A second income in Graduate School

[Psychisfun43]

Other than a stipend, What are other way's did you guys get a second income while in graduate school? I was thinking that tutoring in unique subjects could be a way to help pay for groceries. Any tips?

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[deleted343839]

I had some writing and editing jobs that paid pretty well (relative to my stipend). Some of the folks in my program worked a few hours a week as psychometrists.

 

[G Costanza]

I TA'd for an adjunct who owned a private practice. He liked my work and invited me to be a psychometrist on the side. I turned that into a prac with supervision towards my hours.

I also worked a physical labor job 1-2 days a week. It did make my schedule pretty tight but really enjoyed the change of pace from working all day with my head to doing something with my hands.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

I know a few of the psych assistants at our practice who are starting grad school in the fall are planning on continuing to work part time still with the practice. I also know of someone who continued to work as a sign-language interpreter.

 

[PsyDr]

TA'ed
Wrote some professional pieces from my former career
Barback'ed

 

[madeincanada]

Unless your financial situation demands this, I would strongly urge you to re-consider taking on a second position.

Consider opportunity cost. This is the only time you will ever get to be a PhD/PsyD/EdD/whatever graduate student. The time you spend doing other stuff is time spent away from developing relationships with your classmates (who will be your future colleagues), professors, clinicians, and from taking on additional tasks that can help launch your career.

 

[deleted760483]

My first year I worked full-time in retail. Second and third year during practica I worked from home for eHow and Google writing articles and evaluating search engine results. That stuff was new at the time and paid really well, I think the bottom has kind of fallen out of that market now so I'm not sure what the current equivalent would be. Also did some TA work. Fourth year I worked a total of about 50 hours per week via 2 part time jobs at private practices, one of which was my therapy practicum site which offered me a paid position. Then it was internship! Most of the time money was still tight. Budgeting, coupons, and thrift stores are your friends during this time.

 

[Justanothergrad]

I also wrote a small grant (10kish) to fund my research. I also worked as a psych tech some.

 

[WisNeuro]

I worked doing assessments for two different research projects, paid very well. It was nice to be able to live well in grad school with no debt and contribute to my IRA. That being said, I was busy as hell.

 

[EmotRegulation]

I had a retail job the summer after my first year of grad school through my 3rd or 4th year, I forget when I eventually quit. I worked 20 hours/week at first, but that was unsustainable after awhile, and then I dropped down to about 10 hours per week. It was fun to be in a different environment than school, though I'm not much of a salesperson. By the end I was spending about as much in the store as I was earning. This was on top of TAing extra every semester.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Worked essentially as a psychometrist in a private practice and on a few forensic cases.

 

[Psychisfun43]

Wow! Thanks for all of the ideas! I didn't even think I could be a potential Psychometrician while in graduate school. Thank you for the help .

 

[deleted760483]

I had a retail job the summer after my first year of grad school through my 3rd or 4th year, I forget when I eventually quit. I worked 20 hours/week at first, but that was unsustainable after awhile, and then I dropped down to about 10 hours per week. It was fun to be in a different environment than school, though I'm not much of a salesperson. By the end I was spending about as much in the store as I was earning. This was on top of TAing extra every semester.

I agree, I really enjoyed working retail in grad school, it was a nice break and fun to interact with "normal" people.

 

[singasongofjoy]

A couple of new profs needed additional TA/RA help - beyond what I was already doing as part of my stipend - so did that various semesters. Also ABA in the community, pet-sitting and babysitting, and (this sounds nuts but) my husband is a long-distance runner and would find all sorts of crazy useable stuff that people were getting rid of on trash day- especially around ends of semesters and over the summer. We would hoard things in the garage and sell them on craigslist or yard sale. Also periodically sold things on various online websites (clothes, books, etc; benefitted from relatives who were downsizing and willing to give us stuff that we could sell). Every little bit helps... i don't know how people work another "real" (non-craigslist) non-school-related job because flexibility was key for me. Financially I benefitted more from some hard-core creative re-budgeting than my attempts at earning extra money on the side.

 

[lightwater]

I'm astonished that so many of you were able to have other work other than typical, related grad student ones (TA, tutor, etc.). Everyone always suggests I just focus on getting done, but it would be very nice to have a better total income..

