Are you tired of your measly pocket money? Is it not enough to relish your favourite pizza with extra cheese without feeling guilty? Varsha Menon identifies ways to help
BABY SITTING
If you have a few afternoons free and the patience of a saint, baby sitting is a viable option to earn some extra cash. Contact parents in and around your neighbourhood, especially new parents, and offer to babysit their kids. After a few successful babysitting sessions, ask them to spread the word to their friends so that more people will know. You can even ask your peers for contacts to expand your clientele.
TUTORING
Tutoring children or even fellow peers, if you are extremely confident with your abilities and knowledge, can prove to be a steady source of income. The bonus point is that by teaching other people, your own knowledge and communication skills will improve considerably. Get ready to sympathise with your teachers, because teaching is not an easy job.
YOUTUBE
Along with watching your favourite videos, YouTube can also be used to make money. YouTube has a partnership programme that allows people who post videos on their site to earn money. Videos that have reached a certain number of views can be monetised. The content must be original. Lyric videos and other such similar ones are not paid.
OTHER ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES
Other ways of earning money online could be to sell pictures that you take. Sites like Shutterstock pay for the number of photos submitted. You can also use eBay to sell old stuff online. Things like first edition comics, autographed products or any other quirky or seemingly valuable items that you own can be sold for a good amount of money. Vintage items sometimes turn out to be very valuable, that is, only if you’re willing to part with them.
BLOGGING
Use sites such as Blogger, Weebly or Wordpress to blog and write about things that interest you. Travel, fashion, food, current affairs and photography blogs are received well. The more popular you get, the more money you can earn. Activating Google Adsense for your blog will help feature relevant ads on your blog page and pay you according to how many people click on the ads that were broadcast on your blog site.
LET CREATIVITY FLOW
Use the pent-up creativity within you and try to make and sell custom products. Starting shop with new or unique items might lead to quite a bit of money. Products like custom key chains, photo frames, handmade bags, candles and even food and bakery items sell fast. Start small by selling to your friends or local stores and spread the word around your college/school. With websites like Etsy.com you can even start an online store. Or you could go a step higher. Invent something new. Granted that not everyone will be able to do this and it might take ages to even come up with a good idea much less start selling. Still, might be worth a shot.
THINK COLLEGE CAMPUS
Look out for part-time jobs in your college campus itself. If you are a college student, there might be openings for posts such as library assistants, part-time receptionists, briefers for junior year students and a variety of other jobs depending on the college. Keep your eyes peeled for such opportunities or contact the college authorities to check their availability.
KEEP SEARCHING
Always keep your eyes and ears open. There might be competitions in colleges that provide monetary prizes or paid internships. Make sure the companies that are offering these internships are reliable and known.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR ONLINE JOB HUNTS
* Look out for scams. Some internet sites promise jobs and will take a lot of personal information from you. Do not give out information easily and always double check and triple check such sites’ legitimacy.
* Even while searching for jobs around the locality, keep your safety in mind. Work for reliable and known people. Inform your family about the jobs you are considering. That might sound obsessive, but you can never be too careful.
* Some sites only pay American citizens or citizens of other countries, even while they accept submissions and work from all over the world. Therefore, look at their FAQs and terms and conditions so that you don’t waste any time.
Volume 4 Issue 1
