The way the world is headed it seems that in a few decades there will be more jobs available online than there is in the real world (you know, that place away from the computer screen – yeah, we’ve forgotten what it looks like, too.)
There are plenty of jobs available on the internet right now for those with a dab of creativity and a heap of entrepreneurial spirit, many of which see their workers taking home, thousands, if not millions of dollars. Some of these jobs you likely won’t believe exist, let alone believe the whopping salary attached to them.
The following online-only jobs are all very real, though, and incredibly lucrative, too.
Check out the online jobs with salaries that will make you want to quit your own job immediately:
10 Online Jobs with Salaries You Wouldn't Believe
Live sex webcam stars
A rising subsection of the sex industry is webcam live sex shows, which sees girls and guys putting on performances from the comfort of their own bedrooms for a large audience.
While the likes of LiveJasmine, the largest site dedicated to these cam shows, pay out lucrative amounts to their top stars, many cam girls/guys also allow users to "tip" them certain amounts to get them to perform select sex acts.
Salary: A report suggested that top cam girls such as LittleRedBunny (pictured) could potentially earn up to $1 million from her live sex shows, while lesser-known cam stars can also carve out lucrative careers with the help of tips.
Vine video creator
Having a big online following means that you'll inevitably attract the attention of companies looking to sell their products through you. That is the case with Vine "stars," who use the 6-second video format of the app to advertise these products for cash.
It was recently reported that UK Vine user Ben Phillips, who has 1.3 million followers on the app who watch his short comedy videos, regularly earns up to £2,000 ($3,030) for every second he advertises a product on one of his videos. This means that he can potentially earn £12,000 ($18,200) per video.
Salary: The amount of money dished out by companies to Vine users is all based upon the range of their appeal, with Ben Phillips undoubtedly sitting in the higher bracket thanks to his large following. However, when you see an account with hundreds of thousands of followers advertising a product, rest assured that they're being paid a healthy pay packet.
YouTuber
YouTubers, the unofficial title given to those who frequently upload content to the video sharing site, are paid by Google through their AdSense program on a per-view basis, with the money being generated from commercials that play before/during the videos.
While Google hasn't disclosed the exact amount they dish out to users of the site, the most-subscribed channels are known to earn millions of dollars, making PewDiePie (pictured) - the top earner on the video-sharing site - filthy rich.
While YouTube is still a platform for creators that isn't widely acknowledged by the mainstream media, perceptions of the medium are changing. PewDiePie recently made a guest appearance on an episode of South Park, and news stories covering the rise of channels from comedienne Jenna Marbles through to make-up gurus such as Zoella are more prominent than ever.
Salary: The top 25 most-subscribed YouTubers' estimated earnings are between $1 million - $10 million.
Instagramers
Like Vine, Instagram is a platform in which users with big followings can earn mega bucks from advertising products from third-party companies.
Back in 2012 Instagram user Brian DiFeo a.k.a. @bridif broke new ground when he embarked on an all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi as part of a campaign deal with Puma, which saw him taking photos of the Volvo Ocean Race and uploading them to the image sharing app.
Considering the growth of the app in the past couple of years, many more are now jumping on this trend, with celebrities even getting in on the act by accepting ad deals to push to their healthy follower base.
Salary: Analysts estimate that an account with a large number of followers could earn over $2,000 for posting an endorsed image, with much more cash reserved for those who attend events.
Snapchatters
Though Snapchat is an ephemeral messaging app, meaning that the images sent using it will only last on the receiver's smartphone for a limited period of time, that hasn't prevented companies from getting its most famous users to advertise their products.
With an estimated active user base of over 30 million and a huge portion of those users (roughly 71%) aged under 25, it's a big territory for companies to explore, and explore it they have. Those who have amassed large followings on the app can expect to carve full-time careers using little more than smartphones, while the likes of Mashable's visual storytelling artist Dasha Battelle got her job at the company thanks to her doodlings on the app.
Salary: It's been reported that the likes of Chris Carm (pictured) takes home a six-figure salary thanks to promotions using the app, with its top users earning around $1,500 per day.