Those with a side/second job in this economy, what is it that you do and how did you get into it?

I live in a area that's prone to severe weather, so i'll run around and clean up peoples yards after a big storm. you'll be surprised at how much people will pay to have a couple of branches and sticks to clean up, After a good storm I could make about $500.

And to finish answering your question I did this so I could buy a new alternator for my car. It just kinda stuck with me and I like having a little extra cash in my pocket.

Quite clever!

The trades. Trades are desperate for good help willing to learn. electricians, plumbers, carpenters, pool builders, HVAC... the trades are in need of good help. It usually pays better than average too.

Someone once told me to get into electrician roles you should start young. Sad bc I would totally love to leave IT for good & study to become an electrician, but apparently I’m “too old” to start 🤷🏼‍♀️
- can i ask how old is considered too old for that? just something i was considering too
You would recommend trades as a second/side job? Seems like it’d be a bit taxing physically and not flexible on scheduling – I could be wrong.

I admin lemmy.ml for 0 Biden/Putler/Xi bux per month. I got into it by doing a little posting, until the admins asked me if I wanted to waste even more of my free time, which I foolishly did.

Please keep Wikipedia up to date while you’re at it. Thanks.

I do both freelance graphic design and historic window restoration on the side. I did them both before my current full time design job, and do them in my spare time. I'm lucky that my current job considers 32 hours full time, so I have Fridays to do side work.

I helped my father remove old sash, pulleys, weights etc from a house in PA. Old windows are really cool.

Not currently, but I did a few sides jobs in the last ten years.

I am a Linux systems administrator. Before I did full contract work, I did part time contract work (alongside my full time salary job) for a general contractor as a piecemeal basis. A job here, 20 hour support there. Some jobs I made $300, some $3000. It was sporadic and came in waves. I got this from a former contract job who recommended me when they folded.

I also did writing gigs. I optioned a few scripts and sold a few short stories. That's still ongoing, but I haven't sold anything for a few years.

I bartended on the side. I finally gave it up mid-covid because the extra money I was earning didn't outweigh the exposure to sick people and people with deteriorating social skills.

The number of people who thought a server in the middle of a pandemic deserved less pay and more grief truly astounded me. Like bruh, I'm not here serving your drunk ass in the middle of covid for my enjoyment. Tip or I will prioritize every possible person at the bar before you.

I got into that latest bartending job because I had free time, I wanted a bit more money every month, and I'm decent at it from previous experience.

You are blaming the customers for "thinking you deserve less pay" when the actual person not paying you enough is the bar owner. Sorry for kicking up yet another fruitless discussion about tipping in the US, but these kind of mental gymnastics just trigger me.
- Tips are stupid, but it's the system we live in. Knowing that and going to a bar and not tipping hurts the bartender, not the bar.
You must be an American, sigh. Tips are stupid, period.
- Tips are stupid, but it's the system we live in. Knowing that and going to a bar and not tipping hurts the bartender, not the bar.

Not "this economy" but 20 years ago, I was unemployed and took a part time job running a computer lab at night at a for profit college.

When I got a regular day job, I kept the lab job for extra money.

So I worked IT from 8 to 5, then the computer lab from 6 to 10, Mon-Thur. Normal job on Fri. Off Sat/Sun.