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Ask HN: Low demanding job to support you

12 points by telemator 12y ago

I've been working on a software project for a while that I'm hoping will bring me income when done. Until then, I'm digging into my savings but it's running out faster than I'd planned. So I need to get a job, but it shouldn't be mentally and/or physically demanding, otherwise my rate of progress will plummet. It doesn't have to be in my field and I'm OK with minimum pay as long as it covers my rent and food. Any advice on what kind of job qualifies?

paulhauggis 12y ago
Instead, get a part-time contracting position doing software development. I did this while I was building my startup. I worked around 20 hours per week and had the rest of the week to do what I wanted. I quit contracting about 9 months ago. It worked pretty well. The problem is that the only jobs that aren't mentally or physically demanding will be low-paid and most likely boring to you.
- telemator 12y ago
  This is a good idea and I've thought about it, but it's not easy getting a part time job around here (Sydney). But I'll look into it.
  - eswat 12y ago
    It’s good timing to take a look at the Seeking Freelancer thread on HN. You may not find a client close to you but as long as you can deliver a project in exchange for what you’re looking for, then it’s a good deal.
    - telemator 12y ago
      Excellent. Somehow I never noticed these in my feed.
    - brandonlipman 12y ago
      I would definitely be curious where that thread is. Do you have a URL?
      - telemator 12y ago
        This seems recent: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127243
1123581321 12y ago
Hotel night clerk, security, housesitting, or just about anything in banking back office. The idea is you get paid a low hourly while spending a lot of the time working on your software. My friend finished version 1 of his application using RDC through his tellers' station, and the bank purported to be strict about personal computer use. I agree consulting is best but it needs to be easily available and wrap up neatly, or else it'll eat into your creative time.
eastbayjake 12y ago
Freelance writing is a quick and highly liquid way to earn marginal income. During college and summer vacations I wrote for TextBroker[1], which pays per-word for SEO keyword articles in pretty niche topics. If you score well on their grammar and writing tests, you can make 1.5 cents per word or $7.50 per 500 word essay. The upside is that it's really easy to convert spare time into extra income -- you can claim one article at a time and write as many as you want. The downside is you'll be writing for some pretty scuzzy SEO folks, and if they ask for revisions it'll tank your cents-per-word estimate. It was a great way to round up some extra grocery money when expenses got tight, but it would have been difficult to sustain for many hours per day. On a good run I could make $40-50 over five hours before burning out. I've recently come across Scripted, a more writer-friendly service that focuses on content quality instead of brute-forcing SEO keywords. TextBroker: https://www.textbroker.com/ https://www.textbroker.com/ Scripted: http://scripted.com/ http://scripted.com/

12 points by telemator 12y ago

paulhauggis 12y ago

Instead, get a part-time contracting position doing software development. I did this while I was building my startup. I worked around 20 hours per week and had the rest of the week to do what I wanted. I quit contracting about 9 months ago. It worked pretty well. The problem is that the only jobs that aren't mentally or physically demanding will be low-paid and most likely boring to you.

telemator 12y ago
This is a good idea and I've thought about it, but it's not easy getting a part time job around here (Sydney). But I'll look into it.
- eswat 12y ago
  It’s good timing to take a look at the Seeking Freelancer thread on HN. You may not find a client close to you but as long as you can deliver a project in exchange for what you’re looking for, then it’s a good deal.
  - telemator 12y ago
    Excellent. Somehow I never noticed these in my feed.
  - brandonlipman 12y ago
    I would definitely be curious where that thread is. Do you have a URL?
    - telemator 12y ago
      This seems recent: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127243

1123581321 12y ago

Hotel night clerk, security, housesitting, or just about anything in banking back office. The idea is you get paid a low hourly while spending a lot of the time working on your software. My friend finished version 1 of his application using RDC through his tellers' station, and the bank purported to be strict about personal computer use. I agree consulting is best but it needs to be easily available and wrap up neatly, or else it'll eat into your creative time.

eastbayjake 12y ago

Freelance writing is a quick and highly liquid way to earn marginal income. During college and summer vacations I wrote for TextBroker[1], which pays per-word for SEO keyword articles in pretty niche topics. If you score well on their grammar and writing tests, you can make 1.5 cents per word or $7.50 per 500 word essay. The upside is that it's really easy to convert spare time into extra income -- you can claim one article at a time and write as many as you want. The downside is you'll be writing for some pretty scuzzy SEO folks, and if they ask for revisions it'll tank your cents-per-word estimate. It was a great way to round up some extra grocery money when expenses got tight, but it would have been difficult to sustain for many hours per day. On a good run I could make $40-50 over five hours before burning out. I've recently come across Scripted, a more writer-friendly service that focuses on content quality instead of brute-forcing SEO keywords. TextBroker: https://www.textbroker.com/ https://www.textbroker.com/ Scripted: http://scripted.com/ http://scripted.com/