My very first job ever, even before the teenage adventures in babysitting, was as a dog-walker for my neighbor.
I was in the 6th grade, and my neighbors were a young couple who worked full time and didn’t have any kids. I began walking their wonderful Wheaten Terrier, Delaney, everyday after school for $1 per walk. When Delaney passed away, they got another Wheaten a few months later, and I took care of him too. I had that job from the time I was in the 6th grade through 11th grade.
In the past few years, I’ve noticed this incredible insurgence of dog-walking and pet-sitting companies. Many urban professionals have massive amounts of puppy-guilt, in leaving their dogs home alone for hours on end. So, they hire people to come by and take care of their pets…for a nice fee of course.
In terms of great random jobs, it’s really hard to beat pet-sitting. If you live in an urban area, you can check out the local pet-sitting companies to see if they’re hiring workers (they usually are) or you can even start your own company! All it takes is a few clients, a few ads, and you can be on your way. There is a lot of referrals in the pet-industry, since not many people will trust their pets to just anyone. Your business could take off pretty quickly, and then you can hire your own staff!
