part time jobs...

[freddy]

What are some part time jobs that you have now or in the past that you liked? Why did you like them? What are ones you didn't like? Why didn't you like it?

I'm just looking to see what is out there for part time jobs...

[mrs.b]

This past year, I made a few spare bucks working as a cashier at a grocery store during the holiday season. While it is far from glamorous, the discount on necessities was very nice for the budget and made it easier to overlook some of the less appealing characteristics of the job.

I've been looking into picking up odd jobs as an independent contractor on oDesk.com as well. The variety of options is amazing, and since they are all work-at-home tasks, you get to pick and choose what works for you (i.e., if you need flexible right now, stick to fixed price jobs rather than hourly where they may want to dictate parts of your schedule). I'm still researching, but I get a bit more tempted each time I glance at it.

[AlbaTiVo]

While I have not used this site myself, I did read about it a while ago. They work with employers in your area to provide classes which can improve your chances of being hired at the participating companies.

[marianne202]

When I worked in EMS I always had one or two part-time jobs. I was a limousine chauffeur for many years and loved it, it is great money if you can be nice and still handle drunks and brush off strange requests. I worked as a mystery shopper for a few years and some shops were nice, but it is a lot of paperwork for very little money. I also worked as undercover store security for AAFES, the military store system. My first job was as a marketing research person at the local mall. I would have to convince shoppers to answer my survey and maybe qualify to sample a product or view a video. Then I had to record their responses and ask questions meant to draw out more specific info. It was interesting, but you have to have a thick skin and be outgoing, as it was productivity based. My least favorite part-time job was as a cashier in a clothing store. Most women would be thrilled to work in a women's clothing store to get access to the newest fashions for a discount, but I hated it. It was a minimum wage job where people treated you badly and customers left such a mess in the dressing rooms. I have done normal jobs such as waitressing and cashiering, but I thought these would be some different ideas to consider.

[Johann]

I've had the odd part-time job since I retired from full-time work (at 50) 20 years ago. My 30 years of full-time gigs had been (mostly) as skiptracer / debt collector.

My most interesting part-time job was at a Community College, where I was also a student (age around 60) at the time. My job was to "find" long-lost alumni, to invite them to their 25-year reunions. Some were still in their home-town, others were continents away. Nice change to "find" people for a pleasant reason!

My last part-time job was as a security guard at a public Art Gallery. I quit at 65 because I could. Pension day! Not a great job, absolutely pittance-level wages, but a good learning experience - I was able to expand my knowledge of art considerably. It's not great now, but it was infinitesimal before!

Based on the difference between what I earned and what I think I should have earned, that "art appreciation course" might have cost me thousands. Hmmm - they're exhibiting a small Georges Braque still-life I've long had my eye on. Maybe I could kinda, um.... sneak up on it.... (I jest, of course!)

Johann

[cookderosa]

What are some part time jobs that you have now or in the past that you liked? Why did you like them? What are ones you didn't like? Why didn't you like it?

I'm just looking to see what is out there for part time jobs...

Best- banquet server. Not too physical, not too mental Good tips, mostly weekend work, 6-8 hours and you don't bring it home with you. People are generally celebrating a happy occasion. I don't think I ever worked a banquet that I brought home less than $100 cash.
Second best- writing a book
Hated- unit secretary for a hospital.

[OpenRoot]

My current part time/sometimes full time job is bartending. I say part time/full time because I'm only scheduled for about 18 hours per week but if I want to work more all I have to do is ask who wants off and there's always a volunteer.

Pros:

Very, very flexible schedule.
I leave with cash after every shift.
The connections made with regular guests. A lot of them are a real hoot. When I was apartment hunting no less than 3 offered to rent me a place they owned.
It can be hard work, but there is no stress to take home. Once I'm out the door I don't think about work again until the next shift.
You get front row seats to blind internet dates all the time. Quite possibly my favorite part of the job.

Cons:

Late nights
The way some people act in public is nothing short of appaling.
It can be tough on your body after a while
If a large group comes in and takes up your entire bar for a few hours and leaves a low tip, you don't make any money
The hourly wage (at least in MA) is $2.63, which you dont even see because it gets swept away to taxes.
Which brigs me to...taxes. You really need to put away money throughout the year to pay the feds, because the 2.63/hr they take isnt nearly enough to cover what youll owe. I've also heard that servers and bartenders have a higher chance of being audited, but I dont know if its true or not.

I've also worked in a nursing home kitchen/dining room. The residents were awesome but we only saw the. For an hour or two per day, the rest of the day was mixing up super calorie dense mashed potatoes and then scrubbing the pots. I wouldnt reccommend it. But if you ever need to know how to pack a solid 400 calories into a scoop of taters I'm your girl ;-)

[sanantone]

I delivered newspapers when I was in my late teens. It put a lot of stress on my car, but I was able to write off the gas spent and depreciation of my car's value on my taxes. I loved my route because it wasn't too large. I only had about a hundred houses to do which took 3-4 hours.

I also had a part-time telemarketing job when I was in high school and a part-time telemarketing job in my early twenties. These were awful. A lot of people were rude and there was always the pressure to perform at a certain level or you would be terminated in a heartbeat.

Another part-time job I had was driving a transit bus. I liked my job when I had good routes. The bad routes made me miserable. For a little while, I worked security at a parking garage part-time until I moved to a full-time position. Working in the parking booth was very low-stress. I had a routine. I would listen to Kidd Kraddick, then Glenn Beck before he became crazy and polarizing, and I would sometimes read the newspaper which the client provided for us.

[EI2HCB]

Window Cleaning! Yes it pays a pittance ($2 per pane) but given the right clients and routes it produces a small regular income some of which I'll be using to pay for CLEP's ect. It's something that the basics can be learned fairly quickly. If anyone on the forum would like to learn I'd be delighted to swap a few CLEP books for a video window washing course I'm compiling. The only condition being that you aren't in Northern Illinois since I've got to eat The cost of entry varies from about $80 - $4,000 (if you want a full time business) Window cleaning profits are based on speed but a small regular income that you can listen to lectures while you do it is achievable. Never buy a franchise in this business as your ROI can take a long time.

[Daithi]

I worked on a raisin farm in the summer when I was a teen, and quickly came to the conclusion that I had no desire to EVER become a farmer or a migrant. I'm way too lazy.

I also sold newspapers door-to-door and candy door-to-door (after quitting the newspaper job). I actually learned something at this job -- high pressure sales where you don't take no for an answer actually works.