Remote, flexible side hustle???
Hi, friends, I’m new to the FI community, working to pay down debt and accelerate my family toward FI. I’m a SAHM and homeschooler and would like to stay that while building some part-time, remote, flexible income.
I have a civil engineering degree but have never worked in the field. I have taught and tutored math, but my kids are not at an age where they can be consistently quiet while I tutor during the day. I have been tutoring after they go to bed, but there’s not a lot of time there. I’m hustling to cover bills and have been doing other odds and ends of online work that pays $11/hr or less, but it’s stressful constantly looking for that work.
Ideally, I’d love a position where I had clear tasks to take care of and not a lot of phone interaction. I’d love to make $20-$30 an hour working 10-20 hours a week in the afternoons and evenings. I’d love to use my math and science skills. I’m bright and like learning… it would be fun to me to learn a new skill set, program, or position and put that to use.
Do you have ideas for me? I’m hoping some of you that have spent more time than I have in professional spaces might have ideas of a specific position or role where I could be useful! Thanks.
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This is hard to find… I've been also looking for a side job like this. I had one for 9 months for a university I used to work for to train a new hire. It was amazing! I cleared like $2,500 a month and I would meet after my main job remote to train. I haven't found anything else like this since and have just accepted in person low paying side jobs.
Good luck! Hope you can find it, it is awesome when you do!
Wow, that sounds like a good gig! I wish there were more good opportunities available!
Have you considered working in civil engineering? Seems like there should be some contract/remote work possibilities and if you let the right firm know you were interested in a long term situation like this it could be compelling.
Yeah, I did reach out to some companies this week. I don't think I could work independently as an engineer (or EIT), but I think I could be an asset as skilled support staff… I'm just not sure many offices are going to have that much imagination.
What part of the country are you in?
Hi Stephanie, You might want to see if you can find a contract gig as a technical writer in civil engineering. Someone with your background might be valuable to a company that doesn't want to employ a writer full time but needs one occasionally. (I have no knowledge of civil engineering, but it's an idea!) Go on LinkedIn and search for "civil engineering technical writer." From there you can narrow it down to remote opportunities or other parameters that suit your situation.
I did reach out to some civil engineering firms this week to see if they could use a part time document manager… a couple of replies, but no bites. Despite having the degree, I don't know the field that well, so it's hard to know what would be useful.
This isn't really what you're looking for but pays way better than $11/hr. I've made $4k a year for the last 8 years churning bank bonuses. Banks offer welcome bonuses to entice new customers (much like credit cards). Generally the terms are something like deposit $2k and leave for 90 days or direct deposit $500 within 60 days. You can simulate a direct deposit by transferring money from an existing checking account to your new one.
Generally the bonuses pay out around $300 within 30-120 days and you can immediately close the account. The headache is keeping on top of all the bonus requirements and keeping the accounts fee free (typically something like a $1.5k minimum account balance). If you enjoy spreadsheets, this would be a decent option. Learn more at doctorofcredit.com
That sounds like a lot to keep track of! It's not a bad idea, but my husband and I are just in our first year of tracking our spending… rotating bank accounts my be out of our league… for now, at least. Amazing that you've made $4k a year though!
I was in a very similar situation and found something that has been perfect for me training AI models (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em). I work with a company called DataAnnotation (DataAnnotation | Future-Proof Your Career With AI Training Work
) . You go and pass a test and get qualified for projects. You need a PayPal account. I think there are other competitors in this market, but I don't have experience with them. You log in and take on tasks whenever you want (and if they are available). Like I said its been great and very flexible for me - good luck!
Thanks, Mary. I've done similar work on Telus and Outlier (I wouldn't really recommend either, but they pay a small amount). I made an account on DataAnnotation, but haven't had the opportunity to do any work there. If I remember right, I tried to pass their math expert assessment and it was out of my league. But now all I can get to there is my profile and a page that says they'll let me know if they have something for me.
Ah. Interesting. That same thing happened to my son as well (DataAnnotation).
Following up to share an idea - I came across the idea this week of a home-based business in photo scanning and organization. From what I can find, it sounds like the people who do it aren't struggling for business. Who doesn't have a box of printed photos that they'd like to have more accessible? There are a few reasons why it could be a good fit for me and a few why it might not be. I'm trying to think through how I could test it in a low-risk way.
What do you think? Do you think there would be a solid market for photo scanning?
Almost no downside to trying. Maybe post on Facebook or something and seeing if you can get a couple demos to try it out
Have you checked out Wyzant? It's a tutoring platform that lets tutors offer online sessions. I have used this platform since 2017 and have even used it as my "main" hustle when between jobs. Of my hundreds of students, I think 5 have been in-person. I haven't been very active lately because work has kept me pretty busy, but I've heard that business is slower on there these days because more students are turning to LLMs, but it might still be worth checking out.
I have! I made my account in the fall, but priced myself too high and couldn't get any jobs for several months. I finally dropped my price about a month ago, and it's going much better. I'm only charging $20 an hour (taking home $15), but I'm working with some great kids and getting to share what I'm good at.
I assume business will dry up in the summer, right? Do you have any experience with that?
I only ever worked with college and graduate school students, so my experience is a little different. But, yeah, I think site wide things dry up a little in the summer. The good thing for you is that you got started. I noticed business ramped up for me after getting 20 reviews from distinct students.