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How Alaina is Paying Off Debt with a Proofreading Side Hustle


Updated: April 7, 2015

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  1. Great job, Alaina! I’m seriously considering this as a supplement to my current income, so I’m wondering how many hours you worked to earn $600.

    1. Hi Kris — I’m not very good at tracking how many hours I work, since I’m typically reading whenever I can (on the train to and from work, at bars and restaurants before the rest of my party arrives, etc.), but I definitely wasn’t doing more than probably 10 hours per week to read that many pages.

  2. Congrats, Alaina! I just began the course a few weeks ago, so your story is really inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing it. I know that you’re still fairly new, but what have you found to be the most successful way to find clients?

    1. Facebook has worked the best for me so far, but I haven’t been able to get a lot of steady business that way. It’s mostly been one-offs. I’m planning to do more outreach to agencies in the coming weeks in hoping of ensuring more steady work, even if it does pay a bit less.

  3. That’s awesome Alaina! When you are searching for clients/jobs, do you communicate your publishing background and English degree as a qualification? I’m just wondering if it would be more difficult for someone to break in who doesn’t have the education and career that you have (like myself).

    1. Yes, I absolutely use those qualifications as a way to bolster my resume — they’re certainly useful in this field, but I wouldn’t say that they’re absolutely necessary. I have run up against a lot of people who want more experienced proofers, but I think there is room for people who are new, as long as they are willing to start out charging lower rates and do consistently good work to prove that they are just as capable and reliable as someone who has been working much longer.

  4. I think my greatest fear is that I don’t know if I have a eagle eye for errors. Ive never done anything like this before, but I am willing to learn. Currently I work full time typically 10 hours a day 5-6 times a week but the pay is barely enough to cover my bills, so I hope over time I can replace one job for the other.

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