Does anyone have advice for obtaining a psychometrics job in general? What about the NYC/NJ area?

 

[deleted343839]

Does anyone have advice for obtaining a psychometrics job in general?

Posted jobs might require longer or more rigid hours than a typical grad school schedule will allow. But through word of mouth from more advanced students, practicum supervisors, etc. you might be able to find contract jobs that are more flexible.

Everyone always suggests I just focus on getting done, but it would be very nice to have a better total income..

It is nice. Just don't get sucked in at the expense of your doctoral work. My advice is to work as little as possible outside of your program for the first couple of years, and then proceed conservatively.

 

[MCParent]

I did testing too.

Odds jobs aren't uncommon. Sometimes students host bar trivia or maybe teach a dance class or do a little personal training or something. A few people I know painted or crafted and sold stuff on Etsy for pretty amazing profit margins. I don't think that's unproductive for grad school--actually I think it can help a lot of people keep sane. You aren't going to spend all your free time studying, so doing something personally interesting that is also financially rewarding can be good for students.

I got asked to bounce at bars a few times. I turned those down; running a risk of having to throw a current or potential patient out was too high

 

[WisNeuro]

I'm astonished that so many of you were able to have other work other than typical, related grad student ones (TA, tutor, etc.). Everyone always suggests I just focus on getting done, but it would be very nice to have a better total income..

Does anyone have advice for obtaining a psychometrics job in general? What about the NYC/NJ area?

It all depends on your efficiency. IF you're not able to get your grad school work done in a timely manner, there is no reason to look for an extra job. I didn't mind the occasional 70-80 hour week, so I was able to work on the side and still get my grad work and pump out a few papers in grad school. The things that will get you a great internship and postdoc are your priorities, if you can get those done, work away to your hearts content.

 

[PsychPhDone]

I was lucky enough (...and made the decision) to attend a program in a low cost of living area with an excellent stipend. Our program required approval if you wanted to work outside the university. A few people pursued psychometrist work, and a couple people had stealth non-university jobs, but it was pretty rare.

During the second half of grad school, I was offered some extra work through my department, mostly to support undergraduate teaching. It was nice to keep it all "in house," though I can understand the appeal of something different.

 

[lightwater]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the thoughts.

 

[deleted760483]

It all depends on your efficiency. IF you're not able to get your grad school work done in a timely manner, there is no reason to look for an extra job. I didn't mind the occasional 70-80 hour week, so I was able to work on the side and still get my grad work and pump out a few papers in grad school. The things that will get you a great internship and postdoc are your priorities, if you can get those done, work away to your hearts content.

Yep, this is about exactly what I was going to say. I would add that it also depends on your style. If you are a perfectionistic, must read and fully understand all assignments type of person, outside employment might be hard. If you are a skim/speed read until you understand the core concepts of the material and then move on type, you should have a reasonable amount of time between classes and coursework to make some money. I started my doctoral program as the former, finished as the latter.

 

[BuckeyePsych]

Other than a stipend, What are other way's did you guys get a second income while in graduate school? I was thinking that tutoring in unique subjects could be a way to help pay for groceries. Any tips?

I and several other people in my program worked as adjuncts for local liberal arts and community colleges (after we received our masters, as that is required for almost all adjunct positions). Some of us had 3 hour once a week night classes (6-9pm) which was really easy to fit in our schedule. Going rate was $2500 to $3500 per class.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I and several other people in my program worked as adjuncts for local liberal arts and community colleges (after we received our masters, as that is required for almost all adjunct positions). Some of us had 3 hour once a week night classes (6-9pm) which was really easy to fit in our schedule. Going rate was $2500 to $3500 per class.

Ah yeah, forgot to mention that as an option. I never did it for extra income, but I knew a few peers who either adjuncted (especially over the condensed summer and winter intersessions) or facilitated/helped with online courses.

 

[Pragma]

There are some programs that flat out don't allow you to work outside of their programs (as a matter of department policy). Mine was like that, although some people did a little moonlighting and it was never an issue if you were meeting all obligations.

Depending on your program you also may or may not get a summer break. Temporary summer jobs, or faculty paying you for summer work on grants are other things to think about.

 

[Psychisfun43]

I have now plenty of ideas! Thanks! Hope other students find it as useful.

 

[Spydra]

All great ideas, thanks for sharing everyone.