I’m a student and it’s going to be another few years before I can get a serious job in the field I’m studying. I’m looking for jobs to do while studying to pay the bills in the meantime. I could go and work as a cashier or something but I’ve been thinking it would be more attractive to pick some sort of skill (eg. being a cook) that I could do to earn money and improve at along the way. Some skill that once mastered pays relatively well. Ideally something intuition-based or hands-on so that I can relax from studying. Also perhaps something you can find a job with anywhere (would come in useful to fill in gaps between jobs for my actual career…) Any recommendations?
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Start with a non-job so you can study while working. Then get internships relevant to your major once you know your direction.
A non-job is one with a lot of downtime and where they don’t care if you read. Parking attendant, small movie theater worker, custodian at a place that is well-staffed.
Web application pentesting.
There are heaps of free resources, a company known as PortSwigger who make one of the most used applications, Burp Suite, offer heaps of free learning paths and tutorials to get you familiar with the skills needed to learn how to do this.
There are then heaps of free bug bounty programs which you can sign up to which allow you to start attempting to find vulnerabilities in web applications for companies which are enrolled with these programs.
I’m not gonna lie and say this is an easy skill to learn but it can definitely be rewarding even with some basic knowledge.
If you have relevant links which you have found specifically useful, or otherwise links in reference to the above, I would be interested in taking a look. Thanks.
Burp Suite academy learning, all free with interactive labs, you only need to download and install the community version of the application. https://portswigger.net/web-security/learning-paths
Rhana Khalil also has a lot of guides on these labs if you’re someone who learns best by watching others. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKaK-XPQAbznwIISC46b1oA
NahamSec is another big figure in the bug bounty community who often puts out helpful content for new comers. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCZDt7MuC3Hzs6IH4xODLBw
Beautiful, thank you!
We are on vacation and did a walking tour of the city tonight. It was so fun! The guide is doing this job while he’s in college. O was really impressed with the facts he knew and how easily he was able to connect with strangers. Interesting and good practice for future interviews.
Good idea!
Are you a good swimmer? If so, lifeguard certification only takes a few hours for training, and if you do it at a pool, no chance of you missing a drowning person/dealing with a strong current.
Did it in HS and college, great summer job, also can flirt with girls. Highly recommend
I don’t know about the States, but in the UK dog-walking can be a lucrative business.
I guess its not a refinable skill but its good to know this is an option! (I’m UK too)
Sex work.
Lol
Plumber.
Just got borderline scammed by one of these 24/7 unclogging company. Considering what I paid, if you work two hours a week, you get more than the minimal wage over a month
Technically that’s a Drain tech. A plumber will almost certainly tell you they don’t unclog drains (even though there is GREAT money in it, since no one wants to do it themselves, but will complain about the price anyway).
That doesn’t sound at all bad. I imagine they don’t pass much of the money on to the employee though, right?
I expect that the money goes in the boss pocket. Well I understand the cost of the truc, tooling, and paying an employee waiting for a call has a cost, but still shit it’s expensive for 45 min of work and one hour of commute doctors and lawyer are cheap in comparison
There’s a lot of different pay plans out there. No idea what roto rooter is paying their techs these days.
HVAC
Ahh yes I can see this being a good skill if almost everyone has one
Sell your blood platelets.
In uni I had friends with various side hustles that made money
I suppose now we would have to add
To the possible list
Maybe if my photoshop skills were good enough I coukd start an OnlyFans
Don’t let your dreams be dreams!
I must be a prude
Woodworking?
This is a way to spend money for a looooong time before it is to make money
We have this discussion in my house a lot. My husband built litter boxes for our cats. They would have to sell for $1000 to earn back the material cost and $5/hr.
I suggest something where you get to work with a wide range of the populus. Opportunities are basically all service industry jobs: waiting tables in a restaurant, working retail, working in a hotel, etc. Learning how to interact with wide swaths of humans is an invaluable skill that will serve you well in your future professional career. I would focus on building social and emotional intelligence.