Ways to make income besides a job

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I don't know what it's like where you are, but when I was that age, the factories were still hiring (a bit, nothing like they had done once).

Now, a factory job is like winning the lottery. They get 100s of applications when a job is posted. It's just not a realistic solution for an 18 year old today. I wouldn't discourage them from applying but I wouldn't tell them they can just go get a factory job, because 99 times out of 100 (or more) they will fail regardless of effort. A small few will beat the odds, as with anything, but it's just not a valid solution to the problem in general. Free trade killed our manufacturing. If you're 18 and you need a job, you'll most likely be working customer service behind a counter or cash register for minimum wage. And if you can't smile or interact normally, you're fired within the week.

That being said. Time and effort can locate niches. But sometimes that takes a long time, a few years even. They shouldn't give up but the environment they operate under should be acknowledged for what it is. Telling them they can get a factory job with a snap of the fingers is just cruel.

Did you think I was 18 for some reason? I'm not. I'm 36. No one wants to hire a 36 year old with no education or work history that can't drive or deal with people.

Getting mental help isn't that easy either when you have no money or insurance and a fear of psychologists and of doing things like making phone calls to make appointments.

There are people, but it's completely a matter of luck. You can't find them playing the numbers game; I was on welfare at one point, they made you do a job search report, 40 applications per month. Two years and over 1000 applications later, I got all of 1 interview, and didn't get the job. Hardly anyone gets a job that way. Most people get jobs through social contacts. That's the reality of getting a job that most people who have one take for granted, and are loathe to admit. I'm sure someone will pipe up and say they got a job that way, it is possible and I've done it, but for that one guy there will be 100 who got their present job because they knew somebody, and none of them will say anything about that. They'll huff and puff about being self-made without mentioning it at all, though.

Anyway, one day my landlord asked if I'd do some painting for him. That would've happened no matter what I had done before. Pure luck. Also, job through social contact (of sorts).

Actually I'm 37. I forgot I had a birthday recently.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not on welfare because I don't know if I could even find 40 places to apply for jobs, never mind keeping that up for many months. I'm actually too shy to even go in places and ask for an application.

Out of the two jobs I ever had in my life one was through social contacts and didn't require an application or interview but at this point in my life I don't have any social contacts to get jobs through, plus whatever job I can get is extremely limited by it having to be within walking distance or on the bus line and not require a license or any education or skills or working with customers.

That's why I'd rather do some kind of work at home instead of a "real" job. I couldn't handle a real job but with some kind of work at home thing I might be able to do something I enjoy or can tolerate and on my own schedule without leaving the house. I wouldn't have to make a lot of money. Even at a real job I'd likely only get minimum wage and not make much.

Hey, Can you actually try and do any of the helpful income-making suggestions anyone here has given you?
You don't want to work a job you don't like or that is beneath you in class (lazy). You don't try to find real jobs or try to find anything that you have the ability to do (lazy). You don't even try to apply to jobs that are "beneath" you in social class, so how do you even know you "can't get hired?" If the case is "half the time you can't get hired" like you say, that means the other half of the time you CAN get hired... but don't try. You shun jobs that might be possible, such as cleaning or sweeping or library work or quieter, less physically demanding jobs that you can do.

An attitude like yours is why the country is so in debt, paying tons of money for people who simply refuse to work and do jobs that are "beneath them." People don't like their jobs, but suck it up and find something they *can* do, make money, and have a life. You, on the other hand, refuse to do jobs that you don't love or that are beneath your class. What a shame. I hope one day you become a self-supporting, responsible part of society, instead of shunning all our income-making, life-improving ideas that we have for you. Good luck.

You obviously haven't been following her posts and threads on this topic very much, or listened to the type of work she is willing to do. In what universe is delivering flyers door to door or doing housepainting some sort of high class job? Those are beneath most of the people who work the jobs you mentioned (librarian, etc). It seems to me you could not really be too familiar with anything other than soft-handed and fairly insulated sorts of work if you don't realize this.

This is a dangerous thread that I wish would age off the board. When you look for ways to make easy money you open yourself up to scams and illegal activity. The only legitimate way to make money is to get a job. Get a part time job if you don't think you can handle full time work. How about working at a fast food restaurant? That was my first job and it's the easiest money I've ever made. Good luck to you.

There are ways to make money without a job that are safe and legal. We just want to find them. We never said we want "easy" money either. I personally would like to find something I could do from home at my own pace with minimal or no contact with people.

I can't handle working a real job (if I could even get one in the first place) and it would be good for me to find some way to make some income.

-And what is my attitude huh?.....also if I simply refuse to work why have I had jobs, am planning to try and find work and only really want to get on SSI if the symptoms really do prevent me from keeping a job as in I can't work because of symptoms?

