Moonlighting

It seems that the norm in the modern world is that you go to school and then you get one job, which you do to pay the bills and such. But more interesting things happen when you're doing a job to make extra money outside of that context - Moonlighting, as it were.

FOCUS: Do you moonlight, or have you? As what? Whyso? Are your moonlighting activities closer to your passion than your day job? Or were the risks of being a night-shift convenience store clerk too much for you?

 

A decade ago I worked as a bouncer (which was my "party money") and private investigating (not the kind TV makes it out to be), and since then I've been a D.J. part time with my own business but strictly grass roots level. It was easier to carry 2 or 3 jobs when you're not married or have kids so when I do work on practically only on Saturday nights.

 

Right now, I teach basic computer skills to a couple of older women who work as aids for a blind woman. I'm talking basic, too--things like sending an email, using the internet, and creating word documents. For me, it's actually pretty boring, but it's stupid easy and I'm paid very well. It's only an hour a week, normally on Monday evenings right after work.

Before I landed this job, I worked as a freelance writer for a small marketing firm, among other things. I'm looking to get back into that as well. It's not much money--about $25/article--but extra cash is extra cash.

 

This thread is pretty topical. I actually just took a med-tech position at the local ER. I'm grossly underemployed in this position, but for some reason the hospital pays by certification level, not job description. Therefore, I'm making the same wage as most nurses but doing about a third of the work. The hospital is a Level I Trauma Center, so I'll also get to see some pretty cool shit.

I feel a little slimy about it, but if they want to pay me an absurd amount of money ($30/hr) to take blood pressures and start IVs all day, I can't say no.

 

I like to try to do focus groups at night. It's not exactly steady employment, but I've made $300 this year for about 4 hours worth of work. I also got to taste a new flavor of Absolut Vodka a few weeks ago.

 

I am currently moonlighting, and not getting paid for it. My dad took a part time controller job on top of his current finance manager gig about a month ago, and ever since then I constantly get requests in my inbox for help reviewing financial reports, reconciling accounts and the like. The superficial stuff I don't mind doing, but some of it, like doing a statement of cash flows, is a complete bitch. Considering all the help my father has given me though, especially when I first became an accountant, I suppose I shouldn't be bitching.

I used to work as a bouncer for some local clubs, which was decent money but as I got older was not worth the hassle. Not so much the dealing with drunk idiots, but rather the "go to bed at 4 am so basically the next day is shot as well" hassle. I've also done some personal training on the side, although my cheapie certification I got way back has long since expired.

 

A few years ago, I had two side businesses going. Me and two bar buddies bought a commercial smoker on a trailer and started a BBQ catering business. The bar we hung out at hired us to cook ribs for happy hour on Monday, as well as certain events on weekends. Another bar buddy owns a container company and would bring us in 2x/year (Christmas and again in July) to prepare and serve lunch for his whole company (about 125 employees). We also picked up assorted, smaller jobs. We didn't make tons of money, but we each got our initial investment back in the first year.

I also set up a business where I would set up a bar to sell cigars. I provided the humidor, stocked & maintained it, set the prices and would coordinate with liquor reps to host Cigar Nights. It was fun, didn't require a whole lot of effort other than spending time in the bars I was supplying, and I made enough to keep me in cigars and make a dent in my bar tabs.

The reality of it though was, they were both nothing more than excuses and justifications for me to give to my wife for being out drinking.

 

I moonlight as a content writer for a web design company. The company belongs to my aunt's husband. It's a really small company, and I'm not really making a lot from it, but I'm using my degree.

 

I moonlighted as a ski tuner for a few years at a local resort. The pay was a c-hair over minimum wage but the tips and fringe benefits more than made up for it. Race tuning spoiled brats skis usually landed me an extra $50 spot or a dinner on the members tab at one of the restaurants. The biggest bonus was being able to ski at nearly all the New England area mountains for at minimum half the lift ticket price. Most gave you a freebie or charged you $5. I've never skied more in my life. Plus the job was fun as fuck. Made a bunch of great friends and hooked up with more female ski instructors than I can even remember.

I run a vehicle storage business on the side that basically pays for it's own mortgage and all of my "toys". Nine months out of the year I just sit back and collect monthly rents but I really have to work in October, April, and May when the majority of my customers want to put something in or take something out of storage. The biggest downside is having my cell go off at all hours of the day with people asking if they can come down in 20 minutes to get their car. Chasing deadbeats down for past due rents is a pain in the ass too. With the economy in the shitter I currently have four vehicles locked up because their owners owe me so much back rent.

Excavation services - I have a tractor I use for digging holes for in-ground & above ground pools, misc trenches or tearing up driveways. I never take on projects for strangers and I never take on jobs that last longer than an afternoon. This is strictly a "I feel like playing with the tractor today" type of side business. Most of the time I'm working for the fuel I use and a nice BBQ lunch.

 

I moonlight doing freelance copywriting/SEO (when I can get it), tutoring english/math/SAT/ACT/GRE (when I can get it, the last three through a service), and, starting next month, keeping stats for a local rec basketball league.

The last one is especially cool, because I get two free leagues and a gym membership, and I'm bored a lot of evenings anyway.

 

I moonlight as a Realtor, I try to pick up about four or five homes a year.

It fucking blows, the buyers want a mansion for a trailer price, just because people are getting good deals on HGTV. Sellers still want to get the same price that they paid for their home in 2006 or they have two loans with two different banks and it's about to be foreclosed. People who flip houses now, 9 times out of ten are crooks who did shitty work and never got any of the permits. I cannot wait to give this second job up.

I also have to work all day Saturdays and Sundays.

All bitching aside, it has paid some decent money but it has been a tough run the last few months and projections for Virginia are only getting worse.

 

I play poker

 

Not sure if it totally counts, but when I was in college, I worked at Disney World for about a year. More specifically, Animal Kingdom. If any of you have been, I worked at Kilimanjaro Safari.



It was actually the most fun job I ever had. I got paid $6.80/hr which is terrible, even for 2004 standards. The job barely covered gas and food for me, but I wasn't paying for college and my folks covered rent since I had pre-paid tuition. They had a college program where students from all over the country would work at the parks for a semester and live in their housing. Meeting girls was like fishing with dynamite. I got into all the parks for free, even during blackout dates. I got discounts on everything in Orlando. I was able to get family and friends in the parks for free, up to 3 people at a time, 12 times a year.

If I ever felt like living in Orlando again (I don't), I would work at a hospital doing radiology full time and work at Disney on the weekends. It was just that much fun.

 

Last week, I discovered that a girl I knew in college is now working as a Disney Princess there. Even though I have zero interest in doing that, nor am I qualified for it whatsoever, I still initially reacted with extreme jealousy. It was my inner four-year-old speaking, I think.

I don't know if this really qualifies as moonlighting, since I'm just starting out in both of these and simultaneously pursuing them until I get a full-time job in either world, but I'm currently supplementing my meager freelance writing salary with event production.

 

I desperately tried to date one of the girls who was a face character for Princess Jasmine. She was stupid hot. But being the slightly pudgy, immature 20 year old I was at the time, did not work in my favor. Oh 20 year old self, how I wish I could punch thee in the face.

 

For the last 3-4 years I've imported a couple different products from China that are sold on channels like QVC and The Shopping Channel. The money can be good if you're timing is right/not on the shitty end of it's Product Life Cycle.