26) Volunteer at a Zoo: Zoos contain a great wealth of information, and they’re an awesome place to volunteer. You get to meet other animal lovers, learn how animals are cared for (like bears and lions), and possibly even get to take part in their care yourself. It’s something very few people get to do!
27) Write Songs: Lyrically, songs take a bit of work. You’re working with both a beat and verbal flow, which requires a strong grasp of the English language (or another) and fitting things together. This makes it a strong creative outlet, and could even lead to a job writing lyrics for others.
28) Learn to Drive Race Cars: Most of us have had that desire to get behind the wheel of a race car and take it around the track. Or even just go on a drag strip. Learning how to drive a car in these extreme conditions requires great hand-eye coordination, and fast reflexes. But if you master it, you could actually get sponsored to drive cars!
29) Write Guest Blog Posts: If you want to get your message out to others (and gain a following in the process), hit up your favorite sites and ask if they accept guest posts. You’d be surprised at how many will, and that opens you up to a huge readership. And in some cases, site owners may even offer payments in return for the articles.
30) Join a Volunteer Fire Department: A lot of kids want to be a firefighter when they grow up, and there are usually opportunities to volunteer at fire departments. This not only helps learn real-world safety skills (and how to protect your own home), but gives the chance to help save other lives and network with the community.
31) Invent Something: We all know of something we wish was improved or something we want created that would make our lives easier. There’s no better person to make this happen than yourself. And in the process of inventing your life-changing item or enhancement, you might also create the next big thing.
32) Become an Internet Marketer: Internet marketing is something that benefits businesses both online and offline, and it’s easy to get started. Simply utilize your existing networks to help a business get exposure, and work on building bigger networks through friends and family. Over time, you can get big enough to be called on by large companies to assist with their marketing needs, and then you’re just leveraging the system you’ve already built.
33) Pitch a Television Show: Television shows are always being added and removed from your favorite channels, and some of them are originally created by individuals just like you. Come up with a solid idea, shoot a pilot episode to help show off your idea of what would make a great show, and pitch it to the networks it would best fit with.
34) Become a Movie Extra: Recruiters are always looking for more movie extras. These opportunities may be found on producer websites or places like Craigslist, and they offer the chance to actually be in a movie (and be paid for it). This is also a good way to meet others within the movie scene.
35) Take Classes On edX.org: edX is an online source for college courses that span many different universities (and countries/continents). Courses cover pretty much any topic you can think of, and there are certificates given to those that complete a course with a certain grade (such as 70%), much like a college. The best part is that it’s absolutely free, and the courses are designed specifically to be taken online!
36) Help With Research: If you love to interact with others and want to learn how people think in the process, helping with research is one of the best ways to do this. Usually it will entail going through a sample set of individuals and asking questions and recording their answers, which provides a lot of social interaction. It also helps open your eyes to how different (and in some ways similar) people are!
37) Become a Model: The idea that models are only the most slender people with flawless skin is completely false. There are models of all shapes and sizes, and there’s no reason why you can’t be one, regardless of your age, height, or anything else. Find companies that often show models that are similar to yourself, and just reach out and see how you can become one.
38) Take Part in Motivational Seminars: These seminars are designed to help you be more successful in life. They teach dos and don’ts for thinking and actions, and are invaluable when you put them into practice. You can do anything you put your mind to, all it requires is being willing to keep pushing, regardless of how tough things get.
39) Spend Time in the Wilderness: Explore nature, hike, and bike. Go to the wilderness and just live for a while off the land. Learn about the world around us that we often take for granted, and get a new outlook on it. Camping out is one thing. Actually going out into the wilderness to fend for yourself for a week or two is completely different.
40) Learn to Fly a Plane: Most small airports have lessons on how to fly airplanes. You usually pick the plane you want to fly in, and you will be given a cost and an instructor. Once you’ve gone through all of the instruction courses, you get to fly it on your own. And once you’ve logged enough flight hours, you are able to get a license to fly by yourself. Then you can take others, do tours, etc.!
41) Volunteer at a Library: Libraries are almost always looking for help. Whether it’s helping patrons check out their books, dealing with returns, or putting them back on the shelves, there is usually something that needs being done. Furthermore, being in the library makes it easy to see the latest and greatest books that are added to the collection, and you can read to your heart’s content!
42) Backpack Across the Country: Or even backpack across another content, like Europe. Just take off, follow the trail (or off the trail), and see what’s out there. Trade knowledge and skills for things like a room for the night or dinner, and keep going from one location to another, learning about the locals, their customs, food, etc. This is a great way to get a real cross-cultural experience, and it doesn’t even come at a great cost!
43) Become a Mentor: Work with troubled youths or those that just need someone to help mentor them through life. Most places have “big brother” and “big sister” programs, where you can temporarily adopt a child and be a role model for them. This is a good way to help others, while at the same time offering a different outlook on life. And these programs are often life changers for the children that participate.
44) Run for Office: Every city has various positions in their government, as well as states and the country itself. Run for a position in your local, state or national government. A lot of times, there are also positions that come without any opposition, and sometimes those who are already in the position would love to get out of it (and just can’t find anyone that wants to replace them). Even if you run and don’t make it, you still gain networking skills and make yourself much more known in your community. You can always try again the next time!
45) Write Movie Reviews: Most people want to read about movies before they go and spend the money to watch it in the theatre. With ticket prices running as much as $13-14 in some places, it can get expensive to see one that simply isn’t worth it. By watching movies and giving your personal opinions, you help give people much more informed decisions. And if you get picked up by a magazine or other news source, you can make a living doing it.
46) Do a Fundraiser: There are programs all over the place that could use more funds. Non-profits are almost always starving for money, and you can help by running a fundraiser. Places like Kickstarter are good methods, but you can run them in person as well, selling things like chocolate bars. This lets you give to a good cause, while helping out your community in areas where it’s needed.
47) Become a Tutor: There’s a saying that says the best way to learn is by teaching. If you can teach someone else to do something, you’ve truly mastered the material. Whether it’s a school subject (like math, science, etc.) or something like sewing, you’re able to help yourself while helping someone else. And you can even charge for lessons, especially in academia and music, leading to income at the same time.
48) Help Direct Plays: Schools and other places host different plays throughout the year. You can help with directing these plays, gaining the experience of working with others and helping them see what you see (visualize the play the same way you do). This is a skill very few have refined, and can be invaluable for leadership positions in the future.
49) Write for the Newspaper: There are newspapers all around us, and they’re all looking for the next big story. Individuals like you can pitch a story idea to the editor (their information is typically found in the newspaper itself or on their website), and if it’s picked up, you can get a payment and have it seen by all of the paper’s readers. This could ultimately lead to a job as a journalist.
50) Enjoy Life: There’s a saying that if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. This can’t be stressed enough, and you can make a living doing pretty much anything. All you have to do is find a way to monetize it, or find customers that are willing to pay. Lock down on the things you like the most, and evaluate them for income potential. You might be amazed at how many things you like doing that can easily be turned into a job or business!
Naturally, this is not meant to be comprehensive list, or even serve as a guidepost to one’s future. Rather, its purpose is to provide a glimpse into the almost infinite number of possibilities out there if you’re just willing to free your mind and take a chance. Good luck out there!
– Daniel Ameduri aka The Dissident Dad
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