mtn said:For me, in theory I could make more on reffing than I do in my real job. In reality, they don't play hockey games 24/7, and it doesn't pay for healthcare/401k/etc.
So basically your real job pays more.
Not all of your compensation comes in the form of a paycheck.
ubereats isnt a bad side gig if you are smart about it. About $20 an hour after expenses and you get paid 5 seconds after you finish for the day if you want
In reply to mtn :
One has to factor in all compensation, not just dollars per hour. And include the cap of how much you can actually do that other job. KA's limited by the number of stumps around, you are limited by the season and the number of games that are even being played.
But if you found a side job where the potential limit was actually really high and the payoff was also high enough to deal with vacation, healthcare, retirement, etc. then you have something special.
Project Fi is great for saving money on cell phone bills. Since I switched back in October, I haven't had a cell phone more than $29.
alfadriver said:If you have a better earning ratio (time to money ) with the hustle than your career, you are in the wrong career.
I make more per hour selling stuff online, and did it for years as my only job. I know myself, though, and unfortunately after a while my motivation drops off and I see that I have $x in the bank account so I start slacking off on buying stuff and listing stuff. That's why I have to have a "career" to keep me hard at work. So it works perfectly as a side hustle for me but terribly as a career. Time to money ratio is better but hours I can stay motivated are lower.
That may be different now that I'm a lot more grown up than 20 years ago when I was going it full time, but my career is stable and rewarding and since I'm an owner I can't exactly just stroll out the door. (And don't want to!)
I do a bit of writing - magazine articles, online, a couple books. GRM just posted up one of the pieces I wrote a few years ago: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/addressing-internet-myths-about-ls-swaps/
I always like using a side hustle as a means of getting the foot in the door of another industry. Whether its volunteering while learning new skills, or working part-time for a gig where people are begging you to come over full-time, I always felt like a side-hustle should be a few steps away from another career.
Now, if the non-monetary benefits save you a lot of money (access to a shop with lift/tire changer/etc or a food service job that provides lots of free meals) that might be worth it as well. Part of the reason I like catering was the free food. The one catering company I worked didn't give us free meals. It wasn't worth the hassle. Same with the one shop I worked at, they wouldn't let me use the lifts. Lame. Done.
MadScientistMatt said:I do a bit of writing - magazine articles, online, a couple books. GRM just posted up one of the pieces I wrote a few years ago: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/addressing-internet-myths-about-ls-swaps/
You don't have to share numbers from GRM or anything... but does this pay well?
What books have you written?
Websites, logos, architectural visualization. Almost did it full time, but no bennies without making a LOT of money. But it's a good side gig and pays for fun stuff.
Side benefit, it's much cleaner than sanding and painting cars was, and better for my health.
In reply to ProDarwin :
It's not bad- I used to get paid for articles. But one would be better off if they could really write. For the most part, you need to find an outlet for one to two articles a month for a decent side job.
GRM is nice for the not great writer, as they have editors if the subject is good enough. Great editors, which I've posted about before.
In theory, you could make a decent career out it, being a freelance writer.
Tail gunner on a beer truck.
For me, the career provides stability and reliable income and benefits.
I'm meeting with a buddy tonight to talk about getting an auto dealer's license. That would allow access to auction vehicles, and I won't have to go through the Dept. of Revenue for title transfer stuff. I've done okay on a few vehicles in the past even without the benefits of the license. Hoping to sell a car every month. We'd have to sell a minimum of six per year. Easy peasy.
My wife and I have chickens, so eggs are obviously free, and we sell enough eggs to pay for feed. That means the only expense is a few minutes each day checking on them. We're working on selling plants and products we can grow/make at home - bath and body type stuff. Not super exciting to me, but there is a market for it and we have the ability.
I gave up on trying to do home repairs/remodels for money. I'm really picky about details that most people don't seem to care about, and I can't let them go. If I could bring myself to just work faster and call it good enough, I could probably make some money there, but I don't want to sign my name next to work I wouldn't allow in my own home. We remodeled our last house over the five years we lived there and netted about a year's salary, so that was like living in the place for free and getting a 20% bonus every year.
What I've seen with side jobs is that you have to be honest about why you're doing it. If you're doing it because it's sort of a hobby or you're helping out friends/family, don't expect to make much. If you're doing it simply because there are potential earnings and you treat all the decisions as business decisions, you might not enjoy it as much but you'll probably earn more. That said, most of my side gig work involves me working hard for no money... building stuff for friends, property maintenance, etc
In reply to SVreX :
You were the first guy I thought of when the question was asked. I figured you could make some sweet coin doing garages etc on the side.
