I’ve been working since I was 13 years old. My first “job” was babysitting the children in my neighborhood and then in a church nursery (crazy thinking back to the fact parents were comfortable with a 14-year-old watching 15 children by herself!) I’ve always been a hustler when it comes to making a buck and more often than not it’s been in untraditional working professions.
If I run down my job titles, they read a little like a laundry list of hodge-podge positions (if anything, it’s surprising you won’t find trapezee artist on here)
- pizza parlor cook
- Starbucks barista
- lactation educator
- sales coordinator
- hotdog cart vendor
- admin assistant
- trade show manager
- photographer
- web and graphic designer
- teacher
But for every crazy, entrepreneurial idea I’ve had or shared, I’ve never been afraid of trying it out. I’ve taken chances; some have been beneficial and others not so much.
Lately, my newest ideas have some similarities to old ones that I can build upon:
-I enjoy being creative and artistic and continue to offer web and photoshop services. Need a photo touched up or a WordPress theme installed? Call me.
– Need to sell your car on eBay? I have a template for that.
– Are you a new couple just starting out and need a financial pathway to follow? I’m working on my Newlywed Bliss “Box” and am turning it into an e-book.
Of course with any endeavor, it’s important to calculate return on your time and/or investment. For instance, it’s easy for me to touch up a photo. I can easily manipulate images in Photoshop and take a so-so photo and make it look pretty terrific. Not everyone knows how to do this. Pricing my services includes calculating my time and knowledge. I consider my pricing reasonable, but still profitable.
When setting out on an entrepreneurial path, it’s also important to prioritize jobs. My salaried job comes first, all other side income comes in second and those that are more profitable get pushed ahead of others which are not. I don’t find much pleasure working for “free” unless that free project is my own. 😉
I suppose I could call myself a “Jack of All Trades” (though I wouldn’t go as far to say “master of none”), the truth is I just have many interests and consider myself a well-rounded person.
Are you a “Jack of All Trades?”
3 Comments
I think all of us are the sum of our experiences! It is how you use your experiences that make them more or less valuable. I use my past experiences in the classroom all the time so it relates to my students.
I try to learn as much as I can constantly so I am a Jack of Some Trades. There are some that I know are flat out above me like roofing and HVAC installation that I don’t care to learn and would probably be dangerous if I did it.
@Krantcents – That’s a great way to describe it: each person is the sum of their experiences. You’re also right about relating personal experiences for student comprehension.
@Lance – I agree with you on the roofing – it’s easier to hire a pro for things that require a lot of skill and are perhaps dangerous!