Part-time careers that work well with semi-FIRE?

[Khan]

Let's not go there.

I'll just say that there once was only a single digit of difference between the Navy's stock numbers for "potato peeler, hand use" (applied by cooks) and "electric motor for a low-pressure blower"-- said motor being six feet long, several feet in diameter, a ton or two in weight, and a few kilowatts in power consumption. It was an innocent mistake, and the poor cook couldn't understand why the logistics people were so upset with him over his attempt to order seven of them...

A former USAF person told me she accidentally ordered a wing for a B-52 when she transposed some numbers concerning radio parts.

 

[Urchina]

Professional organizer - thanks, Nords. I'd probably do well with other people's junk. My own precious treasures, on the other hand, cannot be parted with.

I forgot "tutor." Around here a good tutor connected with educational coaches can earn upwards of $60K/year for mostly-part-time work.

 

[In-control]

Audobon usually has positions
Colleges hire alot of 20hr/week people
UPS gives benefits for 4/hrs/day 5 days/week work loading the brown trucks
Barns and Noble & Starbucks also gives beni's to part timers

 

[DangerMouse]

Truthfully if I were in your position and looking for part-time work that was along the career lines, I would be looking for a line of work that appealed to me for what it was rather than the $'s or ease of getting the work. Whether it be 10 hours a week or 40, you want those hours to be spent doing something you enjoy rather than just going thru the motions.

 

[Walt34]

try www.indeed.com and use keywords "part time" and limit the search to 15 or 25 miles.

Thanks for the indeed.com hint! I bookmarked it for when DW graduates. Got to get some ROI on that investment!

I ended up taking a job doing security work, prior law enforcement experience being a requirement. To quote a co-worker: "Never in my life have I been paid so much for doing so little." But we all know we're not getting paid for what we do. We're getting paid for what we can and will do.

 

[freebird5825]

i was out of town for a few days and was disconnected from cyberspace as well....

you're very welcome for the indeed.com link. glad it was useful.

i liken using the daily indeed.com postings to looking for a car when you don't need one. you can kick the tires, test drive it, and admire it's gleam, but nobody is forcing you to drive it off the dealer's lot.

remember the retiree's motto "I don't want to and I don't have to."

 

[harley]

I went to the indeed.com website and put in for part time in my area. Just playing around with it. Interestingly, one of the jobs I saw was for a Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley. I looked to see what the requirements were and found:

Requirements

• Demonstrate ability to sell
  
• Excellent problem solving, networking, communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
  
• Interest in investment and financial markets
  
• Demonstrate excellent work ethic and ability to multitask

Preferred Experience

• Prior sales experience
  
• Prior Business Owner/Entrepreneur
  
• Prior professional service career (Legal, Accounting, Education, Military)

Interesting, isn't it, that there is no requirement for previous financial knowledge. I guess, as long as you can sell, sell, sell, you can pick up the trivia later.

 

[Urchina]

Truthfully if I were in your position and looking for part-time work that was along the career lines, I would be looking for a line of work that appealed to me for what it was rather than the $'s or ease of getting the work. Whether it be 10 hours a week or 40, you want those hours to be spent doing something you enjoy rather than just going thru the motions.

I'm pretty fortunate -- I like work and have enjoyed most jobs I've had (about 15 so far). So "looking for a line of work that appealed to me" is a pretty broad category for me. I find that co-workers and workplace culture are far more important to me than the actual job itself -- I had a great time doing shipping/receiving for a bath and body boutique, for example (for minimum wage) but had a horrible time in a project management position (which should have been awesome and was in line with my research) because my bosses were capricious and tempermental.

I do require regular human contact, and I do best in generalist/varied duty positions. Many of the jobs above would fit that description.

Oh, I want to add "part-time clerk in an independent bookstore (particularly the children's section)" to the list.

 

[harley]

Oh, I want to add "part-time clerk in an independent bookstore (particularly the children's section)" to the list.

I understand the draw of the independent store, although we don't seem to have many around anymore. But I'm thinking of Barnes and Noble for the perk of being able to take home any hardback in the store one at a time. That would be worth more than the money for me.

 

[legacypac]

Real Estate Agent does not a good part time occupation make. (I know, I tried it in University). Part time agents make loosy realtors.

If you have a real flair for real estate, you might try small scale real estate development instead. Buy a property (perhaps one you can live in too?), get it rezoned, arange services, subdivide up and sell. It is not a steady paycheck but since the process goes slow most places. one can do it part time on ones own schedule.

 

[Red_y]

I'll second the notion on Tax Preparer.

I worked seasonally (mid-Jan to Apr. 15) for H&R Block for 6 years, moonlighting while I was finishing up my career at Mega-Corp. You can work 20-40+ hours/week depending on your availability. And talk about portability...every little ho-dink town in the US and Canada has an H&R Block office, right? After I moved to Canada last year, I took the basic Canadian tax class and worked for an H&R Block office here in BC.

Don't expect to get rich...in the US I made about $15/hour once I got fast (earnings are commission-based). In Canada it's more like $10-12/hour. But it's fairly challenging work, you get to meet all sorts of people, and on a good day you can help someone--either by figuring out a weird tax situation for them or coming up with a refund that they really need.

I'd also suggest checking out Workamper News, although I have no personal experience with their services.

They have information about campground jobs, jobs at state parks, national parks, marinas, theme parks, NASCAR, lodges, rv parks, and resorts. This is the "campground host" gig that a lot of retirees do. I got a sample issue of their magazine a few years ago... it also had postings for jobs like picking apples in Eastern WA and the Canadian Okanagan, etc. I like any kind of "seasonal" work, since if it turns out to be a bummer for some reason, the end is always in sight!