Self-Employed

Web Developer

July 2019 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

I like expanding my work as a developer to a business consultant and marketer.

What I wish was different

I wish clients are more willing to learn.

Advice

If you're a web developer that wants to start your own business, it's worth learning to design, advertise, and consult clients. This will expand your business exponentially.

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Private Music Instructor

August 2018 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

Working with students

What I wish was different

I wish I had asked for more at the beginning

Advice

It is difficult to find students.

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Horse Trainer

May - September 2019 • Flagstaff, AZ

What I liked

I love working with horses. It doesn't even feel like a job, it's like I get paid to have fun. I also love the flexible hours and working for myself.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

Know how much work you can handle, and don't overbook yourself.

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Independent Researcher

June - September 2019 • Rochester Hills, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed furthering my knowledge of the R programming language by following my own interest in mathematical statistics.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had had an academic advisor to guide my research path, but I was able to compensate for this by writing out a schedule with my dad for writing the Project Proposal, three Progress Reports, and the Final Report.

Advice

If you can’t find a professor to work under, I highly recommend doing research on your own. It is an incredibly rewarding experience and will impress your professors that you were driven and diligent enough to take on a project without their direction.

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Landscaping

June 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Flexible hours

What I wish was different

Worked less

Advice

Remember to take breaks and time off when necessary

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Private ESL Tutor

September 2018 - July 2019 • Kabul, Kabul Province

What I liked

I liked the experience I had with children and girls my age in a third world country. I learned how to teach a subject I take for granted. I was born in a country where I was able to easily learn English, but others are working very hard to learn this skill. Since it is a language where majority of people speak it and is something great to have on your resume in a country like Afghanistan, it was an honor to teach those who were not able to afford or go to English courses because of cultural boundaries.

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to buy books from America and bring them to students who were serious about their studies. Unfortunately, I did not plan to teach English thus I was not well-prepared in the beginning. Throughout the process, I found that I wished I could help more. I had students who did not even go to school trying to learn English and it is tough. I found that hard-work prevails all.

Advice

I would advise anyone to learn to teach. I am still a beginner, but it is an amazing skill to have throughout anyways academic or general career. It teaches you to be empathetic to others and not to assume. Not only that, you learn to be grateful.

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Nanny

May 2019 • New Orleans, LA

What I liked

Hanging out with babies all day

What I wish was different

More hourly pay

Advice

It’s not for everyone but if you like it, it’s really fun!

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Drawing Tutor

May 2018 • Bradenton, FL

What I liked

I liked the ability to form a relationship with the student and family.

What I wish was different

It was a long commute so I wish that had been shorter.

Advice

Don't be afraid to make yourself known to potential employers.

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Foreman

January 2012 • Terre Haute, IN

What I liked

The pay was great

What I wish was different

More hours

Advice

Work hard and you will get great things back

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Babysitter

June - August 2019 • North Little Rock, AR

What I liked

I liked the flexible schedule and being able to take the kids with me to run errands that I needed to run. It freed up a lot of time in my personal life.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Pool Maintenance and Repair

March 2016 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

Flexible schedule, self-accountable, I manage my take0home pay.

What I wish was different

Not having to work outdoors so much

Advice

Drink plenty of water.

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Nanny

May 2019 • Norwood, OH

What I liked

The flexible hours, working with children, the pay.

What I wish was different

I wish I had pursued something more closely aligned with my career path.

Advice

I would definitely suggest to spend time exploring your options for employment, internships, etc. That time is very valuable in the future and can be a great asset to you in your career. Get some experience!

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Freelance Artist

June - September 2019 • Minneapolis, MN

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Don’t burn bridges; always keep networking.

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Building Carpenter

May 2019 • Crested Butte, CO

What I liked

Good wage, physical work

What I wish was different

Advice

Great skills to acquire, but I'm not planning on making a career out of building million dollar homes that sit empty most of the year.

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Handyman

August 2018 • Romeo, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed the freedom and responsibility of self-employment. I had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of project types.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

It is vastly important to be able to keep oneself accountable when self employed.

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Landscaping Business

April 2013 • Kuttawa, KY

What I liked

I employ myself as it is my business. So I choose my hours and how much I want to work.

What I wish was different

I wish I had taken on a few more projects as I only worked about 3 days a week.

Advice

Definitely try and have your own business so you can pay yourself. You earn a lot more this way than working for someone else. If you work hard in someone else's company you get paid the same amount as if you were lazy. Pay yourself and I'll guarantee you'll work harder.

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Landscaper and Household Assistant

May - August 2019 • Elgin, IL

What I liked

I loved meeting and connecting with my clients. I was able to establish many new relationships in my neighborhood and city.

What I wish was different

I wish I was more cautious about what to wear on the job because I did get poison ivy that was not too comfortable.

Advice

I would share that starting your own business or service is very beneficial in that you get to schedule your own hours, establish your own wage, and be in control. I also think that networking on your own and creating a cliental is very important for future careers.

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Modeling

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Being a combination of professionalism and creativity, modeling taught me networking, communication, how to grow a social media following and innovative skills. It also taught me to manage my time because, being self-employed, I was creating my own schedule.

What I wish was different

I wish I lived closer to a city so that I could have spent more time at it.

Advice

Modeling requires a lot of work, and given how competitive the field is you would need to spend a lot of time networking and improving your skills in order to eventually land jobs.

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Math Tutor

June - August 2019 • Madera, CA

What I liked

I really enjoyed watching my student grow. He had a really unfortunate experience with an unorganized and impersonal teacher in 4th grade math so he was being left with an incomplete math education for his grade level and left to try to and keep up which made him very unmotivated. I really enjoyed reigniting the joy in working with numbers for him through games and puzzles. It was inspiring to see his growth and that having never done math tutoring before, I helped improved significantly in a summer! I was happy to incorporate prayer into the beginning of our sessions as well since they were a Christian family and it was a blessing to get to know his family and help him also with building good character and attitude.

What I wish was different

I wish I was more confident in myself from the start since I was a little nervous and overthinking that I would ruin his math education, especially it being my first time doing paid tutoring. However, now that I have done it and have received positive feedback from his family that he is doing extremely well in his math class this year, I am more confident and prepared to tutor math again to anyone.

Advice

Get to know the student and how they think. It's okay to take some time to move a little more slowly to first understand what they like and and how they think visualize and verbalize things first so that you can adapt to their learning habits and make their education enjoyable to them! Make it fun and express that you enjoy what you teach as well because children pick up on attitudes and the presence you bring within the first moment you interact with them.

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