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Extra time - extra income?
Diogee
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I am fortunate enough to have a job that basically requires me to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours and make sure the world doesn't end. While I have tirelessly enjoyed browsing the infinite possibilities of the internet, I am now looking for a more productive way to use my time.
Does anyone here have any ideas on ways to use my work hours to actually.. work... and maybe generate a little extra income? I know there are tons of "get paid to take surveys!!!one!!" scams out there and I am hoping for something a little more legit. Even an income rate of as little as $5 or $10/hr would help - just something positive to be using my time towards.
Unfortunately I don't have any computer programming or HTML/graphical design experience, which seems to be the easiest way to make freelance money these days. I am a college graduate with a degree in finance though, for what that’s worth. I also have unfettered internet access at my job, so ideally something that can be done via internet would be nice.
If you have a good idea you don't want to share publicly (because its limited or you don't want your work stolen by the masses) please feel free to PM me!
Does anyone here have any ideas on ways to use my work hours to actually.. work... and maybe generate a little extra income? I know there are tons of "get paid to take surveys!!!one!!" scams out there and I am hoping for something a little more legit. Even an income rate of as little as $5 or $10/hr would help - just something positive to be using my time towards.
Unfortunately I don't have any computer programming or HTML/graphical design experience, which seems to be the easiest way to make freelance money these days. I am a college graduate with a degree in finance though, for what that’s worth. I also have unfettered internet access at my job, so ideally something that can be done via internet would be nice.
If you have a good idea you don't want to share publicly (because its limited or you don't want your work stolen by the masses) please feel free to PM me!
Diogee on
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I understand the risks involved, however given my situation it is not going to be a problem. I have the time, and the means, to generate some form of extra revenue but just no method of doing so which is what I am looking for help with.
There are quite a few job websites geared towards stay-at-home moms. I'm not gonna get on any now since I'm at work, but those have job offers for telecommuters. If you have the time to wade through the scams.
There are many, many writing and transcription jobs available out there for people who are in a similar situation to your own.
Keep in mind, too, that anything you create whilst at work could possibly be claimed as theirs.
It's completely legit, although there tends to be a pretty big lag time between "do work" and "get paid." You will probably be able to find stuff that is better paying, but MTurk is pretty much guaranteed to have work available.
I don't mind doing work - transcription/writing would be a fine idea. How does one go about finding that sort of work? I'm not looking for quick, easy, get rich quick money. I'm looking to earn some supplimental income.
Telling my employer that I will take on extra work for extra pay doesn't quite work .. they are under the impression that I am already working full on all the time which is the image i'd like to keep in their mind. They aren't going to up my pay just because I admit to having some more free time. They'd just give me more work.
I did MTurk a while back - the returns on your time are so insignificant and small that its not really worth it -- I'm talking a dollar or two an hour. I understand it may be asking for too much, but I'd like to see a bit better return on my time then that.
Thanks so far guys!
Goes straight to PayPal so you can turn around and use that to buy fun stuff on eBay, if that floats your boat.
Are you paid for whatever you write, or does the article have to be purchased/approved/whatever?
- Write article about whatever you want.
- Submit article choosing the Upfront Payment option
- Wait about a week
- Article is approved and $3-4 hits your PayPal in day or two
So yes, you do have to be approved. That said, they tend to be pretty lax in their standards; I've only had an article rejected once (out of 30 or so), and that was because of a technicality--I was going to split it into a series, and they don't allow that. If they don't approve your article, you can reject the upfront payment offer, make changes, and resubmit. In that case, I just had to spend two minutes revising to make it stand on its own, rather than as the first part of a series.What they will do more commonly is dock your pay for this that or the other reason (content too similar to other articles, etc). In my experience my pay has almost always remained over $3 even when they take some off, though a couple of times it was $2.xx. I've had articles pay up to $4.10.
It looks like this pays based off of pageviews? 1,000 pg views = $1.50. So to make 3 bucks you'd have to have 2,000 people read your article.
Don't do it.
Why do people automatically assume that all jobs and work environments are the same? Not everyone has a boss with a suit and tie that comes knocking on your door asking for your TPS reports. I work in a much more casual, relaxed work environment that allows me the time to try and earn some additional income on the side while still completing all the duties that my job entails in a quality manner.
This isn't a thread about if I should or should not try and make some extra money. Its a thread about the ways that it is possible to do so - please try and stay focused on that!
Hahaha no.
Kate is right, but if you're determined to milk the clock, why not at least invest the time in learning a new skill, or reading classic literature, or pursuing a creative endeavor. Maybe you can finally get started on that novel of yours...
