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What Do People in the IT Field Do for Side Jobs?
Posted by
Cliff
on Mon Nov 29, 2004 04:58 PM
from the moonlighting dept.
from the moonlighting dept.
Flagg0204 asks: "Growing up in a primarily white collar household I wasn't exposed to 'side-jobs' until I met my girlfriend whose family was mostly blue collar. This got me to thinking. What do people in the IT field do for side jobs? Electricians, plumbers, HVAC, mechanic, these fields have many opportunities for a little extra cash on the side. What are some IT/IS side jobs that Slashdot readers do for extra money?"
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Online/Remote works for me (Score:5, Interesting)
i am working for few online games like iclod [iclod.com] and xmoo [xmoo.com], they generate a bit of incomes and open up opportunities for other jobs.
the advantage is i don't need to be there physically to carry out works, but with that advantage, i also get the disadvantage of having thousand of similarly skilled people fighting for the same work.
i believe hardware-IT may have more opportunities. just post an ads on local newspaper to "Fix Your Computer Problems At Home" and there bound to be some elderly people who would rather get a local service from a local person at home.
Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just my 2 cents.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
But like the poster above, the last thing I want to do when I get home from working with computers all day is to touch another computer, even if it is something really cool. Every now and then I'll get hit with inspiration, and that is when I add cool new features to the cycling team database, or to my mail server, or my home jukebox, or whatever. The nice thing about it is that I can do it on MY TERMS. I refuse to do 'tech support' type work, however; even for family members. I didn't STOP using windows years ago just so that I could fix OTHER PEOPLE's problems with that PITA inflexible pile of crap.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe he should. When I get home, I know that I loathe opening up a programming environment. I've thought about some various side projects and stuff, but I never follow through on them. The reason is that I get paid to program. I think it's fun, but I don't find recreation in it.
I also have quite a bit of IT knowledge: fixing up computers, abolishing ad-ware, fixing user accounts, training, getting things to "work..." I hate it when my aunt says to me, "Mike, I've got a problem with my computer. My scanner..." First off, I dislike the headache I get when trying to fix things, when I could be doing something fun (i.e. playing pool). Second, I hate that I feel an obligation to work because she's my aunt.
A good side job is what I had a couple of years ago. I was a barista in a coffee shop. I could relax, talk to the customers, shoot the breeze with my co-workers, and generally not think about computers at all. I came home tired, but happy. I was refreshed in the morning as well.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because someone really likes doing something - even if they are passionate about it - people may well want to not do it all the time. Most scientists do not actually spend all their waking hours thinking about their work, most mucisians aren't always playing or thinking about music.
Most people, passionate or not, do want a life.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't really want to clean megs of spyware off a family members' computer, but if they want to slip me some cash I'll be right over.
Trouble is, many family members do not want to pay you to clean megs of spyware off their computer and straighten out lord knows what goofy symptoms it has. They want you to do it for free.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Ahh the joys of family. Does your mom charge you for Thanksgiving dinner? No, of course not. So we all get to "fix" our families pc's for free because it's what we do.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Porn cleaner ... (Score:5, Insightful)
If the particular CC company is used by porn sites to process payments, that might just be the reason!
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Insightful)
take a tip from Billy Gates.
nobody get's something for free. bill charged his family and that is how he started microsoft.
Aunt Meggie can either give you $50 bucks or she can give the computer super center $120.00 to fix her computer.
It works great, and the first time they get real prices to have a computer repaired and it returned to them with everything erased they will gladly feed you, give you a beer and 50 bones in cash.
I stopped giving away my weekends and weeknights to relatives and friends years ago. give them a deep discount like my example, but do NOT give it away free.
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Re:The last thing I want to do when I go home is.. (Score:5, Funny)
I only charge one relative, but he's a second cousin that is convinced he can make more money in the market if he has an even faster connection. He is currently using cable internet because they said it was up to 5 times faster than local DSL, ignoring that he can't get that speed during the hours the market trades, and when he heard that the cable speeds tend to be faster early in the morning (like 4 A.M.), he decided to start trading on forign exchanges, even though he knows next to nothing about the companies involved, because he's that convinced the extra speed somehow matters. He hears a distorted explanation of resetting MTU's in the Windows registry for faster access systems, from one of his clueless friends, and I get another call. Him, I charge for calls.
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Obvious answer... (Score:5, Funny)
Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
The moment they know you're in I.T. everyone in your family, and all your mother's friends, want you to fix their PCs.
Re:Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
Then they'll either be happy with the stability, or so annoyed that they'll never bother you again.
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Re:Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
I didn't know grandmothers required electricity.
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Re:Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
This is obviously an early example of nanatechnology.
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Re:Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
I have absolutely no idea why I remember that...
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Re:Isn't it obvious (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:And on this point... (Score:5, Funny)
Me:Ok whats on the screen.
