Data entry jobs make up a number of jobs involved with keying information accurately and efficiently into computer databases. Data entry does not require formal training and it is quite common for people to enter into this occupation with a high school degree. On-the-job training is common and most data entry does not require any particular skills beyond general typing and computer skills learned in high school. It can be helpful, in some cases, and make a job-seeker highly marketable, to have an associates degree, especially one that includes classes that teach clerical and office administration skills.

Proficient typing skills and familiarity with ten-key can greatly increase chances of employment and make data entry jobs very efficient. Data entry workers often work in offices, in front of computers for five to eight-hour days, with work weeks ranging from twenty to forty hours per week. Nights and weekends are a possibility. Often data entry personnel will have other duties such as filing, answering phones and printing and faxing documents. Legitimate work from home data entry jobs do exist. Look for programs and employers who advertise reasonable wages and require an application, not a down payment or money up front.

Job prospects for data entry personnel are not expected to grow in the near future, which means that the current amount of jobs that now exist are going to stay relatively steady. Because of this, data entry professionals have a higher chance of replacing an employee who has moved on to a different job than they do of breaking into a new space. Data entry will almost always be necessary in one form or another, especially as the computer and internet industry grows. For those who learn, and are hired on for, data entry, there are opportunities for advancement within an office setting. Those who start out in data entry could work themselves up to office administrative positions after slowly gaining skills and experience. This kind of advancement without an education could take several years, but many have made a receptionist or secretarial career out of a starting position in data entry. Some people use it as a starting point or a source of income while they work through programs in college such as accounting, business management or business administration.

Additional skills and experience can greatly enhance earning potential, opportunities for advancement, and employment prospects.