One of my resolutions is to increase my income by $5000. One method that I planned on using to achieve this is being a tutor on tutor.com. I went tonight and filled out the application and proceeded to take the exam. They did not have any openings in my field (biology), but they did have openings in statistics, geometry, calculus, chemistry, and trigonometry. I tend to do well in all of these subjects, so I took the tests for all except for trig.
How about I failed them all! I thought the tests would be no problem, but instead they were NO JOKE!!! I quickly realized that I have forgotten most of the material and was so disappointed. They give you an opportunity to take the exams again in 3 days, but I'm not going to. If I don't feel like the information is readily available, then I don't want to tutor someone.
Even though they are not hiring for my field, I plan on taking the biology test this weekend. Then hopefully an opening will arise and my name will pop up.
There are other plans to increase my income:
- Summer school - I did this last year and literally did nothing but play Sims 3 all day and told students to get off myspace. I received a little over $3000 doing this for around 4 weeks.
- At Home call agent - I would really like to work at home and have flexible hours since BF and I are sharing a car. I know of a few agencies, I just need to make sure I meet the tech requirements.
- Census taker - I applied for this job several weeks ago and scored really well on the written test (96%). We were told that hiring would begin in the spring and the position could last from 5-10 weeks. The pay for my area is $17.00/hr! I noted that I can work 35-40 hours. I plan on working this many hours by pulling doubles on the weekends. The job also pays for mileage.
- Fellowship - I am considering applying for a year-long fellowship. The position would be a great opportunity for me, while remaining in education. It also pays $80,000 for the year! My concern about applying for this position is that I feel like I would be abandoning my current job and students, especially since I am scheduled to teach AP Biology next year. I am really looking forward to that. I figure I might as well apply and whatever happens happens.
- Retail - Retail is last on my list because it pays the worst. Also, I know for a fact that I would spend even more money by shopping while working. If I do this, it will be during the summer or in late May.
Why am I so determined to increase my income??? Because after tweaking my budget over and over again, I will only have enough at the end of the month to eat OR buy gas for work. Living with BF has been helpful, but I want to be able to make it on my own if need be. Moving is not an option and neither is this truck payment (not until the end of the year anyway). My mistakes have led me to be in the circumstances I am in now, so I will hustle to increase my funds.
What I Won't Do:
- Wait tables - I would really love to, but my medical condition is becoming worse and the stress will really get to me. I hate that because I used to make a lot of money waiting tables. I'll just be glad if I can make it this year without another surgery.
- Deliver Pizza - In my city, this is a dangerous job. Too dangerous. Even though I live in the nice part of the city.
- Independent Sales - I've sold Mary Kay before and ended up spending too much time and money. I value my time A LOT!
So please wish me luck with my job search. I plan on posting progress on here so I can remain accountable. Whatever I do, I need to get rolling by February/March.
