Finding the best part-time work 2021 edition?
November 30, 2021 8:09 AM Subscribe
I want to find some part time work, with some physical limitations. It's supposedly a workers market out there, how best do I take advantage of that?
I asked a similar question in 2019, and eventually found work on campus as a web design intern. But it's 2021, and a lot has changed both with myself and in the world. I'm hoping to take advantage of this job market, but I also have some limitations and needs. Looking for ideas of what I should look for.
I am looking for something that is no more than 10-15 hours a week. It would have to be something that worked around a part time school schedule, and around disabilities. I have hand and upperbody mobility issues, so cannot work continuously at a computer for extended periods of time. I can, however, work in environments that are mixed use with computers (example: I just applied at a front desk / security position because using a computer to look people up and check them in is only a small portion of the job).
I can work at a computer for longer periods of time if the desk is set up for my needs and I can stand up and move around when needed. I know this falls under reasonable accommodations; however, my working experience is that employers really drag their feet on ergonomic setups and I am wary of a super part time job being willing to do this. I need my desk to be sit/stand, and proportional to my size, which is about that of a average 12 your old child. Let me tell you, this is no easy task and I've personally modified a bunch of things including a child sized task chair, because there isn't a lot on the market for people my size and the conventional wisdom is we should just use pillows and foot rests. That is not enough.
I cannot do repetitive motions with my arms for long - the worst is my arms forward, but arms overhead is a problem as well. Dynamic movement is better than statically holding arms forward. And I can do more, longer if the movement is dynamic as opposed to repetitive. Bad: arms and still at computer, arms forward and driving, arms forward and pushing cart. Better but limited: arms forward and repeating the same motions but changing positions ie an assembly line. Best: arms needing to change position (overhead, forward, ie. stocking light items on a shelf). I can occasionally lift 25 lbs, but its variable (most days I can, but I would say there are some that I cannot). Technically, I am capable of lifting 50lbs pounds with some difficulty, but it will screw up one of my shoulders. All arm work will be limited, but there is some range of what will allow me to do tasks for longer.
I need a consistent schedule that doesn't vary week to week, so the places that rely on scheduling software that change when you work are not going to work for me. I know this may eliminate a lot of jobs, but I'm also hoping that if workers are in demand, I'd be given more leeway.
I can walk and don't have any major lower body mobility issues (I do have some minor problems, but thus far haven't been that limiting). I cannot carry a lot though, so something like a postal worker is out.
I prefer to be on my feet and moving.
I do have safety concerns as a petite woman though, so some door-to-door jobs I think would be a terrible idea. This isn't theoretical, I had a mugging attempt when I was driving food delivery in 2019, and I have had a series of weird run-ins with either men becoming aggressive and following me/confronting me, or most recently, assault by a homeless woman last summer. I've had a few less clear cut incidents with aggressive panhandlers trying to follow/corner/scare me into giving me cash that weren't quite assault but probably fell into the they knew what they were doing and were targeting a single woman walking alone. I've had it suggested that because I of being a woman and my size, I may be seen as an easy target. It happens often enough that many friends have noticed and IT IS ODD. So there is some work in the past that (primarily male) friends have suggested that would not be safe for me to do.
I do realize this is a big list of what I can't do - I am also applying for disability and in the appeal process. But I really need some day to day cash even though my immediate need for shelter and food is being met.
My professional history was as a web designer/front end dev to user experience design later in career. But because of physical limitations to work at computer for long periods, even part time work in the field seems beyond my reach. I *am* getting better at knowing my limitations and I am learning to use assistive tech to make computer use easier, but I still have to be careful with this and reserve hand use for school.
I also have an odd collection of knowledge and skills. For example, I know animals well, well beyond average say, pet sitter. I also tend to be fairly handy, and even with hand mobility limitations, have been able to do a lot but don't know what would be involved as a handy man. for example, i might drop screws a lot and turning a screw driver can be challenging due to hand strength problems, but I can hold/use a handheld drill intermittently. It would depending on if I was just drilling all day, or if I dynamically changed up what I was doing and how much I could move/shift my position. (These are a couple of ideas I've thought about).
I also seem to know too much about too many things; I wish I had some way of leveraging that into a job. But I'll be damned if I know how.
I asked a similar question in 2019, and eventually found work on campus as a web design intern. But it's 2021, and a lot has changed both with myself and in the world. I'm hoping to take advantage of this job market, but I also have some limitations and needs. Looking for ideas of what I should look for.
I am looking for something that is no more than 10-15 hours a week. It would have to be something that worked around a part time school schedule, and around disabilities. I have hand and upperbody mobility issues, so cannot work continuously at a computer for extended periods of time. I can, however, work in environments that are mixed use with computers (example: I just applied at a front desk / security position because using a computer to look people up and check them in is only a small portion of the job).
I can work at a computer for longer periods of time if the desk is set up for my needs and I can stand up and move around when needed. I know this falls under reasonable accommodations; however, my working experience is that employers really drag their feet on ergonomic setups and I am wary of a super part time job being willing to do this. I need my desk to be sit/stand, and proportional to my size, which is about that of a average 12 your old child. Let me tell you, this is no easy task and I've personally modified a bunch of things including a child sized task chair, because there isn't a lot on the market for people my size and the conventional wisdom is we should just use pillows and foot rests. That is not enough.
