How to Get Paid for Easy Tasks- What I learned Monday at Techie Youth:
If you are looking for some cash or money doing easy tasks in your free time, there are different ways through websites that you can paid to take surveys, answer questions, search the internet, play games, and do other similar easy tasks. An example of this is Swagbucks, a widely used website where you can shop online, watch videos, and find deals in exchange for earning points that allow you to get free gift cards from retailers like Amazon or Walmart. Alternatively, you could receive cash through PayPal. Another example is Usertesting where you can get paid for testing out products and writing detailed feedback and a review. Both of these are good ways to make a little money on the side but are not suitable replacements for a full-time job.
Quality Assurance Tester- What I learned Tuesday at Techie Youth:
A quality assurance tester or technician's job is to test products/software for businesses or companies and make sure it is working correctly and the way the client expects it to. Software testing can be divided into black box testing and white box testing. Black box testing is when you only care about the external functionality of the product, not the way it's designed, thus you do not need to have programming knowledge. White box testing is about the internal structure of the program, which requires programming knowledge and you must know how to code.
Translator- What I learned Thursday at Techie Youth:
If you are fluent in more than one language, a translator could be a job for you. You could write subtitles for videos, making sure the translated version best conveys the meaning of the original language. You must have good writing skills, communication skills, computer skills, attention to detail, and be willing to constantly learn and stay updated. If you are interested in a job in translating, you could major in Translation, the foreign language, and culture you want to translate from or to, or Linguistics. The average salary for a translator in the United States is $55,760.
Editor/Proofreader - What I learned Friday at Techie Youth:
If you are interested in writing and have good writing skills, you could become an Editor/ Proofreader and help other writers correct their grammar and improve the readability of their content. If you are interested in becoming an editor, a few different possible majors you could major in would be Journalism, Communications, Creative writing, Literature, or English. If you enjoy working from home and writing, this could be a job for you. The average salary for an Editor/Proofreader in the United States is $61,940 a year. A few resources you could use are Scribendi, Jobs for Editors, and ProofreadingServices.
If you like listening to music, an easy way to make money from home is by listening to music and then submitting a detailed review of the song! For example, if you use an app like Slicethepie, one of the largest paid review sites on the internet, you simply listen to music, and then for every review you submit, you earn money. The money you earn is dependent on the quality of the review you submit as well as the music you listen to. The money earned will not be enough to earn a stable income but could be a fun remote side job, especially if you enjoy listening to music, now you would just get paid to do it.
The role of a web developer is to create a website and make it easy and pleasing for the user to use. This is a job that can be done entirely remotely and is done working on your own rather than constantly working with people. The industry is constantly growing and the salary is high. You have to be okay and ready to constantly be learning as programming languages are advancing. You could either work for a company or for individual clients. You will have to be able to write code using HTML or javascript or other programming languages, make the website easy to use for the user, and collaborate with other developers. If you're interested in this career you could major in Computer Science or a similar field. The average base salary for a web developer in the United States is $89,616.
A mobile app developer writes programs to create an app on a mobile device, if your mobile app is to succeed you could be making a lot of money. However, a risk associated is if you create the app and no one uses it, then you've wasted all your time. The traditional way to create an app is for only one platform like an iPhone or Android, if you are able to program languages for both Android and iOS apps, this will increase your chances of becoming successful. The average entry-level mobile application developer salary in the US is $78,914, however as your experience increases so does your salary. If you are interested in this career you can major in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or other fields that are related. Alternatively, you can join a boot camp or self-teach yourself to code.
The role of a product manager can range as there are many different responsibilities, their prime job is to focus on the development and or improvement of a specific product within a time and budget range. You will spend time researching the company's market, clients and competitors. You then create a rough timeline of a plan for the product including the resources needed and present it to different people across the company such as executives, investors, and development teams. You must have the emotional intelligence to develop strong relationships with the company and client to be able to sell the product. In addition, as being a product manager may be stressful you must be able to maintain your emotions and balance your work to keep all your constituents. The average salary of a product manager in the United States is $74,486.
The job of a virtual assistant is to help people in any way they need to be helped in exchange for a salary. This can range from answering phone calls or emails, doing research for your client, data entry, booking flights and hotels, and arranging events or appointments. You have to be comfortable working for someone; This is not a high-level role but rather a low-level role with tasks that can be boring and take time. You must be able to use your time efficiently so you can complete more tasks and eventually be able to have multiple clients. The average salary is $22.03 per hour in the United States. To find a job you visit different websites that are hiring such as Profit Factory, Assistant Match, Smith, or Zirtual.
