Work!!

Hi,

Just wondering, what would be your tips job-wise. I don't have any skills to speak of. I can't script or build very well and I cannot make clothes because my graphics program is still alien to me.
I really don't want to go back to camping. I want eventually to have my own clothes store but that is out until I am familiar with textures etc.
I would be online at irregular times so it wouldn't be a good idea for me to commit to certain times. Plus I still haven't gotten the hang of SLT and how it relates to my time zone and Real-time.
Are there any tips you could give me while I develop my skills as I can't buy L$ just yet.

Any ideas?

Hi Claire,

think of something you really wish someone would do in SL, then learn the skills to do it yourself. That's the best way to a good product.

If you have the time, energy and persistence to become good at something, you will be successful. Don't expect that it doesn't take a lot of work to make decent money in SL. There is no free lunch, just as in RL.

SLT is the same as US Pacific Standard Time, since LL is based in California.

everything in SL is made by somebody .... and most start out like you Claire ....

Camping is a bit of a dead end and i wouldnt do it regardless now ... when you learn to do your own things .. build or otherwise you suddenly realise whow easy it CAN be or how hard ... but if you are in it for the longer term its very rewarding and I think you will do great

Marty

Shoot and here I thought I'd be able to complain about my work getting in the way of my SL addiction along with the rest of people.

<mumble..mumble..darn RL..mumble..mumble>

As for something to do to earn L, I have no ideas with your current state.

Now for future L earnings, I'd suggest several places to visit, starting with The Ivory Tower of Prims. Learn some basics in building, keep ALL the notecards, create some of your own if the ones there aren't detailed enough for you. Then find a sandbox and play away.

Second place would be Jopsy's particle lab. That's what started many a person on scripting, creating their own particles. Again, keep ALL the notecards and make your own. Keep all the goodies Jopsy has available for demos as well. I keep them all in a separate folder in inventory. (Inventory has a "Learning" folder which contains Jopsy's folder, Ivory Tower folder, classes folders, etc for easy reference later.)

Third place I'd recommend is any place that gives classes (NCI comes to mind). You can look those up in the search feature in SL. Go through the listings until you find one that sounds interesting to you. Don't worry, classes go on all the time in SL. Find a slot that would work with your schedule and plan on attending. Go to as many as you can or are willing to go to.

Fourth place is a hangout. Any hangout you feel comfortable in. Talk to people, schmooze if you will. Get to know what people are needing or using a lot of. Try and find something you'd *like* to do. This is SL, not RL, so it doesn't have to be an admin job if that's what you're qualified for in RL.

You can get around SL without much L plus it's cheap to buy if you want some right away, anyway. If you find something you like or even love to do in SL, there's your niche. Even if you're the one billionth-jillionth person to do that, if you are enjoying yourself doing it, who gives a flying flip?

A

Well, as someone that doesn't actually work in SL I'm most likely not qualified to give any advice. Then again, when has that ever stopped anyone... So my advice is simple, find something you enjoy doing and do it. If someone will pay you to do it, even better. For example I write scripts, I occasionally make money doing so but that's not my primary motivation at all. I write them because I enjoy it and if someone happens to want to pay me in the process, that's cool. Of course that's just me, I'm on SL for recreation, others will no doubt have better advice for the profit oriented types.

if creative skills aren't your thing get into sales...or party hosting, i guess the hosting you'd need to be on at regular times, but sales jobs tend to work off commissions.


The mall i work at (Devilfish Gay Mall) lets guys sell beds/showers/saunas or real estate on a 10% commissions basis...Might not be the thing for you but there's plenty of sales jobs out there...and many new people with a creative talent looking to get marketed!

Claire,

First of all the SLT thing - SLT is California time (which is where most of the servers are located), so whatever your own timezone is, compare it to California time and you have the relationship.

As for making money while learning - that may be an issue for you - you only have a set number of hours per week in SL, presumably, so you would have to divide those between learning something that lets you sell things, and having a job.

Like you, I have no set times that I can commit to in SL, but when I am in SL, I spend a lot of time on my job - I don't get the chance to go away and learn things - the job keeps me too busy. And there will be your dilemma, I think. Well-paying jobs in SL that don't require some sort of time commitment or effort on your part aren't easy to find in SL.

