A New Generation Emerges: How Micro Jobs Are on Your Side

Looking for work? Somebody out there wants you to design websites, write an application for mobile phones, maybe remotely sort out their network, or just do PC support, either on site or via the internet. And they don’t want to do it all formally. It’s more like “You do this for me, and I give you money”

Our world has become extremely small. No, we won’t be running out of space soon, but as far as computing is concerned, very small. We are capable of controlling a computer on the other side of the world remotely (with the owners’ permission, of course) and fix or modify it without breaking a sweat.

Whether you call this consulting, freelance or “Micro Jobs,” more of us are headed that way, according to Kristin Cardinale. The author of The 9-to-5 Cure, Cardinale cites U.S. Department of Labor projections that “millions of short-term workers” are needed.

Short-term gigs can help programmers meet specific goals like paying for their studies, saving towards a new car, or just having some spare cash lying around.

Many people simply don’t want to punch a clock, according to Odd Jobs: How to Have Fun and Make Money in a Bad Economy “Usually you decide when you work and when you take the morning off to sleep, or the week off to go skiing,” writes author Abigail R. Gehring. “And the variety of people you will meet, places you’ll find yourself and skill sets you’ll discover are sure to keep life interesting.”

Pros and cons.

OK, before you zoom off to go and quit your day job, there are (always) a few things you have to remember: Working for yourself is challenging.

If you think self-employment equals endless free time, think again, it’s not always so.

However, this working lifestyle may be perfect for people who:

• Are not Office Johnnies, and prefer to work on their own, at their own pace,
• People who travel long distances, and find that the time and cost of getting to work are sometimes not worth the effort.
• Have a special skill, and wants to make these known to a large audience of clients.

Other advantages of being your own boss?

• Work according to your own hours.
• Every day is Casual Friday!
• Take holidays whenever you want, provided of course, you are on schedule.
• Meetings between you and the client are really easy to arrange.

However, there are (always) the potential disadvantages:

• Work-play balance control, There is an amount of dedication involved.
• You need to keep your administration under control.
• No insurance or retirement. (Some full-time jobs don’t provide these, either.)
• You work alone. No other colleagues to chat to. (May be an advantage)
• Unpredictable, and fluctuations of income. It will be important to budget properly.

Right, so how do I do this?

The Internet has always been your friend. There are many sites that offer freelancers the ability to post their listing, often for free. Clients react to these post fairly quickly, obviously depending on the type of work you have to offer.

Some sites even allow clients to bid on your work, and you can then accept the individual or company that you want to work with.

Google the net for reputable sites and work with them. Try the Micro Jobs arena and see how it pans out for you. There is lots of money to be made in this new and wonderful money-making haven, and the whole concept just makes a lot of sense.