The purpose of fundraising is to bring funds to a charity, nonprofit organization, or other beneficial cause. For you to be successful at this job you must be capable of bringing funds to stay employed. You must be a people person and handle rejection well. The majority of the money that comes from fundraising actually comes from individuals and not corporations or businesses, so you have to be able to work with others and be determined and patient. To establish long-lasting relationships with these people who donate you must communicate with them on a regular basis and directly ask them to make a donation. You can community with them by asking in person, over the phone, coordinating events, or mailing. In college, you can major in public relations, journalism, communication, or business. The average salary is around $60,000.
A business analyst is a person who analyzes the business's roles and speaks to different people within an organization to find out what they are doing, what they are trying to accomplish, and determines if is a good use of their time and efficient. The average salary for a business analyst in the United States is around $93,000 per year. A data analyst is similar except the information they receive to make business decisions comes from analyzing data- how many sales they received, customers they have, trajector of last year compared to this year. You need strong technical skills for this job. If you want to be a data analyst you can consider majoring in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Information Management. If you want to be a business analyst you can major in Business, Finance, or Economics. The average salary for a data analyst is $82,326.
Today I learned about different online jobs that you can easily do if you have lots of time. I learned about freelance writing which is basically writing for money, you could write about one topic or a broad range of topics, although those who focus on one are more successful. You can work on individual articles, websites, magazines, and if you have experience in editing you can increase your income. However, you must be able to write well and quickly. This option allows for a lot of flexibility and can be great as a side job and to get your name out there. Alternatively, you could be a staff writer who works for a single publisher as a full-time job and guaranteed income. However, your work would be specific to one magazine or newspaper or the publication you are writing for. Both options have their pros and cons but if you love writing it could be a fun job.
Today I learned about Artificial Intelligence and the skills needed to succeed. You must have experience in coding, math, physics, and you can major in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Engineering. To gain experience beyond just majoring you can work on open source projects, coding challenges, and hackathons. This allows recruiters to see you have experience beyond just taking classes. You can also join a Bootcamp if you don’t have a degree in a tech field. If you are new or interested in coding you can start by using youtube to learn more and understand the basics. After learning the basics you can build your own projects and write your own code to display on GitHub - which many recruiters look at. Understanding what an algorithm is and what you can do with one slowly will allow you to improve your coding and problem-solving skills, which will, later on, allow your to build complex projects and gain more experience.
Today I learned about video editing and how to work with directors and others to produce the best video. First, to have a good video you must have a good script- have a purpose, engage the audience, and know who your target audience is. Focusing on the images you're going to use as well as the color scheme will allow you to choose the best combination for your video and help convey your purpose and mood. You also must incorporate some music or your own voice over and it has to be good audio. By doing all this and sharing your video through social media and email, you can engage your audience and get many people to watch your video. Choosing video editing as a profession can allow you to work from home and combine your creative skills to create a video you and others can enjoy and profit from.
Today I learned about forming a business- what that means and what it requires. First, you must register your business and follow the requirements of your country as it differs. In the U.S. you must register so the government can get you the license and permit you to need to run your business and pay your taxes. Registering also allows for legal and financial protection. A few different business structures I learned about are sole proprietorship, partnership, C-corp, and benefit corporation. If you register your business as a sole proprietorship it is owned and run by a single person. If you choose this your personal assets and business become one- so if you get into a lawsuit your personal assets will be affected as well. A partnership is another way of registering your business for you and another person to share ownership. The partnership is more expensive than a sole proprietorship as they need more legal and accounting help. A corporation is completely separate from its owners, protected from lawsuits, and has limited liability. However, for this option, you have a lot of state and federal work papers you form which is expensive. A benefit corporation focuses on social good and gives you lots of protection with limited liability. However, it is very expensive and also requires a lot of paperwork. Overall, registering your business is a big decision, but with a concrete plan and many options, you can define your own path.