EDIT:
If you start a thread saying, "Hey, I'm skimming some company funds to build a sweet-ass gaming rig, could I get some advice on a build?" and then people point out that you're cheating your company, you don't get to then say "Stop it, this thread is about computer builds!"
You've framed the entire thread in such a way that people can't make suggestions without knowingly aiding in inappropriate behavior. Unless your boss has explicitly told you that he's cool with this, it's completely unethical. We're big on ethics around here.
Want to risk your job? Go ahead, risk it and try what you want.
What to keep your job? Do work, ask for more if you're bored.
I understand you're somewhat hesitant to draw attention to yourself that you may not be doing anything, especially in an economy where your job may not be recession proof. You can, however, draw attention to yourself while still being useful. Don't go, "Hey pa, I'm sitting on my hands all day and I need more doodads to pillage through," but do say, "Hey I've been noticing a little slack in my workload and I was wondering if there was something else I could be doing to help out, even if it means I'll be staying around a half hour later for some overtime pay."
See that last part? That's the key to looking for more money. Even if it turns out you can finish it fast, work a little longer a day get some extra dough (that'll be worth it than $.02 per 20 minutes of your time), and come out ahead and not being a giant asshole and a cheater, basically.
Hence, you are being paid already for being unproductive. This time isn't "extra," it's time you're slacking off. Like what I'm doing right now responding to your post.
If what you say is at all true, why can't you tell your employer?
Because you'll get in trouble?
... because you'll get fired?
Think about the two statements you've just made (the current one, and the one Kate highlighted in red) and attempt to reconcile the two.
If you COULD tell your boss and there would be no negative repercussion for it, then we can go from there. Otherwise, if you can't, what you're doing is probably not something we should advise you to do.
Doing these things is no different then doing what I am asking. The only difference is that instead of wasting my time surfing the internet, I am trying to use my time to increase my personal well-being.
Glass house, stones, and so on.
Old games, DVDs, furniture, appliances, etc. I'm generally not motivated enough to post an ad for my unwanted crap during my own free time. However, there are plenty of lulls at work to get that chore done. Hit the post office/UPS on your lunch break.
The difference between being nonproductive during part of the workday, and making money at another endeavor during part of the workday, is huge.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
So I guess we can take that as, "no, my boss would not approve". :?
I think you answered my question well enough... I can't help you with what you intend to do.
But to provide some small help before I stop talking about this issue, there is (as Kate says) a difference between having nonprofit distractions during the workday and actively making profit during the workday. The former is chastised or punished in strict work environments, and viewed as a good occasional stress relieving activity in loose work environments (something that can be done in brief five minute intervals at least, like a smoke break). The latter wouldn't be allowed in either a loose or a strict work environment. Rare indeed would be the company that allows you to make additional side profit while earning wages from them.
For instance, I'm posting this while working. I recognize that it's not the most productive thing I could be doing, but I take occasional 5 minute breaks to check the forums by forsaking my hour-long lunch break (and instead eating lunch - and dinner for that matter - at my desk). Ten five-minute breaks to examine a forum is less expensive to my employer than an hour-long lunch break, so they've never minded it. I imagine that most of my fellow "post at work" posters are in a very similar situation: they make it up somehow, either by working longer or forsaking other breaks given to them during the day.
Now, pretty much anything you do that could make you money is likely not able to be broken up such that you spend less than a lunch break worth of time and still actually be making money on it: so even if you and your employer consider lunch time to be a "free for all" (as mine does), you still couldn't meaningfully make profit on it.
And this is all assuming that your boss wouldn't mind the fact that you're making money on the side in this matter.
Do you see what we're getting at here?
If you want one that won't get you fired, read industry-relevant books while at work. If your boss finds you doing it, he probably won't fire you on the spot. He may chastise you for it: or he may even commend you on it (depending on your boss' desire to have his employees learn new technologies)! but he's not going to commend you on making side money while working.
You don't know html/php? Learn it on the job.
Hell, if you level up a couple of skills you could go to your boss and say you learned these skills, and maybe, just maybe, your boss will be like "hey, we need someone to do that shit, how's an extra 15k sound?"
otherwise you can USE THOSE MARKETABLE SKILLS TO LOOK FOR A HIGHER PAYING JOB.
for the record, I would fire you on the spot if I were your boss and I found you working for someone else while I'm paying for your time. I don't think there's a boss in the world who wouldn't.
On the other hand, If I found you learning new skills I'd be much happier. I'd also wonder if you were preparing to leave and might consider bumping your salary to try and stop you from leaving. . .
This is pretty much my thinking too.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
This, for the reasons I stated above. That's something that can potentially be good for everyone: good for you, good for your boss, etc...
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH