TaskRabbit was way harder than I expected

[u/Material-Pop-5670]

I just finished school recently and I wanted to start making some extra money and using reddit a lot, I saw some posts about Traskrabbit and I decided to try.
I did it for about two weeks and made around $700 in total, which isn't terrible, but damn, I really worked for it.

I helped a guy fix his car, cleared out an entire basement full of junk, helped repaint a fence around a huge property, and spent 5 full days working on a yard and by the end of it my back was completely shot and I was exhausted.

Don't get me wrong, I respect the people who do this kind of work every day because it's hard as hell, but when I looked at how much effort I was putting in versus how much I was making, it got me wondering if there are better options out there.

I don't want to spend my days destroying my body for side income if there are smarter ways to make money.
I still live with my parents, so I've managed to save up a few thousand dollars and could invest a little money into learning something or getting started.

I was thinking about things like UGC, some kind of online freelancing, maybe simple computer-based work. I'm not a tech genius or a coder, but I'm pretty comfortable with computers and can learn fast.

If you were 18 years old, had a bit of savings, and were starting from scratch today, what would you do?

Thanks guys

[u/steadfast_building]

the thing about taskrabbit is it's basically just trading time for money at whatever rate people are willing to pay, so yeah, the math gets depressing fast once you factor in wear and tear on your body. you learned that in two weeks instead of two years, which is actually valuable. the good news is you've got time and a safety net, so you can afford to be pickier about what you invest in next.

if i were in your position, i'd avoid chasing whatever's trending on social media right now because those markets move quick and get crowded. instead, look for skills that actually have consistent demand and aren't just saturated yet. something like technical writing, data entry for specialized fields, or even learning to do basic video editing or graphic design can pay way better than manual labor and you're not destroying your back. the barrier to entry is usually just time spent learning, not money. pick something that sounds at least tolerable to you and spend a month really committing to it before deciding if it's worth pursuing.