My advice would be to decide what you want to do in SL and then focus on that - if you want to learn to make things, do that and don't worry about a job. The only think you would need money for would be to upload textures. If you want to get a job so you can earn money, then don't worry about learning to make things, but put your SL efforts into networking and finding that good job.

I wish you luck, and I hope you really enjoy your SL time

If you want to eventually have your own clothes store, then you'll need to work on that. Texturing and clothes making are similar but not exactly the same thing. Download the CMFF templates and some graphics software and just _play_ - that's often the easiest way to do well. Some prim building is useful for clothes, too. It's sad to say, but I should mention that you may have to keep in mind that clothing design, being an artistic endeavour, does require natural talent and so there's a possibility that you just can't do it. I don't say that to mean that you shouldn't try, or that you shouldn't stick with it if things don't go well (Vincent Van Gogh once wrote a letter to one of his friends saying that it was absolutely ridiculous that anyone thought he could be a painter, and that he spent hours trying to get a chair to look right in three dimensions), but it does mean that you shouldn't feel upset or frustrated with yourself if things don't work out.

It's probably better not to get another job in Second Life while you wait. As others have mentioned, splitting your time is not advisable and can cause a lot of stress. If you want to, though, the most obvious choice for someone who wants to get into clothes design is modelling. It won't earn you that much in the way of L$, but you may get some nice free clothes, and more importantly, it'll enable you to network with other clothes designers who may be able to help and support you if you want to go that way yourself.

Hosting, as mentioned above, and land owners need managers -- seems to be plenty of turnover there. To do that you need to be able to think clearly, master a couple of minor technical details (you can't be a compu-klutz), but mostly, be responsible and good with people.

Peruse the Services forum for ideas.

In any of these service jobs that don't involve creating content, you need to have a decent avatar appearance, so be sure to polish your look a bit. You also need to know how to use SL reasonably well.

If you are interested in building and designing...get on that right away. Even take some classes at your nearby community college or whatever. If you have a desire to learn this aspect of SL, don't waste another minute--bust out Photoshop and practice making textures or clothing. If you are interested in building...you can hang out on sandboxes and practice the trade (tons of tutorials for everything known to man online).

If neither of these suites you...you can try managing a store. Hosting events. DJing at a club. Escort and Dancer fall into these 'club' categories too...but be sure not to confuse modeling for dancing or escorting (modeling has become pretty hardcore in SL...and to compete with the best, there are a myriad aspects you must become familiar with).

You could also write for the Metaverse Messenger (M2). Katt Kongo and Phoenix Psaltry are super cool...if you have a gift for gab, try your hand at journalism.

If you have musical skills...you can play for a little cash--whether the club/venue owner pay you, or you work on tips...either way lots of people do it.

You can work in advertising/marketing.

Anyhow...those are a few things that are readily open if you have what it takes.

This is one of the most helpful posts ever posted in the forums:

/109/b5/83674/1.html

You will of course need to copy and paste the urls into a browser.

If you're looking to get to grips with Photoshop, a good introduction to the basics can be found here:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshop/l/bllps5out.htm

Once you have got to grips with the basics, there are some really good podcasts - check out Adobe Photoshop Quicktips by Justin Seeley.

I use my RL entertainment budget to fund my SL, buying Lindens as I need. I occasionally think about how nice it would be to have it fund itself, but working inworld is not an option for me, I work enough in RL. I don't want to be in a position where I HAVE to spend time inworld due to work or business commitments. I've actually been offered Hosting jobs and turned them all down. But I'd say that's the easist way to make some money if you have the personality for it.

Hey Claire,

I may have just the thing for you. http://adnetwork.electricsheepcompany.com/

I don't know a whole lot about it, except to say that it requires no special skills or time commitments, and the person running it is really cool. I'm pretty sure you could work as independently as you want, and earn directly from what you put into it.

The only catch is that the system is not complete yet, so unfortunately you may have to wait a little while before you can get started. Don't ask me how long though. This is about as far from my department as it gets. Just figured I'd pass it along.

I think this will probably end up being a good source of new employment for a lot of people in SL. I hope it works for you.

Wow! thanks for the advice - didn't think I'd have that many responses so quickly!

Thanks for letting me know the time zones. It means it will probably be easier for me to know when I will be online

I think I'm gonna stick to learning for now. Thanks for all the tips on where to go for tutorials. I'm gona check out the Ivory Tower soon

Hiro those links are brill. Thanks. I forgot there was a whole forum devoted to content creation lol. I may go and have a nosy and see what i can see lol.

Lear - I love that word! compu-klutz lol. totally made my day. I think thats gonna be my new fave word for a while

Thanks everyone. I'm gonna see what I can do with my clothes but if i fail miserably and fall on my face or just don't enjoy it I may well see if I can give one of the other suggestions a whirl. (managing sounds funky since that is similar to my RL job )

Although Electric Sheep Company (ESC) isn't hiring at the moment (last I checked), it is always good to email HR and let them know who you are, what you're looking for, you skillset, and a little history about yourself.

I'm not sure I agree with Chosen Few when he said:


I've found that ESC is one of the more difficult companies to get involved with--even if you've got 'mad skills.' If you find an opening listed which states 'no skills needed', definitely apply...but because ESC is very popular, it's going to be hit with a lot of applicants...it's nice to have something under your belt to separate you from the livestock. The top dogs in building, modeling, designing, and programming all apply there. Unless they have support staff, assistants, or other generic positions, you really have to know your poop to get hired.

And even if you fit the specks, they don't seem to hire too often. I've applied twice in a 4 month time, and they weren't hiring on either occasion...

But like I said...get your name in the barrel and wait. But look elsewhere for employment while you're at it.

Michael, the ad network is a little different. I'm pretty sure it's not about becoming a direct employee of the company, but simply about becoming a member of a (presumably large) network. Therefore, I would assume it would be considerably easier to get on board with it than it would be to land a job internal to ESC itself (programmer, artist, project manager, etc.) Even if it's not though, I still wouldn't discourage anyone from pursuing it. My father always used to say "Never turn down an offer you haven't received," words to live by.

I don't want to keep speaking purely based on assumptions, so I've E-mailed the head of the ad network department to try to get some better information. Either he or I will reply here with more definitive answers ASAP.

Claire,

You started off by saying, "I don't have any skills to speak of." Maybe not technical skills specific to SL, but you certainly have skills! What are you good at in RL? You mentioned managing in RL, so the trick is to translate that appropriately into SL. Ask people how they got started and I think you'll find some interesting stories. One avatar I know liked to shop in RL, so she started off becoming a personal shopper in SL. It was a great way to get to know all the clothing lines in SL.

There are always needs

In addition to getting a SL job, there are two additional strategies you may want to consider:
1) Someone already mentioned getting a RL job to pay for your SL experience. It may be more comfortable for you to start by buying $L /w/ real currency you earn in RL.

2) Don't limit yourself to what you already know. The really great thing about SL is that you can branch out and try things you've never done before with very little downside. A woman I introduced to SL in RL is now DJ'ing in SL. She makes tips. It's something she's never done in RL, but now spends a couple nights a week DJ'ing in SL. I assume in a few months she could go to a RL club and try it there. So, think of something you've always wanted to do and try that. The trick is to translate it appropriately into SL, where what you have to offer is all about the experience. SL is a great opportunity to be an entrepreneur with very little RL downside.

As for the ad network I'm building at ESC, when we launch, anyone will be able to sign up as a "publisher", whether or not you own land. We'll split the money we make with you, so it'll be one way to make $L. If you'd like more info, email me directly.

SL is a great opportunity to try new things and begin to think like an entrepreneur. Have you heard the stories about how people are putting "World of Warcraft Guild Leader" on their resumes because the managerial skills they learned there are directly applicable to RL jobs? I think the same is true in SL in terms of being an entrepreneur. Figure out what you're good at, decide what you want to do, and translate that into SL. If you need help translating into SL, post on the forums, I'm sure there will be many people who will offer good advice.

