Supplemental income
Sun, 11/30/2008 - 18:43
I am a 31 year old man who has decided to go back to school. As a full time student money is very tight but I cannot commit to a full or part time job due to my schedule. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to make some income without the commitment of a scheduled job. I worked as an automotive mechanic for 8 years and have considered doing side jobs, but finding people who need repair work is difficult. Any ideas on how to find potential clients? What other options for suplemental icome are there besides auto repair?
going back to school
Going back to school is hard. I am having to work a full time night job at a hospital, a part time job at another hospital to make sure I can attend school and pay my bills. You may have to try finding a night job, most of the time the pay is more and you can still go to school during the day. Will you be tired? sure, but at least you won't get deeper and deeper in debt.
I also babysit on the side for extra money. you could do side work as well. Try placing an add in the paper, putting up flyers in a coffee shop, people will see your ad and call you for work. Facebook, and other social networking site are also good places to promote yourself. But dropping flyers off is a great way to get people in your area to notice you as well. think about your target audience, not all people have facebook accounts, sometimes you have to do things the old fashioned way.
being a server is also another job that is flexible with school schedules.
Use Your Campus' Resources
Hello, 1bdog23:
Is the institution you're attending a regular, conventional one, or are you doing classes online? I'm asking because many campuses have departments which hire student workers (and, no, you don't have to be 18 - 21 years-old to apply). They tend to be a lot more understanding about students' schedules, and will tend to work with you. Check out your campus' career services center or department, and see what they have available.
Good luck in your search, and cheers to you for returning to school and increasing the knowledge.
-Rog
Re: Supplemental Income
I find that lawn maintenance is very flexible. I have a full time job that has me working overtime every now and then, and sometimes sends me out of town for a night or few. With my lawn care "hobby", I can work on my days off, or fit a lawn in after work here and there. As long as I make a few appearance's a month, and make sure the property always looks good, everybody's happy. And you, bdog, can kill two birds with one stone by passing out neighborhood flyers AND looking out for run-down looking cars that obviously need some mechanical TLC. Look for vehicles with dust, leaves, debris, cobwebs, and even little shoots of weeds and grass growing under them (the street sweeper can't sweep that spot if the vehicle's always there). So when you see a potential vehicle while out doing your flyer runs, place your Auto Repair business card or flyer under the windshield. You can get free business cards from VISTA. You pay only for S&H, which is like five or ten bucks. It's true, 'cause I've used them. Keep in mind the cards will have the VISTA name (and i think website) on the backs, & the free cards aren't fancy & glossy, but they look better than what you can print up with the perforated printer sheets. I recommend cards over flyers (people won't hold on to your flyer in their wallets or purses).
Sorry for the long speech. Just that side work's something I know about.
Good luck. And what's with all these guy's my age (33 in a few weeks) on this post? LOL.
Hey, if you have any questions, feel free to email me. I'm not an expert, but I do know a little. And what I don't know, I'll find out for you. It wouldn't hurt me to learn a thing or two. :)
Gabriel Sanchez
Stockton, CA
post your services on
post your services on Craigslist! You may be surprised how many inquiries you may receive. 3
re: similar situation
hi, i'm in a similar situation as you are. I'm 30 and back in school. I work in finance and the industry has been hit hard and finding p/t work has been close to impossible.
in my free time i do fill our online surveys, it doesn't pay much...maybe $20 a month but it only takes about a hour out of my time a month...here are a couple sites: mysurvey, testspin, opinion outpost...the only con is that your inbox gets more junk mail...
also, have you checked out sites like sologig.com?
Do not forget the benefit of
Do not forget the benefit of social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. These sites can help you network and find potential employers in your local area. Often times, it's not enough to just send in your resume and wait for a response. If you don't already have one, try opening an account on LinkedIn and start connecting with professionals. Be proactive by joining various groups and discussions.
Don't forget the benefits and budgeting and cutting everyday expenses. By realizing these expenses, you may have extra cash in your pocket at the end of each month.
Search around the site to discover various ways to cut down on everyday expenses.
-Benjamin
Look Around
You may want to try looking around and checking with businesses in the area and see if they can work around your schedule if they hire you. It never hurts to ask. You never know, you may find a job that will work around your schedule. Convienience stores may be able to do this. Just don't forget to make time to sleep.