quietspaces asks her readers: Aside from full-time, permanent employment, how have you made a living or supplemented your income?

I’ve always kind of regretted not having a really compelling list of odd jobs to liven up my author bio. But because I was a college student (and am a freelancer), I can scare up a more eclectic collection that I expected:

– Delivering advertising supplements (that’s Pennysavers to any Long Islanders in the audience)
– Babysitting
– Sorting/shelving books for a used bookstore
– Tutoring high school math
– Serving hospital meals (mostly tiresome, but the candelit dinners for the new parents were fun)
– Sorting/shelving books for a library
– Cashier for a department store (Times Square Store, for those who remember same)
– Processing orders for a mail-order photo developing houses
– Measuring air particles for a chemistry professor
– Cleaning hotel rooms
– Working in an infant psychology lab: scheduling appointments, entertaining siblings while the researchers measured the kids’ object permanence and such, etc.
– Working as an editorial assistant for a science textbook publisher
– Working as an editorial assistant for a university publications office (later became a full-time job)
– Working as a marketing writer for a non-credit program (permanent but not part time)
– Writing and editing promotional materials
– Writing press releases
– Designing fliers
– Writing non-fiction articles
– Writing educational materials
– Designing web sites
– Writing novels and short stories

Actually, I’ve probably made more of my living from non-permanent, non-full-time work than the other kind, at this point.

I’m assuming the handful of books sold on ebay, and the pocket change for being a research subject ($50) and taking part in a radio music focus group (also $50) don’t quite count. 🙂