed for unemployment, according to the Department of Labor. Entire industries have been wiped out by the pandemic, and many jobs in the travel industry, hospitality and other key industries have simply disappeared. While overall unemployment has improved slightly, based on recent figures, the overall employment picture remains grim for many Americans. This is why part-time work opportunities have been a lifeline for many. Based on new research from FlexJobs, reflecting an analysis of over 50,000 companies in their database, here are 30 of the top companies that hire remote, part-time workers:

1. Kaplan
2. VocoVision
3. Support strategies
4. Robert Half International
5. Pearson
6. The application
7. K12
8. Edmentum
9. Pont-de-Lion
10. University of Independence
11. Rasmussen College
12. Pass the test preparation
13. LanguageLine Solutions
14. FlexProfessionals
15. Communication Cactus
16. Business development expert
17. Grand Canyon University
18. Solitaire Health
19. Kelly Services
20. Pitch-up
21. Rosetta stone
22. Walden University
23. HIA – Health Information Alliance
24. Strayer University
25. Prof360
26. GreatAuPair
27. Profit factory
28. Colorado State University – CSU
29. Doctor on demand
30. University of Southern New Hampshire

Notice how the vast majority are learning platforms of some sort? This is because the expert economy always offers opportunities while the traditional economy falters. If you have skills that can translate into training or education, you might be closer to a new salary than you think.

Here’s how you can assess your ability to move into these part-time opportunities by viewing your expertise as an asset:

1. Take the entrepreneurship test: if someone gave you $ 100 and you had to double your money – not breaking the law, begging or borrowing – what would you do? This is a question I often use in my entrepreneurship workshops at Texas A&M University. What if you expand on this question and ask yourself, what could you teach someone that would generate value for them? How could your expertise make you double your money – and double it over and over again?
2. See the value of your expertise: He was just a film graduate bartender, trying to find a new way to make money. This is how millionaire trader James Wedmore got his start. Today, he teaches entrepreneurs how to create massive online follow-ups and coursework. But, for him, it all started when he started filming himself making cocktails. What can you do that others need to learn? How could you turn your talents into a side activity that could fill in the gaps, during this pandemic?
3. Start small or you won’t start at all: From a distance, entrepreneurship and the odd-job economy seem tantalizing. Promising. Sexy, even. The lure of greater freedom, setting your own schedules, working only with the clients you want, when you want … wait a minute. This story has everything but a unicorn and the Easter bunny. Because reality is never what it looks like from a distance; fairy tales are not real. The point is, work is work. If you’re in the gig economy, you know the challenges firsthand. As an entrepreneur, I certainly do: there is no overnight success. But if you’re looking to get into entrepreneurship or find a part-time job that showcases some of your hidden strengths: don’t look at things from afar. Instead of yearning for overnight success or a beach house in the James Wedmore neighborhood, start with the resources you have now. Start where you are and take the first step. No more no less. Don’t copy someone else; follow your own instincts and play with your own strengths – not someone else’s. In this economy, putting one foot in front of the other – and finding a salary, even for a part-time job, is absolutely seen as a victory.

Being out of work can make it look like you’ve lost your way. Your worth. Your goal. I have been there and I know it is not easy. But your skills are not your situation. What the pandemic has done to your business or your career is not relevant to you. It sounds personal, but it’s not. Let’s face it: nature at work has put millions of people out of work. If your business has filed for bankruptcy, if your restaurant has closed, or if your airline has made an unfortunate decision about your livelihood: it’s not your responsibility.

What the coronavirus has done to the economy is not a reflection on what you have to offer. When we can truly say, “Thank goodness it’s over,” it’s time to move on. It’s time to find something new. Fortunately, the ability to discover new things is a quality we all share. We hope you can discover a business or opportunity that you have never seen before. Because this discovery is the first step to get this economy back on its feet.