Whether you make your money exclusively from employment income or count on veteran benefits like disability to help you make ends meet throughout the month, it is always advantageous to have multiple sources of revenue. With that in mind, below are three skills vets can learn to complement their regular employment income.
Online English Practicing
If you are a native English speaker, you may not realize it, but there are plenty of ways to earn extra money simply by having conversations with people online. English is the global language for commerce and, to a large extent, global culture, and people all over the world are eager to learn it as a way to improve their connection to that culture, increase their employability, etcetera.
Plenty of online services have cropped up over the last several years that connect learners with native speakers. It is often better if you have an English teaching certificate like the TEFEL under your belt, but it is not necessary for most platforms. You simply sign up, select the hours when you will be available for conversation, and link a PayPal account. If you can develop a base of regular clients who like you and your service and leave you positive reviews, you can end up making a few hundred extra dollars a month.
YouTube and Video Production
While most YouTube channels will never make enough money for their owners to live comfortably off of, that is not to say that there is not a market out there for your skills and experience. There are three fundamental qualities to a good YouTube channel–and one that stands a chance of generating you any kind of income (whether from subscribers or ad revenue).
The first is an idea that resonates with people. Maybe you have a skill that you picked up during your time in the military that is interesting and allows you to make or showcase certain things to people in an interesting way. The second is a personality that people are attracted to. The third is the ability to create and edit videos. Having a well-made video can make or break YouTube content, even if you satisfy the other two criteria.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing refers to the act of marketing and selling on behalf of someone else (typically a large retailer, though not always) in exchange for a commission. Amazon is the most popular affiliate platform out there, and in exchange for directing people to Amazon’s website, hopefully, to purchase products that you have marketed well, Amazon will give you a small percentage of the sale.
Affiliate marketing is typically done through an affiliate marketing website, which you build yourself, pay someone to build for you or purchase an existing one from someone else. You then review products and services in the hopes that your site visitors are enticed enough to buy. Affiliate marketing involves several other online skills, such as SEO, web design and content writing.
Conclusion
If you manage to quickly secure gainful post-military employment, good for you. For many other vets, however, that first meaningful full-time job can come much slower, and several revenue streams are often required to live the kind of life they want. Keep the above income-producing skills and activities in mind and diversify how you get your money.
Discussion about this post