For finding a job or starting a business you must look for something that's a perfect match for you, not a perfect job or perfection. You must set reasonable expectations and jump on opportunities when you have them because there's never going to be a right time. If you try to go over reasonable expectations you won't achieve anything, you only use more resources and time. Set your goals in moderation- if you're aiming too high you may miss everything and lose it all. To make your business profitable you want to lay out the company's plan, the resources you need, the cost, and an estimate of the sales generated. You don't want to rely on if statements but rather on a concrete plan of how you're going to make money. You have to have enough contingency planning in the process because you need to make sure you have more plans than just one. You have to prepare for if you don't get the results you expected and not just rely on wishful thinking.
When you are letting someone go (terminating) you have to understand and be ready for any possibility that the person cracks. Different people react differently to being terminated and be ready for any possibility. Always have someone with you as a witness, ideally two but at least one. This allows for another person to be there so if the person being terminated starts acting out, you want to have control of the situation from the beginning. You want to ask them to come to your office or a safe space when you terminate them and don't want to do this in front of other people or their environment and break the news. You want to make sure you do it correctly and carefully. If you're in New York you want to be vague so you're protected legally. You must escort them out of the building as well and help them gather their things. Any form of access they had should be revoked and passwords changed. Do not allow them to re-enter the building, if they need anything let someone else get it for them. These tips help allow for a safe termination so you are not being sued or putting your business at risk.
Today I learned about Entrepreneurship & Leadership and how to organize a business / start one in order to make a profit. I learned about the qualities and what makes you a good leader. Not everyone is meant to be a leader, you must have leadership skills and be fearless and not be afraid to make your own rules or be wrong. To take financial and business risks (intelligent and logical choices). Asking yourself at different steps what's the worst that can happen can get rid of lots of irrational fears and help you make better decisions. You have to be ready to endure what you don't want to happen, allowing this to happen creates different perspectives and better outcomes. You have to also make sure to maintain a balance between a tough leader and a kind one - you want to make sure by being too nice you don't get taken advantage of but you also don't want to be too tough, it all about who you're interacting with and the role they play. You must give respect as it's due and tailor your style with whom you're dealing with. Practicing these skills will allow you to be a good leader and start a business and make a profit.
Today I learned about scams and how to avoid being scammed. When a job is posted ask yourself whether what the steps are to getting involved, who is paying you, and proof of payment before you begin working. You can also use websites such as the US Better Business Bureau or google the job title and add scam to see what information you find. If the opportunity is high paying yet they don't ask for any of your credentials you should look further into it by googling the person hiring and reaching out to others. In addition, I learned about networking with others and why it's important to know and have good relationships with people. The better connection you have the more likely they are to want to help you with getting a job. By both being genuine and helpful you will receive others who are the same. You should constantly be networking and reaching out to people not only when you need help.
Lots of recruiters will look at your LinkedIn and resume so you want to make sure those are up to date and the best version you can make. For your LinkedIn profile, you want to have a professional picture as this is what they see first, use your job title as your headline rather than a description so that recruiters can easily understand and find it, having a profile summary that is concise and descriptive, you want it just to lay out what work experience you have without bullet points (because that would just be your resume) and ask for recommendations from people you worked for. In addition, I learned how to create a good resume including the order, what to include, and how to save it to send it to recruiters. Lastly, I learned about cover letters and what you want to have: not too long of one because no recruiter wants to read that, find a contact, personalize it for each position you are applying for, tell them exactly why you are inquiring, what you offer/why you're qualified. Lastly, I learned that employers look for your Linkedin profile and other information about you on Google so you want to make sure you have everything up to date and nothing that will harm your image.
Today I learned a lot of different things- from traveling to working from home and getting paid. I learned about how to travel to different countries and save and make money. I also learned about working remotely and the benefits of working remotely such as less time commuting, being able to work in different settings, and increased productivity. As for getting paid I learned how to write a check to someone and stay secure by having a checkbook to keep track of all the checks you've given, having a consistent signature, and how to fill out one in the right order correctly. I also learned how to endorse one including if I needed to write a check to myself. I learned that to withdraw from an ATM it charges about ten dollars but if you use set up an online account like Charles Schwab Checking Account you would actually save that amount because it is an online bank so there is no fee. I also learned how to send money through Zelle and set up different accounts like Square and PayPal. I learned about cryptocurrency, choosing the right crypto wallet, and how to keep it safe. Lastly, I learned about getting paid in cash although most jobs don't offer that as an option, if smaller ones do there are both benefits and risks.