-Where did I ever say anything about not doing jobs that are beneath me? what job is it that is beneath me? It's more like I cannot live up to what the employer wants in an employee and so I get fired or don't get hired. I am more anxious I cannot get the work done, or do it well enough than that the job would be 'beneath' me its more like I'm worried even simple jobs are above me considering my past experiance

-I've already explained I would like to find things I can do...seems you aren't very good at following threads.

-And what the hell I refuse jobs I don't love and are beneath my class? I would refuse a Job I hate.......not one I don't love, and what is this class of mine you keep referring to. I grew up on food stamps and free/and reduced lunch at school, so I am more low class than anything I am not the one looking down on low class people I am one of the low class people people look down on.

-I hope I find a way to become more self sufficient and make more of a living...but the last thing I want to do is become a part of this society, change it maybe but yeah as far as I am concerned 'it's no measure of good health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.' and I feel that is exactly what this is.

-Once again if you would read back you would find I did not shun every suggestion.......just the ones I don't see as able to work for me personally.

You're really making no sense.

I would not be able to keep up at a fast food place........and the loud environment would be bound to set my PTSD symptoms off pretty bad. To you working fast food might be easy, but I'd fail and probably be fired before the first day is up. And I suppose if getting a job is the only 'legitimate' way to make money and I cannot get a job and/or keep a job than I suppose I'd consider illegitimate ways like welfare, and or doing odd jobs or house cleaning un-professionally.

Last edited by Sweetleaf on 27 Jun 2012, 10:32 am, edited 2 times in total.

Oh yeah I am so above dirty work.....pfft. I think at one point I was even talking about being willing to scrub toilets, real high class white collar work there.

I think it's fear of what your work environment might be that makes you think you can't do certain jobs. I have a couple of favorite aspie jobs from my past, which I've mentioned on several threads - inventory stocking and data entry. I think you might be good at inventory stocking. It's quiet and you don't have to talk to people much except to tell the occasional shopper which aisle a particular item is in. In the job market inventory stocking is normally listed as "merchandising associate" or something like that. Fancy title, but it really just means "stockboy".

I think many folks here have a preconceived notion that if they can't function in social situations they can't function in the workplace. This is so untrue. At work, people are expected to work, not socialize. The ones who do socialize a lot are considered slackers. This is where the aspie can shine because aspies among other things have an incredible work ethic, and work ethic is a highly respected trait among professionals. Yes, you have to talk to people sometimes, but the talk is about work, and I've found it so much easier to talk about work. For example, my first job was at a Whataburger. I was a cash register clerk. When customers came to the register I had a scripted "Hi, can I take your order?" I was not great at this but since it was scripted I was able to do it. It was easy to take the order and press the buttons for the items. Like you, I am affected by noise so I'm not saying it was the perfect job or that I excelled at it, but it turned out to be a nice stepping stone for me. I also recommended fast food because it's pretty easy to apply for it and make it through the interview.

Lots of people make income outside of their job. It's called the stock market. In fact, I think most rich people stick their fingers in some part of the stock market. But the stock market is super volatile right now, and you have to have money to invest (which also might be money lost). And you'd have to do a lot of research on how to invest stocks.

You could also invent and patent something--like this guy I know who has a Masters in Engineering. He designed a toy, built a model, and a company bought and produced his design, and he gets money from them every time they sell them (I guess).

You can pick up bottles or cans. (I tried that for a while, but it's stinky and it doesn't really pay off well, in my opinion.)

You can pick mushrooms to sell--I love picking mushrooms, but I don't like crossing private property illegally, so I don't get as many as the poachers do.

Or, you could try gold prospecting. I also tried that, but it's a lot of digging and gold is actually incredibly hard to find.

I know a lot of the above suggestions are like jobs--or self employment, but I included them anyway because I don't see them the as the same as working under a boss.

But I agree with Sally that there are lots of jobs out there, some of them could be suited to people who are afraid of trying to find work. Interviews, themselves, can be scary--but once that's over with, you might do well at a solitary job.

I saw once a woman in a documentary. Her father worked 35 years for Renault, she worked 2 weeks as a temp worker at Renault. That sums up the scale of degradation of the job market.

So entrepreneurs are all criminals.

The economy is moving away from employment and more towards self-employment - what you say couldn't be further from the truth in the present environment. Employment is rapidly becoming something only peons like me do, as more and more people are becoming freelance contractors, or producers in their own right (eg making products and selling them, or becoming traders like on ebay etc).

The economy couldn't even function if everyone was an employee - who would there be to hire them?

There are some crafts and things you could do at home. Jewellry, canoes, whatever. There's some fellow down the road here who makes his living making traditional longbows, of all things.