Now that we have a lot of time in hand, how about using it to make some extra money?
Now that almost the entire world is going through a lockdown, many of us who rely on hourly shift jobs as the major source of income need to think about ensuring a regular income for the next couple of weeks or months. And some of us who have the luxury of free time at home can make some money on the side while trying to keep ourselves engaged.
Here are a few ways you can make money while you remain isolated at home. While this may not guarantee a grand income, it could be helpful if done consistently.
Now that almost all schools and institutes are closed, it is a good opportunity for professionals with vocational degrees to fill this gap in the market. There are many parents who don't want their children to lose touch with their daily lessons. If you have a knack for tutoring, you can offer online classes in your area of expertise. It helps to have a vocational certification, but if you are not a teacher per se, you can still offer lessons in things you are good at. This could be music, art classes, baking, etc. Academic sites like tutor.com are great for those with subject matter expertise.
Yes, this is an actual job. If your resume made a great impression on your recruiter at first glance, then you have a skill that many do not have. If you have a way with words, why not use it to highlight the strengths of individuals and help them land their dream job? Check out Resume Chief to understand the fine art of CV writing.
If you know your way around a camera and have an eye for picturesque things, you can take up photography in the comfort of your home. You can sell them through portals that offer a wide range of stock images to firms and individuals for a paid subscription. This list has 15 common photography sites that you might find helpful.
If you are good with catchy captions for your Instagram posts or Facebook updates, social-media blogging could be your forte. Knowing how to engage people with the right choice of words is an art. From fashion, food, beauty, to lifestyle tips, you can share your ideas and make money. There is also a possibility for paid partnerships and collaborations.
Or, if you would like to take up individual projects, you can try portals like freelancers.com, which offers jobs for other skills like data entry and designing as well. You can also check out freelancewriting.com for scheduled projects that you can work around your timeline.
We have a lot of things at home, which we don't need them anymore. You can consider reselling them by posting ads on websites that feature second-hand goods for sale. Online shopping websites allow you to be transparent about their condition as well, so it doesn't have to be shining and brand new to be sellable. This could include books, electrical appliances, even music records, video games, etc. Vintage clothes, too, have a huge market online.
YouTube is a blessing for content creators. From makeup tutorials, recipes, how to plan your day during quarantine to zen-doodling and meditating, you can create content pretty much on anything, and there is an audience for it. If you are an expert at anything, let's say you clean your fridge like a boss, then why not show the world how to do it? Or, if you are sitting amidst a pile of clothes and know that really aren't an inspiration for cleaning, then why not talk about how it's okay to not push yourself during a pandemic? Perhaps, you are having difficulties working from home, or miss your family. Sharing personal experiences that can resonate emotionally with others, too, is great content.
Of course, you need to understand monetization and how ads work on YouTube. Perhaps, this tutorial can help you.
There are many firms that put up consumer surveys or market-research polls, which you can take up to make a few extra bucks. OnePoll and Swagbucks are two sites you can check out as a beginner. But there are loads of simple surveys you can fill in when you have some spare time.
Printables need not only be pieces of art, but you could also design wrappers, labels, customized poems/messages for greetings. And if you are one of those organizational experts who is great with making charts and framework for schedules and routines, you can sell those, too. You can also share your expertise in other subjects as a guide for others. For example, if you an awesome meal-planner who knows how to make things easy during the week, why not share your meal plan as printable guides for mothers with young kids just like you?
If you spend most of your hours watching videos online, this could be the job for you. Transcription involves listening to the audio and putting them into written words. All those subtitles you see on Netflix, well, there is someone out there typing them out for you. If you are good at typing, can catch different accents well, and thorough with your tasks, this could be quite lucrative a career even in the long run. Rev is a great site that many freelancers enjoy working for, but there are loads of other websites as well who offer similar jobs. This YouTube tutorial is a good place to understand the job better.
If you love creating art on Adobe Photoshop or enjoy drawing motifs on Illustrator, why not sell them to art lovers across the globe? There are a number of platforms that will help you sell your art like Etsy, 99 Designs, or Cafe Press. Some of these sites even allow you to even choose products that will go well for your designs, which people can choose to customize based on their preference. Or, you can even start a page on Facebook and Instagram to sell your digital art and design copies.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwe-xW8-rHg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSdIxppK_HY
