I'm always telling people to follow their passion, to do what they love to do . . . even if they can only do it for 15 minutes out of the day. Even if they aren't being compensated for their efforts. What matters, what makes your entire life better is the knowledge that you spent at least
some time in your day on something that YOU love doing.
Now I have found a way that you can follow your passion and do what you love to do and get compensated for it! Isn't that wonderful?
Do you know about Micro-Jobs?
Do you realize that many people who are considered "unemployed" today are actually managing financially by working mini- or micro-jobs? The Internet calls them
micro-jobs which are one-time/short-term jobs or tasks that may take one hour, one day, one week and payment is usually in cash or by Paypal.
They have a sense of freedom. You set your own schedule, determine your rate, choose the tasks you'd like to work and the people you'd like to meet. And the good part about this is there are dozens upon dozens of websites that allow you to list yourself and your talents for small amounts of money to do the things you love. But, here is the kick, as you develop a following by doing your passion you develop devoted clients. People who are willing to give you more and more money to keep doing what you do.
Believe it or not, there are people making a
living (paying rent and buying food) working on online micro-gigs. I have a friend who started doing quick tasks (micro-jobs) for side money and realized (once she did the math) she could make
more money and control her schedule if she did her micro-jobbing full time.
What are micro-jobs exactly? These jobs are really short tasks that can be done in a small amount of time, usually under 8 hours. You can do these jobs online, at home, in someone's residence or in a business location. What type of jobs will you find? Here's a list:
- Tagging photos
- Internet searches
- Data Entry
- Audio transcription
- Sorting items into folders for a large seminar
- Take one item from one location to another
- Assembling Ikea furniture
- Mystery shopping
- Write content
- User testing websites
. . . and much more
How do you get paid . . .Usually, these platforms will pay you through direct deposit to your bank account or Paypal. If you don't have a bank account, then you should definitely register for a Paypal account (although Paypal does require a bank account after awhile). Most people don't realize that about 20% of Americans don't have a bank account and this can get in the way of working micro-jobs within the current system. A Micro-Job Worker can get around the absence of a bank account by using Digital Wallets and Prepaid/Debit Card Accounts. I will talk about these types of accounts in a future post (stay tuned, I will connect the post here within this article when it is posted.)
How do people get micro-jobs?
To start working micro-jobs it is very simple . . . NOT EASY, but simple. And each micro-job platform has tweaks and hacks that you must learn to make it more lucrative for you under each system. I intend to outline some of these hacks (advanced tips to make you more successful for each system) on future posts, so stay tuned. Save this post because I will update it with detailed information on how to be successful on each platform. However, the first thing you should do is
register!
Go to the list below and start registering to begin. That's your first step to gaining additional money starting today.
The Micro-Job Systems (where to Register):
Fiverr
This is the most popular online marketplace for creative freelancers, they are well known for graphic designers creating logos, digital marketers setting up Facebook business page, writing a post for a blog, recording a 30-second voiceover, taking photos for an Instagram page, etc. There is so much more that you can do. Check it out.
TaskRabbit
The most popular "real world" micro-job site. They have thousands of people registered and it promotes that it "connects you to safe and reliable help in your neighborhood". To register with TaskRabbit you must have a credit card and pay for a background check ($25). You need to do this because you may we working in someone's business office, or putting furniture together in someone's home, carrying important papers from one location to another or help set up a party at a local venue. They have to feel that you are reliable and responsible. To be a tasker, you will need a bank account, a credit card, and a smartphone. Sorry, but those are the requirements.
Fancy Hands
Could you make a great assistant? Do you know how to send professional emails? Can you order things from a store to be delivered to your client's home? Do you know how to cancel subscriptions? Do you know how to find and reserve services like a dog walker? Have you ever disputed credit card charges? Have you ever sent your bosses wife flowers? Do you know how to schedule doctor's appointments? Can you proofread an article? Do you know how to make travel arrangement for a business team? If you know how to do any of these things like this, you could make money as a Fancy Hands worker. The cool part about working for them is it's very flexible and you can work these jobs around family obligations. [Note: They have to sign in through your Facebook or Google account so you have to have one of these to sign up.]
Amazon Mechanical Turk
This list very small (micro) tasks that you can do really quickly. For your efforts, you can make anywhere for .01cent to $3.00. Very simple tasks that have to do with programming, data mining, data processing, data verification, classifying information, etc.
Smart Crowd [added 4/4/19]
They provide mostly data entry and translation/transcription work for big companies such as Google, Porsche, and Microsoft. It is free to sign up, you have to provide personal details to complete your profile and then do several online skill assessments. The only complaint I've hard about this site is that your hourly earnings will be below minimum wage (to increase your hourly wage you have work really fast and amazingly accurately). Also, competition among freelancers is fierce, you can go days without getting an assignment to do. But don't let that intimidate you, you gain more work and better jobs as you successfully complete tasks and projects given.
Upwork
They specialize in freelance work on a more technical level. Some of the tasks are under the categories of Web, Mobile & Software Development, IT Networking, Data Science & Analytics, Design & Creative Jobs, Writing and Translation Jobs and Legal Tasks as well.
Micro-Working Tip:
It's important to note, the success of working micro-jobs is being registered at more than ONE site so that if one site has a slow period (with no work for you), you may be able to find work on another site to fill in the gaps.
(Come Back for Updates)
These are the sites that are rated and listed as the most legitimate sites for work. I am still researching additional ones and will update the post as I find more reputable sites to register and make money with. Stay tuned.
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