Them: Some box thing.
Me: ok what does the message say in the box.
Them: I dont know.
Me: Can you read it to me?
Them: It says something about windows.
Me: OK what does it say about windows.
Them: Something about Internet being Shut down.
Me: Were you on the internet when the problem happened?
Them: (defensive) NO!
Me: Was anything changed since it worked last?
Them: NO! CAN YOU COME OVER HERE AND LOOK AT IT?
Me: I'll be right over
So I go over because they have messed up VNC somehow and I cannot connect to the computer, and the error is something to the effect of
Your document has been sent to the printer
|OK|
Or my personal favorite, is when some issue happens and we get a bunch of calls about it, so we send out a net message asking everyone to please not call about the issue we already are working on it... Invariably 5-10 people will call immediately either stating that they have an error on thier computer what do they do, or they ask about the message and what do we want them to do about it.
READ IT DAMNIT. ITS IN ENGLISH, YOU MORON!
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Getting people to read important messages (Score:5, Funny)
One year they clamped down and started only letting math/science people log in. I was sitting in the lab working one day, shortly after this policy was instituted. To give people fair warning, I wrote the following message on the white board:
PLEASE READ (<-- in HUGE letters)
There is a new policy in place where only people
on the ACLUsers list can login in this lab. You
are on this list if you are enrolled in a math or
science class in this building.
You could not possibly miss this sign. And yet, over the course of the few hours I was there, I saw countless people exhibit the following behavior:
- walk in the door
- glance momentarily at the sign (long enough to read "PLEASE READ", but no more)
- sit down at a computer
- try to log in
- look puzzled
- try a few more times
- try a different computer
- come over and ask me "is there something wrong with the computers in this lab?"
It was maddening! I wanted to smack them!It's tempting to conclude from this story (as I did at the time) that most people are just ignorant and lazy. I think that the more useful lesson is: you'll never get people to pay attention to something by asking them to. Writing "PLEASE READ" is a futile effort. You have to make them WANT to read the sign; people read things because they WANT to, not because they SHOULD.
A much better strategy would have been to change the heading from "PLEASE READ" to "CAN'T LOG IN?"
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I've never been able to make this work. (Score:5, Insightful)
Aside from that, I've noticed that the lion's share of part-time skilled labor still takes place between 9 and 5. There are plenty of 10-15 hour a week IT jobs, but very few where you're not on regular work hours. Even if you find one, any bit of success tends to pull the work towards business hours -- I briefly had a side gig as a trainer at night, but that quickly devolved into "can you do this during the day?" once companies started demanding our services.
As a consequence, you are forced to look for jobs which are both off-hours and feature very flexible schedules. This tends to translate into low skill and thus low paying. I don't mean to sound elitist here, but when you're making good money at a regular job I think you'll find that it's just not worth surrendering your free time for what you can bring in working at Starbucks. Remember: just because you're not paid when you're not at work doesn't mean that time is worthless.
If you're not making enough money, it might be a better use of your time to continue your education. Many universities cater to people who work a 9-5, and a lot of employers will help pay for you to go. The payoff isn't as immediate, but in many situations it's a far better plan overall.
Re:I've never been able to make this work. (Score:5, Interesting)
Many universities cater to people who work a 9-5 ...
I hope that you see the obvious side job for the white collar worker: teach an evening course at the local community college. Of course, you'll be making less per hour than the janitor, but it is white collar.
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Re:I've never been able to make this work. (Score:5, Interesting)
I think this is spot on. A lot of IT jobs are salaried, and there is a huge difference between hourly wages and salary. Waged employment usually has a very fixed set of hours you are expected to work, and any work outside of that is overtime and more expensive for the employer, so it's discouraged. You are being paid for a fixed set of hours, so time outside that is your own, allowing for work on the side. On the other hand salaried work is essentially paying you to "get the job done" regardless of hours. They're paying you up front for as much of your time as it takes. Side jobs just don't come into it.
Having worked both waged (as a baker) and salaried (as a research mathematician) jobs, that's exactly how it generally worked for me. Both have their advantages, and side jobs is simply one of the advantages of waged employment.
Jedidiah.
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writing (Score:5, Interesting)
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Nothing (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Nothing (Score:5, Interesting)
I've had similar contracts presented to me as conditions of employment. My first name begins with a "W", as does the word "Won't". On the signature line I write "Won't Agree", When people see that big cursive "W", they don't check to see what the rest of the line says.
I've never needed to take advantage of this practice, but I like having the option.
LK
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Removing spyware (Score:5, Interesting)
IT Consulting (Score:5, Interesting)
Gigalo (Score:5, Funny)
What do I do? POKER! (Score:5, Interesting)
I find that it's a very fun, and profitable, hobby to have on the side. I'm playing enough now that I do consider it a side job... in fact, I make a better hourly wage than at my real job! The best part about it is, I can play whenever I have a spare hour or two... I don't have to schedule it in.
