Are you at a station in life where a part-time job is the best option? Maybe you have completed a degree and cannot find steady work in your chosen field, or you’re starting a family and are balancing childcare duties with a career. Perhaps you require the ability to slip out whenever you want to enjoy a sunny day during the week.
Regardless of why you are working part-time, it can be a challenge to find part-time work that pays well enough to make the effort worthwhile. To help you out, CareerCast.com compiled the ten best paying jobs that are either part-time by nature or can be done part-time by choice. We have included them below for your review, in alphabetical order.
Note: Median salaries are as of 2012 and job outlooks are through 2022 as supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1. Accountant – If you have a background and degree in accounting, part-time work is often available. Accountants are in high seasonal demand around tax season, but they are also in demand to fill in for summer vacations and for stopgap work with busy corporations. Median wages are $30.55/hour with an expected 13 percent increase in jobs.
2. Computer Programmer – Computer expertise is often outsourced to save money and handle temporary surges in programming or troubleshooting needs. Median wages are $35.71/hour and job openings are expected to increase by 8 percent.
3. Driver – Delivery truck driver, the entry on the CareerCast.com list, get a median wage of $13.23/hour and a 5 percent job increase is expected. We think the more lucrative part-time driving gig is with ride-share services like Uber or Lyft though. In both cases, be sure you have the correct license and insurance — the rules are changing state by state.
4. Graphic Designer – Between print and electronic media, the need for good graphic designers is increasing. BLS expects a 7 percent increase in jobs (which is slower on average than other occupations), but we would not be surprised if that is a conservative estimate. The median hourly wage is $21.22.
5. Management Consultant or Management Analyst – If you have the sufficient background and proven record in management, you can go independent, to help other companies solve their management problems. BLS predicts a crying need, with 19 percent growth anticipated through 2022. The median hourly wage is $37.79
6. Market Research Analyst – This is a hard job to do on a free-lance basis, but according to BLS there should be opportunities available. A 32 percent increase in jobs is expected at a median salary of $28.99/hour. This increase is well above the national average and bodes well for job seekers in the field. Generally, you will need a finance background and a thorough understanding of the customer's field.
7. Mover – Got a strong back and time on your hands? Help people move their things for a median wage of $11.04/hour. BLS expects a 10 percent increase in jobs, which is as fast as the national average.
8. Network and Systems Administrator – Help troubleshoot and upgrade networked computer systems, or handle Internet access and security issues. Companies are almost always understaffed in this area and need skilled assistance. The median wage is $34.88/hour and BLS anticipates a 12 percent increase in jobs.
9. Editors – BLS reports a $25.90 per hour median wage but a 2 percent decrease in jobs. Based on what we see on many websites and newspapers, including highly respected ones, perhaps editors should be in even greater demand. If you have an eye for proper grammar and a love of language, this may be for you.
10. Writer – Surely you did not think an article writer would leave this one out? Writers generally work on a free-lance basis, covering everything from blogs to movie scripts to technical documents. The median hourly wage for writers is $26.89/hour, but job prospects are slow with only a 3 percent increase expected through 2022.
Do not go into part-time work thinking that it is easy. You must be disciplined with your time and resources, and be able to correctly schedule work times and manage deadlines. Your free time may not match your preference.
However, if you can successfully balance work time with family time, then part-time work can be reasonably rewarding and lucrative — and every once in a while, you do manage to cash in on that sunny day when everyone else is at work.
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