This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Welcome, welcome, welcome. This is Sadosle School, a daily podcast all about turning ideas into income, going from an idea you have and making it a money-making project without quitting your job by using a skill you already have. In this case, it is, let's see what we've got here. Without quitting the job, yes. Without going into debt, yes.
Low startup cost, yes. But it's also a skill that someone acquired or set out to learn. They initially set out to learn this skill to help with their day job, but then realize it could work as a side hustle as well. So I should just back up a little bit and say, first of all, this episode is part of a feature we call your first $1,000. It is in fact how someone gets that idea and turns it into income, specifically their first $1,000, right?
Not their first $100,000, that's cool too, but it would also be a long story. We really wanna highlight relatable projects and just things that anybody can do out there. That's the whole point of the show from all kinds of different backgrounds and perspectives and skill sets. And so this idea specifically, it is in fact sign language interpretation, which maybe we've talked about at some point, but nothing comes to mind. It's not quite like making journals.
We've had a lot of personalized journal or not always personalized mass manufactured journal makers, beekeepers, I don't know, app makers. I'm just thinking of some of the more common things, but I'm not sure we've had too much in the way of sign language interpretation. So this story comes to us from Ruth in central Florida. She is a school counselor with in fact a side hustle in sign language interpretation for the court system there. So how did she get this going?
How'd she make it happen? What did it feel like? Let's hear the story from Ruth. And also what did it allow her to do? That's a key point.
In fact, I might title this episode with a partial answer, but let's hear the story from her. I'll be back at the end with a quick wrap-up. [Music]
Hey there, my name is Ruth and I'm a school counselor by day and a freelance sign language interpreter by night, or well, weekends mostly. I never thought I'd be moonlighting as an interpreter for the state, but sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions. It all started a few years ago when I was working as a school counselor.
I was always looking for new ways to connect with my students, especially those who were hard of hearing or deaf. One day I had a student who was deaf and I felt so helpless because I couldn't communicate with her effectively. That's when I decided to learn sign language. I figured if I could learn, I could help this student and others like her. I started taking night classes and soon enough I was able to sign basic sentences, but the real test came a few months later when I was offered an interpreting job for the state.
I was nervous, but I could use the extra money, so I took the job. My first gig was a little nerve-wracking. I was interpreting at a city council meeting and I was worried I was going to mess something up or not be able to keep up, but it ended up going great. I was able to keep up with the fast-paced dialogue and everyone was impressed with my interpretation skills. After that, I started getting more and more gigs.
I realized I needed to set my rates, so I did some research and found that most freelance interpreters charge around $50 to $100 an hour, depending on the type of event and location. I set my rate at $75 an hour and have been happy with it ever since. I started getting more and more requests and before I knew it, I was easily making an extra $1,000 a month. I was able to save up for a trip to Europe and I even started a college fund for my daughter. The key to my success as an interpreter was to never stop learning.
I constantly took classes to improve my sign language skills and I always made sure to be better prepared for each job. If you're considering starting a side hustle as a freelance interpreter, here's what you need to know. One, get certified. You'll need to take a sign language class and pass an exam to become a certified interpreter. Two, network and market yourself.
Reach out to schools, government agencies, and businesses in need of an interpreter. Three, set your rates. Do some research on what other interpreters in your area are charging and set a rate that you're comfortable with. It's been a wild ride but I wouldn't change it for anything. Being able to help others and earn extra money on the side is the best of both worlds.
And who knows, you may just fall in love with sign language like I did. [Music]
Thanks so much to Ruth for telling us about her first $1,000 listeners. I hope you found it encouraging. I especially like how she mentioned what she did with the money, some of the money, as she has made more than $1,000, of course, by now, being able to pay for a trip to Europe as well as the college fund for, I think it was her daughter, if I'm not mistaken. It's really great when you're making this extra money to have some identified use for it.
It just feels good to be able to say, oh, I made this and then I was able to have this experience that might've been cost prohibitive for me or might've just been difficult for me at this point. But because I had the extra income, I was able to take that trip or just contribute more to the savings fund or whatever it is. It's just so motivating, you know, as you're seeking to go into your next $1,000 or whatever your next goal is. So I encourage you to do that yourself. And also if you have a question or an update or a comment, any feedback for me, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
Today's notes, sidehustleschool.com/2291. 2,000 episodes and counting 2,291 to be precise. And another one's coming up tomorrow. And I hope you'll subscribe or follow. It's all completely free.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