I've started getting all of my other friends in IT hooked on it as well :)
Damnit, shut up! (Score:5, Funny)
Erm, I mean, this is a horrible idea, all of the IT people I know lose lots and lots of money playing poker online.
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Re:What do I do? POKER! (Score:5, Funny)
My place, Wednesday's.. most people bring $200-$300 with them.
Its an *easy* game...
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Prostitution (Score:5, Funny)
Blacksmith (Score:5, Funny)
Throughout my years as a Unix admin, I have been a working blacksmith and woodworker in exotic woods. Recently I have branched into selling BDSM gear and sex toys, but that's beside the point.
I suspect many IT workers have a more artistic/creative outlet, whether it earns them any money or not. Its amazing how theraputic hammering hot metal is after a day dealing with computers and their users.
I give back to the community (Score:5, Interesting)
Reading Is Life (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Reading Is Life (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re:Reading Is Life (Score:5, Interesting)
How do you get hired to proofread? I love to read and am pretty sure that I can catch a lot of errors.
Ooh, careful.... I offered to proofread a book and actually got hired to edit it (and another book by the same author). I am now hypersensitive to errors in books and magazines, not to mention all the other printer matter you run into on a day to day basis.
ObTopic: I actually volunteered after the author asked on a TeX-related mailing list I was on. I have no idea how else you'd get hired -- maybe try your local college or university, where there's lots of writing going on.
Once it's on, it might be hard to shut off, and it's amazing how many mistakes there are out there... seeing them all can really suck.
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side jobs (Score:5, Interesting)
Private Investigator (Score:5, Interesting)
Moonshine (Score:5, Funny)
Best way to make side money... (Score:5, Insightful)
A penny saved, is a penny earned!
One word: (Score:5, Funny)
embezzlement
(in case my boss is watching, I'm j/k)
(if he's not, contact me for more info.)
Room Service (Score:5, Interesting)
Though honestly I do really miss it at times. My job is computers, my hobby is computers, it was nice to make some cash and spend my time on something other than sitting in front of a computer.
And up until my most recent IT job, I was making far more money doing room service.
Habitat for Humanity (Score:5, Interesting)
volunteer? learn? women? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a contract Java programmer and work is spotty right now. I occasionally do volunteer work for non-profits, but they usually call me at odd hours and expect me to perform miracles on a shoe-string budget. Right now I'm helping my senior neighbors install and use their new PC. I'm moving at the end of the month and they bought a new machine and a store service contract (at my recommendation). They're paying me in free meals and beer.
I fixed a (non geek) friend's girlfriend's PC and she's asked me to help a few of her friends. I make it a point when I install things like Firefox to emphasize that I "customize it" with special features, so she when she bragged to her friends about her experience there was only one place to go to - ME. Another advantage is that if you're dating someone and she doesn't work out, either she won't bother you for tech support any more or she'll go out of her way to ensure that you remain good friends.
The best "side-job" I've found
I know some a creative mechanic who drives a "tweaked" car, an electrician with a fantastic christmas display, a chef who likes to throw dinner parties to show off, and a few carpenters with some really nice home interiors. If you're not happy using your skills outside of work, then you're probably not totally happy with your career. To me, that's difference between a career and a job.
Re:Drink. Heavily. (Score:5, Insightful)
As for seeking greener pastures, I worked 3 or 4 truly hellish jobs. One firm moved me 4 times in a year; my colleagues had resumes that spanned 20-40 job sites in 5 to 10 years. Another was small enough that the ceo and his wife split managerial duties, and their marital strife led to us getting conflicting orders twice a day. And so on... until I got in with a company full of wizards and acolytes that was managed with an eye toward us having balanced lives. Full telecommute privileges, anything-goes flexibility to hours we worked, etc. What I'd call 'professionals leading professionals' is so much better than the crap you're enduring. Yeah, I work wicked long hours, but I do it in my own fashion: I come in late, I stay a bit late, I go home and play with my kids and then go to my computer room and work for another few hours (or not) at my own discretion. From that first good gig, I've gone to another firm with similar rules. The work's fun and cutting-edge, with plenty of time for retrospection and self-training. Oh, and I make double what I did for any of the sweatshops. As the kid says, "I highly recommend it."
One last comment: having been around the field for quite a while, I suspect that we're still shedding non-geeks from the DotBomb years. The extra pressure and strain is a good thing in that respect: it gets rid of people that don't do this out of love. A few more years and we should be back to where demand exceeds supply just enough to give us more options.
Yeah, I know that flies in the face of outsourcing/etc, but a guy can dream. Everything I see still points toward no end to the problem of expanding complexity and increased I/T security risks. That, for me, means plenty of work to be done.
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