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What kinds of part time jobs did you do when you first entered the job market?
On my own after cutting financial ties with my parents, and looking to try different kinds of work while I wait out a bad tech market. Besides uber, what are some interesting ways to work part time in SF? I’ve been thinking about enlisting in the army, but I think there’s probably better ideas.
About me: Recent CS grad, currently doing part-time pastry.
Edit: Thanks so much for the great ideas! I think I’ll try looking into FOH, a couple gyms, and try a temp agency as a backup.
This is an odd one, but lifeguarding pays exceptionally well. Back in 2011, I was making $18 an hour as a life guard - which is effectively a job where you tan, chat, and infrequently deal with minor injuries. I did it from age 17-23 and only quit when I was offered a full time role in my chosen field after I graduated college. For the life of me I can't figure out why young folks take other jobs. It's cushy, it's fun, it keeps you fit, and it's a weirdly good place to meet friends and prospective partners. It pays similarly to Uber and has pretty regular hours (though sometimes weekend hours as well). If you can find a job at a University (I worked at Stanford when I definitely did not attend) the hours will be even more like a 9-5. A lifeguarding instruction course can be completed within a week (usually just 2 weekends) and is also helpful later in life if you want basic emergency knowledge.
Otherwise, if you aren't looking for this to help you build a career, find something fun. Working at a rock climbing gym can be amazing. The social aspects are great, as are the hours you can spend climbing on the clock when the gym is empty. Setting is a whole different game where you pretty much get paid to climb. 10/10 I loved working as a setter. I still do when injury and time permits! If you like the outdoors working as a NOLS instructor could be fun. You might just need some training first.
I was going to say the same thing. I actually just got my lifeguarding job back as a weekend job to grab some extra cash. It’s starting at $24/hour. I already have the skills, so I only had to do an expedited training, but they will train you from scratch if you need it. It’s open water lifeguarding (beaches, rivers, etc), which is why it pays more. Since it’s a government job, it also includes a built in pay increases after you work a certain number of hours. It comes roughly to $1.25 raise every year assuming you work full time over the summer (it’s seasonal but 40 hours per week), capped to around $27.
Find a temp agency. First google result, which is how I found my closest local one.
If you need flexible work, you can often do a job for just a single day. Here's some things I did while a temp agent for my summers between college:
From non-temp agency, I bussed tables at a restaurant while still in high school. I also worked evenings/weekends at a local gas station for awhile. Also did a few holiday seasons at Circuit City.
Warning: Extended stints in retail jobs will make you incredibly cynical about consumer culture.
counter: it's an extremely valuable life skill to learn how to reject mass marketing and learn how to be happy being frugal.
Oh yes, I agree. That was a little 4 AM addendum meant to be mildly humourous.
It's an eyeopening experience, and much like the rest of the temp work, relly lets you get into the belly of the beast that white collar jobs hide from you.
They're also great for learning what it takes to do that kind of job, and having empathy for others who are in those roles. Working at a little convenience store in high school completely changed the way that I interact with customer service (retail workers, waitstaff, airlines workers, etc), especially in difficult situations. The other benefit, like you said, is becoming disgusted with the products that you're selling. I watched so many people squander their money and health away on cigarettes, alcohol and lottery tickets that it was very, very easy to resist all of those things while growing up.
Pastry? As in like a pastry chef?
I'd recommend switching over to front of house and working as a busser/barback. Learn the plight of the humanities major, make some easy friends, develop a teeny tiny drinking/cigarette problem when you and your coworkers spend some of your tips at a bar after your shift, then eventually move on to your big boy/girl/person job and look back fondly.
A lot of people have trouble making friends as they get older, but it's a lot easier when you work at a job with a bunch of young-ish people that have nothing better to do than socialize during down times. I finally retired from the service industry in 2022 to focus on my stupid job of "teaching kids" and I miss the camaraderie.
The best part is if you're in California/the Bay Area, you actually make an almost livable wage at any mid-tier restaurant which is crazy for unskilled labor. It's much better than joining the army.
Unless you know someone in the service industry, you have to reach out to a ton of restaurants, but plenty of them are looking.
I did substitute teaching and data entry mostly. Subbing requires a little hoop jumping (and can be rough for all sorts of reasons, but it pays the bills), while there's almost always some temp to possibly perm job for data entry where they need somebody who can bash through a pile of stuff accurately.
When I started working after graduation, I actually did some freelance software development work on the side. 15 years later, I still do it, but just for one client who has been super easy to work with over the years.
In high school, I had a part-time job working at a professional photo lab (most doing wedding photography) where I scanned film and did some basic touching up. I also did other occasional or seasonal jobs: babysitting, odd yard work jobs for neighbors, filling syringes with flu serum, and working at the polls during elections.
As a university student, I had a part-time job working at a research museum. They were in the process of moving their extensive ichthyology collection into a larger warehouse (a former mall, actually), and I was brought on to help inventory the collection and check for specimens that needed maintenance.
Later, I got a part-time job working in a lab of one of my professors, where I was tasked with separating roots from soil samples, dehydrating them, and weighing them. I also did some field work for the lab, which mostly consisted of setting up experimental sites (basically mapping out several small plots in the forest, weeding, cutting and splitting wood, and digging trenches).
