8 Side Gigs for People Without a Lot of Work Experience
The idea of making extra money on the side can sound immensely appealing, especially if you need extra cash. However, a lot of side gigs require work experience and skills that not everyone has, which can really put a dent in your ability to earn.
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Fortunately, the gig economy has a lot of room for workers of all kinds of background and experiences. Here are eight side gigs for people without a lot of work experience.
Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
Probably one of the easiest and most in-demand side gigs for people without a lot of work experience is helping out with pets, said Kathy Kristof, founder and editor of SideHusl.com.
"My favorite of the no-experience-necessary platforms is Rover," she said. "If you're good with pets, you're golden. And you can set your own rates and make a small fortune."
She said the need has gone up especially in the tail end of the pandemic, when people went back to work after remote working for some time.
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Selling Your Art
Kristof also suggests that budding artists can upload art to a site like Society6. "They'll use it to decorate products like iPhone cases and t-shirts and pay you a royalty every time your art is used."
If you have a photographic eye, you can also make money selling to stock photo sites, she said.
"There are stock photo sites that will pay royalties every time a client uses one of your shots. There are portrait sites that will manage selling and emailing your photos to clients. And there are sites that will help you sell your photos as art."
Catering Assistant
If you like the hustle of a restaurant environment, or enjoy working with food but don't have restaurant experience, consider working as a caterer's assistant between serving meals and staffing events, said Lorie Carson with RealPeopleFinder.
"Servers, bartenders, and general assistance with catering duties are typical assistant employment. A pleasant smile and a positive attitude can help you get your foot in the door, while some experience is helpful to land this side gig."
Event Staffing
The show must go on at all events, including concerts, festivals, corporate seminars and charity functions, Carson said, but it needs people to pull them off.
"Ushering responsibilities, concessions work, parking lot assistance, janitorial work, and other tasks can all be part of event staffing gigs. The event industry is a sizable field brimming with opportunities and many chances to pick up new skills while boosting revenue. Give significant events a chance to succeed."
Building or House Painting
Painting a building is a side gig that anyone can start, even if they have no prior experience, according to Carter Crowley, co-owner, licensed realtor and senior acquisition manager for CB Home Solutions.
"Whether interior or exterior, people do not have enough time to run this chore. It means that you can make money doing it for them." He said it's also an inexpensive business to set up -- you really just need paint and brushes and a mode of transportation. Best of all, it's not seasonal if you include interior painting.
"Another advantage is that this business is easily scalable. Once you have built a solid clientele, you can hire others and act as a manager for your painting crew. The only equipment you need are brushes, buckets and drop sheets, and voila, you're a painter."
Teaching English
If you speak it, you could help teach English to non-native speakers through sites such as Cambly, which connect English language learners with native speakers for conversation practice, said Caitriona Maria, a private online teacher and founder of TPR Teaching.
"Work experience isn't always necessary to be a great teacher," she said.
Selling Your Items
If you have more clothing and accessories than you need, you can both declutter your home and make some extra cash by selling what you don't use, said Adam Garcia, owner of The Stock Dork.
Sites or apps like Poshmark and Vinted are good places to sell. To make this more of a side hustle, consider thrifting or shopping at garage sales for special finds that you can resell.
Pinterest Virtual Assisstant
Social media has gone from being a place to engage with friends to a marketing tool for a variety of businesses. One of the less considered platforms is Pinterest, which according to Bankdash founder Steve Wilson, has a user base of approximately 290 million people. You can get a side gig as a Pinterest virtual assistant, he said.
"A fantastic Pinterest VA may take a company from good to being viewed by tens of thousands of people online. Businesses hire Pinterest virtual assistants because they may make them a lot of money. To achieve this, you can live and work anywhere in the world."
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