I was recently in this position. I hated my full time job last year and wanted OUT immediately. I was so burnt out from doing real estate rental sales. I quit because the money I was bringing in was far below the personal toll it took on my time, energy and social life. However, I did had no idea what I wanted to do for work. Getting into another unfulfilling job was the last thing I wanted. So I set out to find a way that I could make enough money to survive without having to commit to a full-time job until I was certain that it was what I wanted. To discover what I truly wanted to do for work, I also wanted to have ample free time to reflect on what I truly desired to do full-time.

So I had four wants: to make enough money to live comfortably, to have ample free time to figure out what I really wanted to do for work (and to apply to jobs), to avoid committing to any full-time position until it was sure it was what I really wanted, and, if possible, to build my resume so that I could get the best position possible when I interviewed. How did I solve this problem?

The simple answer is that I created a system of working multiple easy, high-paying part-time jobs. I wanted to work easy jobs so that I would be able to stay relaxed, even while I was working. But I needed the jobs to be high-paying, since I live in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the nation. To fulfill these wants, I needed to find jobs that would fill these requirements, otherwise I would be no better off than when I was working my awful full-time job.

Unfortunately, part time jobs often do not build resumes - so I also needed to solve this problem. My solution was figuring out the fastest possible track to get promotions to management positions in these part time jobs. That way, I would be gaining management experience, which is an excellent resume builder.

Working part time granted me the ability to choose my schedule, all the time. I could interview whenever I wanted. I could take extended vacations if I felt like it. And, if I wanted a lot of money at the moment, I could work a ton of hours and bring in a huge paycheck for that week.

It requires discipline and mindfulness, but it is able to meet all my requirements. I was able t

So I had four wants: to make enough money to live comfortably, to have ample free time to figure out what I really wanted to do for work (and to apply to jobs), to avoid committing to any full-time position until it was sure it was what I really wanted, and, if possible, to build my resume so that I could get the best position possible when I interviewed. How did I solve this problem?

The simple answer is that I created a system of working multiple easy, high-paying part-time jobs. I wanted to work easy jobs so that I would be able to stay relaxed, even while I was working. But I needed the jobs to be high-paying, since I live in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the nation. To fulfill these wants, I needed to find jobs that would fill these requirements, otherwise I would be no better off than when I was working my awful full-time job.

Unfortunately, part time jobs often do not build resumes - so I also needed to solve this problem. My solution was figuring out the fastest possible track to get promotions to management positions in these part time jobs. That way, I would be gaining management experience, which is an excellent resume builder.

Working part time granted me the ability to choose my schedule, all the time. I could interview whenever I wanted. I could take extended vacations if I felt like it. And, if I wanted a lot of money at the moment, I could work a ton of hours and bring in a huge paycheck for that week.

It requires discipline and mindfulness, but it is able to meet all my requirements. I was able t

Unfortunately, part time jobs often do not build resumes - so I also needed to solve this problem. My solution was figuring out the fastest possible track to get promotions to management positions in these part time jobs. That way, I would be gaining management experience, which is an excellent resume builder.

Working part time granted me the ability to choose my schedule, all the time. I could interview whenever I wanted. I could take extended vacations if I felt like it. And, if I wanted a lot of money at the moment, I could work a ton of hours and bring in a huge paycheck for that week.

It requires discipline and mindfulness, but it is able to meet all my requirements. I was able t

Working part time granted me the ability to choose my schedule, all the time. I could interview whenever I wanted. I could take extended vacations if I felt like it. And, if I wanted a lot of money at the moment, I could work a ton of hours and bring in a huge paycheck for that week.

It requires discipline and mindfulness, but it is able to meet all my requirements. I was able to work easy jobs and make great money. In fact, over the course of last year I made almost $40,000 working only an average of 24 hours a week doing only part time jobs. It is possible.

I wrote my book, Scraping By: The Smart Way to Turn Small Jobs into Big Money, to outline exactly that process. Through a lot of trial and error, I was able to perfect a system that kept me well-paid and relaxed. In fact, I loved these jobs. They were easy jobs, my co-workers were tons of fun and I was able to gain great management experience.

To read about my system, go to www.scrapingbysmart.com. I detail exactly what I did to make great money with high-paying, easy part time jobs, as well as ways to save money, bargain shopping and all sorts of tips to live well between full-time jobs.

-Erick Broderick