From the ted talk, I learned about why it's essential to find a whole model, someone you can look up to, someone you can talk to, and most importantly look at their intentions. To find someone with powerful intentions because that in turn will motivate you. Instead of setting up this picture of what you want the outcome of your life to look like and basing your role mode solely on just that, find someone with powerful intentions that led them to where they are. Because it is those intentions that will motivate you not the outcome that may not go as you planned. From the articles, I learned how to find a mentor and how to reach out to one. Being clear with your goals and why you admire and want this person to be your mentor will help find you one. I found WiSER Mentorship Program for women in STEM to be helpful as I am a woman in stem who is struggling and have been looking for a mentor for a while now. I think finding a mentor is definitely helpful and will motivate me but at the same time, I must also want to work and cant fully rely on them for motivation.
Today I learned of different ways to take care of your health and why it's important to do so. Easy things to do at home can be to sleep at least seven hours a day, drink water, exercise, meditate, and take a walk especially if you sit a lot. Doing these simple free things can improve your health and state of mind which will translate to your work and is very important. Similar to time it's something valuable you can try to invest in. I also learned about how beneficial exercising is for you, both mentally and physically, and how it can increase your lifetime. Exercising releases endorphins which help improve sleep and make you feel better. In the Ted Talk, I learned that happiness isn't just thoughts and positive thinking but rather actions. It's much easier to complete a positive action than it is to concentrate on a positive thought. We often think about physical health and what we can do to improve it but not about our mental health. Being more aware of your thoughts and feelings and acknowledging them but also using them to perform things to make you happy can improve your mental health. I learned about how to be a leader and tactics that help other people believe that. A few examples are looking people in the eye, body language and mimicking the person you're talking to, not talking too much or too little, and not participating in bad habits (smoking) in front of others. Lastly, I learned about managing stress and how it's all in your control. You choose how you feel and when you let others change that you let them control you. Helping others can also be a way to feel better when you feel like you can't find your purpose.
Today I learned about time management and how to use your time wisely. This can mean looking at tasks like sleeping and seeing if you are regularly sleeping more than seven hours. It can also mean cutting back on tv and saving money you would spend on cable or buying a dishwasher to save the time it takes you to do dishes. Evaluating how much time you use a day doing different things and considering what you can do to save your time if you can make more money than what you are doing. This does not mean to be cheap with yourself because that can hurt you if you spend a lot of time because you are cheap with yourself. You need balance and to organize/prioritize what tasks you do in a day that are necessary and evaluate whether this is time used efficiently. In addition, learning a new skill every day and learning new things every day rather than wasting your time watching television or video games will allow you to discover your own passions and increase your interests and skills. I also learned that there is enough time in a day to work and make time for what you want (exercise, meditate, hike) but you have to make the time for that to happen. I also learned focusing on one task at a time is much better than multitasking as it has been proven that we cannot multitask. I also learned about Parkinson's law which I thought was very interesting as I also often make the mistake of giving myself a lot of time to complete a task that can be completed quicker in hopes that I will perform it better. However, I learned this is not true as most time is spent procrastinating because you know you can complete it sooner. You must give yourself a reasonable deadline and amount of time, not too little or too much to allow yourself to perform your best. I also learned about the kanban board and how to use it to organize your work as well as a digital board that can track your progress and be shared with others easily.
Today I learned that the way you use your time can impact and improve your lifestyle if you use it efficiently, regardless of whether you are poor or wealthy. I also learned that the gross income a job may offer is not what you will receive (net income) due to stuff like taxes. So when looking for a job make sure you understand how much money you will be taking home because it will be less than what they offer. I also learned how you can save a lot of your income by spending less on things that are usually adding up monthly. And that budgeting is important and how to budget. Sitting down and writing down how much money you are spending and saving will allow you to see if you saving enough and whether you need to make changes to how much you save and spend. It also allows you to think about how cutting down on one expense you may have not realized was costly can will enable you to spend it on something more beneficial. I learned about smart purchases and how to decide whether something is worth buying in new condition or an older one based on how much it will resell. For example: buying a costly new car might hurt you as when it depreciates it will lower the value you can sell it for. I also learned about negotiation and how when to know to negotiate for a lower price or throw in something extra in there. Lastly, I learned about credit cards and whether you should buy using one, if you can pay the monthly fees and use responsibly only what you have, then you can gain small incentives and protection. Overall, I gained a better understanding and knowledge of how to be financially intelligent and more aware of how your spend and how save.