I cannot do repetitive motions with my arms for long - the worst is my arms forward, but arms overhead is a problem as well. Dynamic movement is better than statically holding arms forward. And I can do more, longer if the movement is dynamic as opposed to repetitive. Bad: arms and still at computer, arms forward and driving, arms forward and pushing cart. Better but limited: arms forward and repeating the same motions but changing positions ie an assembly line. Best: arms needing to change position (overhead, forward, ie. stocking light items on a shelf). I can occasionally lift 25 lbs, but its variable (most days I can, but I would say there are some that I cannot). Technically, I am capable of lifting 50lbs pounds with some difficulty, but it will screw up one of my shoulders. All arm work will be limited, but there is some range of what will allow me to do tasks for longer.
I need a consistent schedule that doesn't vary week to week, so the places that rely on scheduling software that change when you work are not going to work for me. I know this may eliminate a lot of jobs, but I'm also hoping that if workers are in demand, I'd be given more leeway.
I can walk and don't have any major lower body mobility issues (I do have some minor problems, but thus far haven't been that limiting). I cannot carry a lot though, so something like a postal worker is out.
I prefer to be on my feet and moving.
I do have safety concerns as a petite woman though, so some door-to-door jobs I think would be a terrible idea. This isn't theoretical, I had a mugging attempt when I was driving food delivery in 2019, and I have had a series of weird run-ins with either men becoming aggressive and following me/confronting me, or most recently, assault by a homeless woman last summer. I've had a few less clear cut incidents with aggressive panhandlers trying to follow/corner/scare me into giving me cash that weren't quite assault but probably fell into the they knew what they were doing and were targeting a single woman walking alone. I've had it suggested that because I of being a woman and my size, I may be seen as an easy target. It happens often enough that many friends have noticed and IT IS ODD. So there is some work in the past that (primarily male) friends have suggested that would not be safe for me to do.
I do realize this is a big list of what I can't do - I am also applying for disability and in the appeal process. But I really need some day to day cash even though my immediate need for shelter and food is being met.
My professional history was as a web designer/front end dev to user experience design later in career. But because of physical limitations to work at computer for long periods, even part time work in the field seems beyond my reach. I *am* getting better at knowing my limitations and I am learning to use assistive tech to make computer use easier, but I still have to be careful with this and reserve hand use for school.
I also have an odd collection of knowledge and skills. For example, I know animals well, well beyond average say, pet sitter. I also tend to be fairly handy, and even with hand mobility limitations, have been able to do a lot but don't know what would be involved as a handy man. for example, i might drop screws a lot and turning a screw driver can be challenging due to hand strength problems, but I can hold/use a handheld drill intermittently. It would depending on if I was just drilling all day, or if I dynamically changed up what I was doing and how much I could move/shift my position. (These are a couple of ideas I've thought about).
I also seem to know too much about too many things; I wish I had some way of leveraging that into a job. But I'll be damned if I know how.
If you're good with kids, schools, day cares, etc. might need some sort of child wrangling :).
On the opposite side of the age spectrum, there are opportunities working with senior citizens.
If you're eligible for federal work study, I'd see what jobs are available via your school. Additionally you may want to check out jobs.gov since the federal government will accommodate individuals with disabilities.
posted by oceano at 11:39 AM on November 30, 2021
On the opposite side of the age spectrum, there are opportunities working with senior citizens.
If you're eligible for federal work study, I'd see what jobs are available via your school. Additionally you may want to check out jobs.gov since the federal government will accommodate individuals with disabilities.
posted by oceano at 11:39 AM on November 30, 2021
Our local schools are hiring part-time people to monitor the before/after school care programs & work in the cafeteria a couple hours/day. Maybe something like that would work for you?
posted by belladonna at 1:03 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by belladonna at 1:03 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
I did a ux mentoring job with Chegg/Thinkful (mentoring ux bootcamp students & grading homework) for a few months. It was 20-25 hours/week from home. I quit because it was too much for me on top of my other job and also I wasn't a fan of their ux curriculum but they were actively working on it at the time so maybe it's better now. It's worth looking into.
posted by bleep at 1:26 PM on November 30, 2021
posted by bleep at 1:26 PM on November 30, 2021
I'm a UX designer who was recently granted accommodations for limiting time at the computer (for a different reason - you're welcome to MeMail me for more detail). More employers are also becoming open to making WFH permanent, mine included, and I do work with contractors on my team who are part time. Would those factors make a remote UX job an option?
posted by kiripin at 1:49 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by kiripin at 1:49 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
I did a ux mentoring job with Chegg/Thinkful
Good point - I'd take a look at a bunch of bootcamps and see what they're hiring for. The giant online courses on coursera, udemy, et al. might also need something like that. And you've probably checked, but your school might have some courses that need TAs or graders (and students who need tutoring).
posted by trig at 5:15 PM on November 30, 2021
Good point - I'd take a look at a bunch of bootcamps and see what they're hiring for. The giant online courses on coursera, udemy, et al. might also need something like that. And you've probably checked, but your school might have some courses that need TAs or graders (and students who need tutoring).
posted by trig at 5:15 PM on November 30, 2021
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It's possible it would take while to start generating as large an income as you're hoping for with this, but I might look into tutoring people in web design and development, or in coding in general - whether on some online platform, or independently. For the latter, I'd start advertising both in general online places but also on local boards/groups and maybe even hang physical signs where potential students can see them (and parents, if you think you might be interested in also teaching kids).
Given your physical needs you'll probably want to do this over Zoom (or whatever) from home, using your own ergonomic setup. The majority of the time should be spent either talking or letting your student write code, rather than typing yourself, and you can plan breaks between lessons.
One you've got a few students you should be able to charge a relatively high hourly rate, since the subject matter is relatively specialized and relatively prestigious.
posted by trig at 9:08 AM on November 30, 2021 [2 favorites]