Side-Gigs for Students and Unique Ways to Get a Payday

In today’s times, technology is making it easier to reach to new clients and work from home. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the concept of side-gig. Indeed, many people are finding that they can make money on hobbies. They are on the lookout for starting a website and making money from advertising. It’s even possible to start a non-profit organization as a side-gig. Moreover, youngsters also think to buy into a local business as a way to make money.

It doesn’t matter that your idea for making a little more money has found a corner on the side. It’s still possible for your side-gig to also help you in your day job — if you do it right.

First of All: Thou Shalt Not Compete

Before you decide that your side-gig is a great thing for you and if you’re already employed, there’s a caution. You need to make sure that you aren’t competing with your employer. Developing a product that competes with your employer’s isn’t exactly showing your classy side. And, it’s particularly more when you are trying to launch it while you still pull down a paycheque.

Your employer can’t really penalize you for starting a business till staying up past midnight doesn’t affect your job performance. However, you need to make sure that what you’re doing is on the up-and-up. You must ensure that your side business isn’t in competition with your day job. Moreover, your side-gig also must not reduce your ability to perform your day job.

Develop New Skills

One of the ways that your side-gig can help you is by helping you develop new skills. Turning your hobby into a source of income requires that you exercise creativity. You need to develop other skills and abilities that can translate to your traditional studies or job. These skills might be able to help you improve your performance, helping you land a promotion or a raise.

Even more, there are other skills that your side-gig might help you develop. And, that can be helpful to you in your career at another company. Hence, these can include:

• Networking
• Social media
• Time management
• Communication
• Organization
• Business acumen
• New contacts

Some of these skills can help you improve your job performance for your current employer. In other cases, developing these skills can help you advance your career by helping you find a better job. You can improve your career prospects with a little help from the things that you learn working on your side-gig. The things related to building a successful side business often translate to skills applicable to the world of a 9-5 career.

Consider the benefits that can come from a side-gig and consider how it can help you in your career. You may be providing more value to your employer so that you are more likely to get a raise. Or, you may want to develop a new skill that makes you more attractive for a better job. Consequently, you must learn from your side-gig experience.

Making money with hobbies

There is no greater time when your budget feels strained than the holidays. If you have a family, of course, they expect presents from you. That expense is a given, but then there is also pressure to give a small token to everyone who helps you during the rest of the year: your hairstylist, the mailman, your children’s teachers, your children’s coaches, babysitter or your children’s day-care, on and on the list seems to grow. If you have an extended family, you may exchange presents with them too.

This gift-giving strains finances at the best of times, and if you don’t have a job or a side hustle you’ll be feeling gift-less. Because finding websites that will offer you a short-term loan until you get paid is no-longer a problem in most European countries, it can often be tempting to reach for this form of credit in these scenarios, products like emergency payday loans mean borrowers are freely able to access cash on the same day as applying. This form of credit joins already existing options including traditional loans and credit cards.

However, applying for a payday loan is not going to be advisable if you are a student or in some form of education. The criteria for these loans states that you must be in full-time employment to receive acceptance. This also extends to most loan lenders, short and long-term.

Credit, credit history and getting accepted for credit agreements are all things that will become common-place as you transition into the workforce. But before you have the solid foundation for companies to extend you credit, what are you left with?

Get a seasonal job

Many stores are hiring temporary workers, and they likely need people during the weekends and weeknights, so you could work around your day job or your parenting duties if you are a stay at home parent. Choose a store that you shop at normally, and one of your job perks could be a discount on the products. If you love Levi’s clothing, work there and get a nice discount.

Sell crafts

Are you crafty? If so, consider setting up your own small business. I have a friend who buys light switch plates and covers them with different decals. Some are sports themed, some are Disney themed, some are just for boys or just for girls. During November and December, she is at a craft fair every weekend where parents can buy these light switches for their kids.

Sell your own baked goods

Do you have a dish that everyone raves about? Why not start making it and selling it for a profit? My mum has been making pumpkin roll for 25 years now, but in the last few years, she has started selling them to friends and family. Some people buy them for themselves and their own parties. Others buy them as gifts for teachers or to take when they attend a holiday party and need a gift to pass. They can bring a good dessert, and they don’t have to spend time in the kitchen cooking.

Decorate someone’s house

Many people like their homes to look festive for the holidays, but they dislike dragging out all of their holiday decorations and putting up the decorations as well as taking them down. You could offer to do this for a friend or family member for a set fee. Then, hopefully, through word of mouth, you could get more clients.

Offer a day camp for children who are out of school

Often, children are out of school on vacation, but their parents still have to work. You could offer a specialized camp for the children to attend. When my son was small, the art teacher offered day camps that children could attend every day or on a chosen day. The children would learn about artists and have time to create their own works of art as well as have nutritional snacks and other activities. She charged £50 per day per child. These weren’t cheap, but for parents who wanted an educational experience for their children, it was a nice alternative to hiring a babysitter for the day.

If you are looking to make extra money, there are plenty of conventional jobs you could find. Even better, think what needs those around you have and seek to fill those needs. This is even easier to do during the busy holiday season when people have so much to do and so little time to do it.

Of course, there is also the traditional work at home jobs that many people think of such as freelance writing and babysitting. These are fine but juggling full-time studies with other jobs sometimes means another job is the last thing you need.

Options for Students Trying to Get a Payday?

Enter Giveaways

Entering giveaways seems to be an unlikely way to make money, but I have spoken to many students who win giveaways and use the prizes to give as holiday gifts or to help feed their family (such as restaurant passes or free food product coupons). Recently a woman was interviewed who had to claim $20,000 on her tax return last year as the value for all of the prizes she won during the year. She used most of the prizes, but the ones she didn’t, she sold to friends to pocket cash.

Advertise a Job on Fiverr

Fiverr is a site where you can advertise a job you will do for $5. The jobs range from practical, such as proof-reading and writing as well as translation to the bizarre such as eating a raw onion or saying your message while break dancing. To really benefit from this site, you need to get good reviews and make sure you don’t undervalue your time and talent (don’t write 500-word articles for $5!). It also helps if you have a skill that people are looking for. You can do as many of the $5 jobs as you can to make the money that you need.

Join a Research Study

There are many types of research studies out there, some invasive and some non-invasive. I am not suggesting that you join an invasive study where you will be testing medication (although it is your choice), but instead, consider the non-invasive studies. I find these frequently on social websites and classifieds under the [ETC] section. One hospital near us is doing sleep studies. You sleep at home for 5 nights, and then you sleep in the hospital for 2 nights. You are monitored both at home and in the hospital, and you must do this for 2 weeks. In return, you get £600 to £1,000.

Join a Marketing Research Study

The [ETC] section of classifieds also offers jobs from companies looking for subjects to market their product to. You fill out a short form, and if you are their target demographic, you may be contacted to participate. You will likely be in the research session for about 2 hours and can make £50 to £200. Getting chosen is a matter of luck since you don’t know specifically what demographic they are looking for.

Be a Mystery Shopper

This is on my list of jobs, but many have told me it is better for those whose kids are in school because you have to observe carefully, and it is hard to do when you are also caring for small children. If you build up a reputation as a good mystery shopper, you can be chosen for jobs such as mystery shopping at a movie theatre or restaurant. While you usually aren’t paid, you usually get whatever you have to purchase as part of the assignment for free. One blogger will get free oil changes for life thanks to her mystery shopping gig. While she isn’t making any money, think of all the money she is saving!

If you don’t have time to commit to a regular job or you need to supplement your job, there are plenty of offbeat ways to do just that.

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