Side-hustles are an amazing way to earn extra money to devote more cash to student loans. And working more than one side-hustle will ensure that you have multiple income streams, which will take your student debt repayment efforts to the next level. During my own student debt repayment journey, I had several smaller side-hustles that I worked in addition to my main job and my side-gig at the academic services company that I described in a prior post. These additional side-hustles allowed me to earn more cash than I could have made with my primary part-time job alone, and also enabled me to earn money when I was unable to work my primary part-time gig at the academic services company.
The next few articles on this website will discuss some of the smaller side-hustles I worked during my student debt repayment saga. Although a few of my smaller side-hustles are specific to my own unique background, the side-hustles discussed in this article and the next post can be worked by almost anyone. Indeed, all you need is a computer and an internet connection to earn money through these part-time gigs.
It is important to note at the onset that the smaller side-hustles I worked required much time and commitment to make a significant amount of money. However, these gigs definitely helped me pay off my student loans as quickly as I did, and I am positive that these side-hustles can help anyone pay off their debt.
During my student debt repayment saga, I worked for Amazon Mechanical Turk to earn additional money to help pay off my student loans. For all those unfamiliar with this platform, Mechanical Turk (or “MTurk” for short) is a service through which companies that need people to complete “human intelligence tasks” submit work to this website. Workers on the website (oftentimes referred to as “Turkers”) complete these tasks in exchange for a set amount of money. You can sign up to be a worker on Mechanical Turk at www.mturk.com, and it is quick and easy to create an account and start earning money.
The theory behind this platform is that there are some mundane tasks that computers are not quite able to complete yet. Mechanical Turk provides a service through which anyone with a computer can make money completing these tasks. The name “Mechanical Turk” is derived from a device from centuries ago that was believed to be playing chess on its own although a human was actually inside the machine making all of the moves. The motto for this platform is “artificial, artificial intelligence” and the general idea of MTurk is that humans can work (and be paid for) certain tasks that computers cannot currently perform well.
Some of the tasks available on the website range from the mundane to the very interesting. Many of the tasks on the platform ask that Turkers type up text from an image that is too illegible for computers to decipher. Other tasks require that Turkers write down statements that are audio-recorded, or type captions for television shows and movies. In addition, numerous psychological studies are performed through the platform, and Turkers can make money by answering questions about their background and participating in this research.
These tasks might not sound appealing, but there are also other more interesting tasks available on the website. For instance, Turkers can oftentimes make money working as a photo moderator for dating websites. Online dating websites usually have policies about what types of pictures users can post on their profiles, and Turkers are paid to look at photos and ensure that they meet the standards of each website. Another common task on the site is to look through stock images or videos and determine if any of the material contains sensitive content, which is more interesting than it sounds. Other tasks require that Turkers find information on the internet, like the average price of a product, and this can sometimes be fun work to complete.
Not everyone will qualify for all of the tasks available on this website. Sometimes you will have to take a test to show that you are capable of completing certain tasks, and other times you have to sign non-disclosure agreements and other forms to be eligible to complete some tasks. However, there is usually a wide variety of work available to perform on the website, so Turkers do not have to settle for completing just one kind of task.
It is important to note that not all of the tasks pay the same amount of money, and it takes a little practice to find the higher-paying and more enjoyable jobs to complete. However, if you are able to optimize your time on MTurk, it is possible to earn as much as $20 an hour through the website. This might not seem like much money, but most of the tasks can be completed while watching TV or doing something else in the background, so this is good money for the effort required.
All told, Amazon Mechanical Turk is a great way to earn additional money to pay off student loans. All of the work on this website can be performed in the comfort of your own home, and you can usually perform work on this platform while watching TV, listening to music, or doing other activities. Of course, making significant amounts of money through this website requires much time and commitment. However, the prospect of paying down student loans should be well worth the effort.