HN Explorer

Ask HN: Making Extra Money Online

12 points by kaishiro ↗ HN
Hey all,

A close friend of mine who is a recovering alcoholic is trying to get their life together and is finding it difficult to find a job in the current climate (Covid, broken foot, inconsistent recent work history, etc). Even being able to make enough to buy groceries would, I think, improve their headspace, so I was hoping some of you may have some suggestions on side gigs they could do online to supplement their income (e.g. Mechanical Turk).

Any input would be appreciated.

8 comments

[ 4.7 ms ] story [ 38.0 ms ] thread
pelagic_sky
I'm not sure what your friends skill sets are, but if they are hard up for money, and have a stable internet connection, they could try usertesting.com. They would get paid to user test software. All they need other than a good internet connection is to be able to articulate their thoughts in a coherent manner. Hope that helps!
kaishiro
I really appreciate the response - I'll send this along.
muzani
Oh this is a dream side income job. Thanks!
tdeck
Writing articles for an SEO content farm (e.g. textbroker, constant content) can be a small but flexible income source. Definitely better paid than mechanical turk but requires more skill as well.
poletopole
I was going to say SEO would be an easy way to get a foot in the door and doesn't really require any technical skills to do. After awhile you can make well beyond average income doing it.
wasyou
He can try Fiver. Write articles for money or similar kind of tasks. Pay may be higher than Mechanical Turk but generally pay is low, but it's extra money and should be enough for groceries.
giantg2
Not online and not sure if they qualify, but some places pay for plasma donation.

There are online tutoring sites. Again, not sure if that's something they could do or not depending on their skills/history/the restrictions.