When I immigrated overseas, my visa limited me to seasonal work, so I got a job doing physical labor on a farm: planting, weeding, pruning, harvesting, greenhouse repair, etc. (When I got my full visa, they promoted me into a proper research job in the R&D department and I stayed for eight years.)
Right before I immigrated, I had a part-time job offer that I really badly want to do, but the timing just didn't work out (I got the offer about a month before I moved): I participated in a zombie walk, and there were some people there there scouting for talent for one of those real-life zombie shooter games. They really wanted to hire me, but I already had my plane ticket and my visa. I would have delayed my immigration plans for six months for that job if I could have; I can't think of any job that would be as fun, except maybe being a white water rafting guide.
I worked in an injection molding facility. It was a shit job, very hot, and zero safety standards. I'll probably die of lung cancer from inhaling burning PVC smoke.
A lot of great advice in this thread and I think you can go many different directions and have a fulfilling life.
One thing I'd recommend is to keep CS skills sharp and build things. This doesn't need to be your job, but find a tech meet up or indie game dev group. There are start ups who can't afford a full time dev but would happily kick you some cash to spend several hours a week helping out. Make connections and try to contribute to people's passion projects. Maybe spin up your own and find an artist who is trying to contribute. Just see what people are thinking about and what skill sets are in demand.
The only part time jobs I did were in a mom and pop book store and then a library. The library was one of my favorite jobs I've ever had. The librarians were a fun group and I got to spend time reshelving books, scanning books at the check out counter which meant getting to know the regulars, and when it was slow I got to grab any book I wanted and read. It was great because I saw what books were coming and going and the niche reference books people were interested in.
I second this about keeping your CS skills sharp. Part of the reason it's harder to get a CS job is because there are tons of experienced developers out there after the layoffs. 99% of the time they will get the job over someone fresh out of school, but you are not that far off.
Try some personal projects in your free time if you need to find some job to pay the bills to keep your skills fresh and build a resume. If you have any desire to go further, consider grad school. If you aren't going to get a job anyways, why not go to school for another year or two?
The max student loan you could take for a two-year master's program is $41,000. Schools like SFSU only charge about $9,500 a year for grad school tuition, so you could spend much less. If you actually like CS and fully dedicate yourself to your studies, a $41,000 loan would definitely be payable if you got a job after graduation.
Painted houses in university and for a year or two afterwards. Started my own company and had enough business to run two crews. It didnt make me a millionaire but it was steady work during three seasons of the year and it kept 5 of us employed. Winter time I did interiors but that takes more skill and I worked alone on those.
Older millennial: I only ever worked part time before graduation, at a "designer dessert cafe" working minimum wage + tips. It's basically fast food minus the hot fryer, and tips were probably better because dating couples mostly don't want to be perceived as cheap. Tips were good, but minimal skills were learned other than "customer face".
Now that I don't have money problems I most value experiences earned, esp while they're paying for it.
In this day and age, if I were in your shoes or starting over again, I would definitely get myself into roofing, painting, plumbing, construction esp foundations and framing, or anything like that that will come in handy for the rest of my life and somewhat prevent me from getting ripped off hiring contractors. Look over the shoulders of electricians kinda thing.
Software I can do on my own, and I can get by with help from good people online no matter what language they speak or what time zone they're in. "Hardware space" problems I'm limited to shitty youtube videos all trying to gain subscribers and dependent upon the whims of algorithms in an SEO'd to heck landscape.
Contact local 2 and get certified to wait tables or tend bar at weddings.
I started working as a preschool teacher. The requirements for that are minimal in California, and you can get them completed at any community college for cheap and fast (it was 12 units when I did it about 12 years ago). I was also a camp counselor, substitute teacher (in California, you only need to take the CBST and pass to qualify for that, and most districts pay pretty well for subs because they're in dire need of them.
My first "real" job that I had a consistent schedule for was as a receptionist at a nonprofit. I had a set schedule and worked part-time just sitting at the front desk taking calls and checking clients in. the pay isn't great, but it's consistent.
After high school, I worked in retail at an office supply store while going to college. Retail jobs suck but they're definitely better than working in a call center (which I did after college).
My wife and I both want our daughter to get a retail job and/or food service just so she can experience what it's like being on the other side of that. I think these types of jobs are enormously useful for providing an insight into things you interact with daily as a consumer even if the pay sucks and the company treats you like a disposable cog in their enormous machine.
That said, I don't know how anyone can make a livable wage in the Bay Area working retail.
Joining the military on a whim is certainly something people do, but remember that this is a job you can't quit until you've served your time.
It isn't necessarily a bad job, but you also go into it not knowing what your actual job will be or if it'll be at all useful once you leave. It's possible that would be a good thing since you don't seem clear on what you want to do, but it's also very possible you'll end up doing something dangerous that has lifelong health implications.
If you do decide to go this route, look into the different branches if you haven't already done so.
There is also the national guard, also with different branches. They're way more laid back but can be complicated to juggle with a regular job. It takes longer to qualify for benefits like the GI Bill or retirement because they only count days of active duty.
Have you applied to YCombinator? I have a ton of ideas from a B2B perspective. Execution is like 99% of it, but normally having an idea that doesn't suck helps.
The other thing to consider is the trades. Plumbers are paid exceptionally well, even tech workers complain about how much it costs to fix stuff around the house, so having those skills are not to be sneezed at.