ProDarwin said:MadScientistMatt said:I do a bit of writing - magazine articles, online, a couple books. GRM just posted up one of the pieces I wrote a few years ago: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/addressing-internet-myths-about-ls-swaps/
You don't have to share numbers from GRM or anything... but does this pay well?
What books have you written?
GRM's rate is pretty decent by magazine standards, and it works out quite well on a per-hour basis. Since a magazine can only buy so many articles per issue, though, making a real living at writing instead of using it as a side hustle requires having a lot of markets lined up. Also, like many sorts of things done on contract, the pay schedule isn't like a normal job - it's common for articles to only pay on publication, while books typically get the payment split into two or three advance payments (last one when it's published), and if they earn out the advance the remaining payments are usually twice yearly. Jenna Glatzer's Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer sums up the business side of this pretty well.
Current books I've got in print are Do It Yourself High Performance Car Mods and Performance Fuel Injection Systems with Jerry Hoffmann. There's also a fantasy novel that I've finished up and am currently shopping around for a publisher.
I to really don’t like the term side hustle.
Was a part time firefighter for a while many years ago and with time discovered it just wasn’t for me. I have found the pay has improved since I left and you also earn credits towards a small pension at retirement age (at least where I was did). It was a lot of training, studying, and time investment on the front end. Some of the ff’s that were there when I was are still there. If you can handle operating on periods of little to no sleep, balancing it around a full time career and children/family, it’s an honorable way to earn some extra $$$$$ and feel like you are actually helping out society at the same time.
Interesting thread!
I haven't started just yet, but I got an interesting offer for some part-time work last week. I am an Urgent Care MD by trade, but I work about 12 days a month. I guess I loiter so much at my Porsche dealership the rest of the time, the manager seriously offered me a position as product specialist there. Teaching customers about their new cars, answering questions, going to product launches...stuff like that. Won't pay well, but if I'm hanging out there anyway...
Surprisingly, my wife has been very supportive of me pursuing this for the fun of it. Go figure.
spitfirebill said:In reply to SVreX :
You were the first guy I thought of when the question was asked. I figured you could make some sweet coin doing garages etc on the side.
I am not making an effort at it right now, but I will in 6 months or so (after I get settled in after my move).
The key is going to be keeping it small enough to stay under the radar of being a "real business". Don't want that again.
I'll keep it legal, but small.
Ovid_and_Flem said:In reply to Floating Doc :
Hey, Doc... a little off thread
you work primarily in emergency? Do you have emergency vet vehicles? Do you do much surgery or just neuter and spays?
General practitioner, not emergency. I mostly do spays and neuter surgery, mass removals, dental cleanings. One of the local 24 hour practices has an old ambulance, I guess they might use it for something.
In reply to Floating Doc :
in going over my brother's books, I was astounded at his overhead. Especially for such a small operation. That being said, he tries to pick up a little extra playing bass for his blue grass band but they donate most to a veterans charity. He tries to also pick up extra flipping farm equipment but seems to buy a lot of stuff but never seems to sell anything.
Since my stroke I pretty much I've given up dealing with complicated cases and I'm trying to figure out something to do with my time that doesn't require a good mind. Haven't come up with anything yet.
SPORTCHRONO said:Interesting thread!
I haven't started just yet, but I got an interesting offer for some part-time work last week. I am an Urgent Care MD by trade, but I work about 12 days a month. I guess I loiter so much at my Porsche dealership the rest of the time, the manager seriously offered me a position as product specialist there. Teaching customers about their new cars, answering questions, going to product launches...stuff like that. Won't pay well, but if I'm hanging out there anyway...
Surprisingly, my wife has been very supportive of me pursuing this for the fun of it. Go figure.
That product specialist gig sounds like a dream job!
Part of having another source of income is if your REAL job goes away ........
I am sure it has happened to someone you know :(
So being prepared for the next 10-20 years might mean finding something else you enjoy and learning that for a future switch if need be......
I bought a bunch of used winter tires in the spring for cheap, and I'll be selling them in fall/winter for a profit. I made $200 on a set of Bridgestone summers by buying them in the winter and selling them in the spring.
I moonlight as an A&P from time to time. Keeps my certificate active and helps out some of the small FBO owners when they're short or I just work with some of the awesome older IA's at the local EAA chapter to listen to their stories.
I'd go back to working on UAV's if I had to but, while I miss the adventure and general wild west vibe of it, traveling 10 months a year would be tough these days.
Commercial aviation? Never again.
Would a Teaching English as a foreign language certificate be worth the $4+k Georgetown U. wants? I'd have to learn English first.
I've heard TEFL cert. is good for work abroad dunno about here.
nutherjrfan said:Would a Teaching English as a foreign language certificate be worth the $4+k Georgetown U. wants? I'd have to learn English first.
I'd want to compare the comfortable cost of living in the countries vs teacher pay in any countries you'd consider.
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