Self Employed

Musician

May - August 2019 • Rockwall, TX

What I liked

Played different venues and set my own schedule. The pay was good

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Be self driven and take initiative to get things done

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Laborer

May 2016 • Williamsport, PA

What I liked

I enjoyed getting to travel around the state for work. I also enjoy that type of work so I do not mind it much.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have made a little bit more money.

Advice

Always be willing to try new things to accomplish a goal.

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Portrait Artist

May 2019 • Midland, TX

What I liked

I liked getting to run my own business, choose my marketing channels, using my creativity, and selecting my own hours.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had not underpriced myself at the beginning or wasted hours doing favors for "free advertising," but I am glad that I got to learn this lesson in a safe environment.

Advice

To others who hope to run their own sole proprietorship, keep a detailed Excel spreadsheet about all of your expenses and revenues as well as all the dates and notes about each customer you served. Schedule out all of the major business decisions on your calendar to meet your goals, such as "design website by July 20th"

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Nanny

May 2019 • Oklahoma City, OK

What I liked

I loved being able to chose my own schedule.

What I wish was different

Some clinents were rude.

Advice

Always set your boundaries!

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Graphic Designer

January 2010 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Sure. I've been doing graphic design for twenty plus years. I'm ready to move on to my English field though

What I wish was different

Advice

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Independent Tutor

June 2018 • Macomb Township, MI

What I liked

Flexible schedule, good pay, self-employed

What I wish was different

Charging for more than one missed tutoring session

Advice

Manage your schedule effectively and decide how to charge customers ahead of time, and be up front about your policy if customers miss more than one session

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Yardcare

July - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

That i could set my own schedule

What I wish was different

That i got more customers

Advice

That i need to get the word out more

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Reading Tutor

September 2016 • Troy, MI

What I liked

Working with students.

What I wish was different

It’s a fun job! There’s not much to change.

Advice

If you have a need for extra cash or a love for kids, this is a good way to spend your summer. Plus you can pick your hours.

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Maintenance technician

April - August 2019 • Clinton, UT

What I liked

It was a lot of fun and learned a lot about how to fix things

What I wish was different

Wish I didn’t have to work outside as much as I did

Advice

Learn all you can, to better yourself

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Freelance Graphic Design

June 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Setting my own initiatives. Seeing my work be appreciated for real-world situations. The project itself.

What I wish was different

Being able to focus on the work full time.

Advice

Talk to your friends or other networks if you're a Graphic Designer, show them your work. Every once in a while you'll find someone or someone who knows someone that needs to get work done.

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Construction Laborer

July - September 2019 • El Paso, TX

What I liked

The hours

What I wish was different

The weather

Advice

Be careful with insulation

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Babysitting

June - August 2019 • Circleville, OH

What I liked

Playing with the children

What I wish was different

Not as many babies

Advice

Don't bit off more then you can chew.

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Nanny

May - August 2019 • Ogden, UT

What I liked

I was able to work in my community and get to know members of the community better while meeting the needs of the children I was tending.

What I wish was different

It would have been nice to have a written contract between me and the family.

Advice

Get to know members of your community. You never know how you can meet their needs with talents you may have.

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Mural Painter

May - August 2019 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

Working on my own time

What I wish was different

Better tools

Advice

Make goals about how far you want to be for the murals so you complete them on a timely schedule

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Wedding Photographer

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved connecting with new people and learning about their experiences and trying to portray that through images.

What I wish was different

I wish I had had help/a better plan with social media.

Advice

It is very beneficial to make a work schedule and stick to it. It is very easy to work random and sporadic hours as a freelancer and that is hard on other aspects of life.

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House Painter

May - August 2019 • Wilton, CT

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Take it slow, rushing takes longer in the end

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Ranch hand

April - August 2019 • Elizabeth, CO

What I liked

Being able to fix things on the fly and being outside everyday

What I wish was different

I wish I worked with more animals and cooler temperatures at times

Advice

This spreads your smarts on machinery, crop, and animals. As well as meeting a lot of great ranchers in the area

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Baby Sitter

June - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

playing with the kids, planning fun activities, and creating a relationship with the family I babysat for. It was a great learning experience.

What I wish was different

hours

Advice

great learning experience for when i have kids of my own someday

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Art instructor

May - August 2019 • Danville, CA

What I liked

I loved being able to meet so many new friends! I also enjoyed doing something that gave me experience in my field of interest. I loved setting my own hours and still having tons of time to enjoy my family and friends!

What I wish was different

I wish I had more confidence initially. It wasn’t until I could see what a difference I was making that I gained confidence. I wish I would have just gone for it and didn’t hold back at all for fear of failure.

Advice

You can make money AND have fun! Even on days you don’t feel up to it, just put a smile on your face and have gratitude in your heart. Have fun and don’t take it TOO seriously. That will just stress you out. Be your genuine, authentic self and you will have such better connections with people and far greater fulfillment.

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