Earning a Wage
I have a friend who has gone back to school and has been calling me fairly regularly with calculus questions. That got me curious about online tutoring opportunities. Turns out that it's a burgeoning industry with dozens of sites that connect tutors with students in a variety of formats.
I found one (chegg.com) where I can get online whenever I feel like it and get paid $20 an hour to help people with math or physics in my pajamas (with bonus rates of $30 or $40 an hour when demand peaks at the end of the semester). I've earned about $1,200 after three months, some of which was earned while watching episodes of Downton Abbey with Lindsey on a Saturday afternoon. I still don't understand who can pay $40 or $50 an hour (the website takes a cut) to get help with homework on a regular basis, but they don't seem to be in short supply.
It's actually been fun to see the variety of physics questions that people get assigned, but what I've found most enjoyable is the sense of financial freedom that a little extra money imparts. When you're salaried, and particularly when you're a teacher, there's not much you can do to better you're financial situation. If you want more money, you just have to spend less. While being disciplined to live within your means if certainly desirable, I would find myself inordinately frustrated by unexpected expenses. But now if I get a speeding ticket I can just think, "Well, I can put in a few hours of tutoring and I can erase that little financial hit." Or if I want a new laptop, rather than feeling guilty about not putting as much money into savings, I can just save up tutoring money for a couple of months.
I'm amazed at the psychological effect of having an avenue for earning a little extra money by putting in a little extra work.
I found one (chegg.com) where I can get online whenever I feel like it and get paid $20 an hour to help people with math or physics in my pajamas (with bonus rates of $30 or $40 an hour when demand peaks at the end of the semester). I've earned about $1,200 after three months, some of which was earned while watching episodes of Downton Abbey with Lindsey on a Saturday afternoon. I still don't understand who can pay $40 or $50 an hour (the website takes a cut) to get help with homework on a regular basis, but they don't seem to be in short supply.
It's actually been fun to see the variety of physics questions that people get assigned, but what I've found most enjoyable is the sense of financial freedom that a little extra money imparts. When you're salaried, and particularly when you're a teacher, there's not much you can do to better you're financial situation. If you want more money, you just have to spend less. While being disciplined to live within your means if certainly desirable, I would find myself inordinately frustrated by unexpected expenses. But now if I get a speeding ticket I can just think, "Well, I can put in a few hours of tutoring and I can erase that little financial hit." Or if I want a new laptop, rather than feeling guilty about not putting as much money into savings, I can just save up tutoring money for a couple of months.
I'm amazed at the psychological effect of having an avenue for earning a little extra money by putting in a little extra work.
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