By Sophie MacCue
Before you return to CSU after the summer break, you’re probably seeking to find the perfect job that will allow you to save and enjoy your freedom all at once. You may have heard all kinds of negative things about this summer’s job market, but don’t worry – they are definitely out there! They may just pop up in unexpected places…
Sell cold water at outdoor festivals and tourist spots
Simple fact: selling water is a (profitable) business. The demand is high, especially in scorching Sydney, as are the profit margins. The street vendors with coolers of water bottles selling for a dollar apiece in Darling Harbor, Bondi/Manly, etc. would definitely beat the shops selling the same bottles for $3. Before you set up shop though, make sure you scope out local council regulations. Fines are pretty hefty!
Sell yourself (not in that way)
Gumtree gives you a great platform to sell your skills. Good at teaching English? Coding? Editing videos? Gardening? Do it for others. When writing your Gumtree ad, be descriptive, be friendly and above all else, write with grammatically correct English. Ensure that you’ve entered a price for your service (hunt to see what the prices are like in your market) and that you have your contact information down. Add a pretty picture! One of my previous bosses hired a guy based on an ad like this that claimed he could “dig up anything, anytime.” Can you do that? Because she hired him as a book researcher and now he’s a regular paid consultant.
Sell t-shirts
A new way of designing and selling t-shirts has arrived online. The website, Teespring allows users to design great quality t-shirts that aren’t made until there are enough buyers interested. Sort of like an “on demand” system. What you earn from these campaigns is detailed on the website depending on the amount of shirts sold and the cost per shirt.
Be opinionated
If you Google “focus groups Sydney” (I did it for you) you can get registered to offer your feedback on legit products and services that businesses need in order to understand their customers (i.e. you). Marketers are also clamoring for your opinion through paid market research and online surveys that you can do in your PJs.
Hawk your words
There are plenty of ways to sell your words online for the writers among us. Sites like Bubblews will publish short articles that make you small amounts of money based on the number of views and engagement. Start a blog and sell ads or place referral links in your pieces to make money off traffic and sales commissions with services like Google AdSense or Amazon Associates. There’s lots of information on the web for making money blogging, just make sure you begin with a topic you love and know well.
Times are changing, and staying new and innovative will always put you ahead of others when it comes to making a quick buck. For us, that means that there’s far more opportunities than the stereotypes of mowing lawns and babysitting, and sometimes the most oddball opportunities can earn a surprising amount.
Remember, you’re never going to win big if you just look to minimise your losses. Take a risk this summer and keep life…interesting.