Honestly, it depends on what you're looking for in a job. If you're just looking for L$, it might be easier to buy them with RL money - a little goes a long way. I can't think of ANY entry-level SL job that pays anything like a decent RL wage. And truly, with all the free and nearly free items available you can get by with very little L$. (Another thought - picking up and running through freebies is also a very good way to get a feel for what makes good content if and when you start creating your own.)

If you're looking for the satisfaction of having a job and something to do, then find something you like to do and keep at it. Or volunteer.

I hostess at my friends' club. I do have to commit to a regular time, but it's only once or twice a week (unless I'm filling in for someone) so maybe that sort of thing would work out for you. It requires knowing the basic SL interface and interacting with people, but no esoteric building/scripting/design skills. Unless clubs in general are your thing, I recommend looking for clubs you like first and jobs second. A good fit goes a long way.

I also pick up occasional spare change by taking surveys through the First Opinions Panel (NOT the Hippiepay surveys!) and opportunities I find either here in the Employment forum or through in-world Search. These are usually someone's research project and can be a lot of fun. (Recently there was a post here offering the chance to make up to L$4000 by participating in a game - I didn't make that much, but I walked away better off than when I started. I also found a game called Forager listed in the Educational Events in-world - that was loads of fun. Picture a large room full of avatars, all running full-tilt around and into each other, trying to run over colored tiles that each paid a few L$. What a stitch! It was someone's psychology experiment - I may still have the website bookmarked - but I don't think the game is running any more.) Really, I can't give any tips on these except to keep an eye out for them and be careful to know what you're getting into.

Good luck, and welcome to SL!

Entry level aside...

Builders, scripters, designers and texture artists can make as much as a RL job--the starting wage (at a good SL design firm) for building is $6,500 Lindens an hour. That adds up very quickly. If you aren't a sub-contractor, then building sims for RL companies can make you over 10K an hour...

I know some scripters that make $40 USD an hour...I don't hire them...lol...because in time you'll find reasonably priced, quality scripters for a lot less...nonetheless, some are making crazy money.

But yes...entry level won't compare. That is why (just like real life) a skill set puts you ahead of the pack. Certain skill sets require a lot of time to bloom, and these rightfully are the ones that warrant a higher hourly rate...and on the flip-side, others don't require any [practical] skill...but don't expect to make any real money from them.

There is a reason designers and CG artists spend a lot of time and money at school...so they can solidify for themselves a bit of security, and at the same time compete with the other designers.

Software now'adays is nice...but don't expect a "Photoshop Mom" (c) to make as much as a trained designer...not that it's not possible if you are a natural...but hours and hours of training ain't for nothing.

Learn to build and to make textures in Photoshop - that's my advice. If you want to grow your income strictly in-world, camping won't make you much but it will cover the cost of uploading a few textures at L$ 10 a time.

You might not make much money at building and it is rather optimistic for anyone to assume they are going to make any sort of profit in SL, but building nice stuff is very satisfying and could raise a bit of cash if you sell copies of things you've made.

I definitely need to train more on my phtoshop etc, as I cannot even think to compare to professional graphic designers. But then I don't really want to 'compare' I want to be individual. It is still going to take some work to get to a decent standard though.
I don't care if i don't make money, if I can help just one person I will be very happy. It would be nice if I could cover any upload costs etc though lol.

I will have a look for inworld courses on texturing and clothing design and building etc. I have heard NCI mentioned a lot so that seems as good a place to start as any.

I just want to experience as much of SL as possible.
Thankyou everyone for helping me and giving me such great advice You are all shining stars and ubercool!

I spend about 20 hours a week or more working on my Artistic texture skills and while I make some pretty good stuff, I am not at point I want to try to do business because of the stress and hassle.
I decided for myself first life is hard enough, why add to money, job stress here?
I enjoy creating and learning, though some days even in SL or as Artist it can be hard because their is always going to be someone better, more skilled and personally sometimes it's hard for me to not compare, think my creating sucks.
Lot of good information here though in post.
Thanks for bringing up topic. Good luck with whatever you decide.

thanks FD

heyas;

remember you can upload your test textures on the beta grid and check out how they look, what needs fixing, what came out crooked, or blurry, or bent. this won't cost you any real lindens (you get 5000 play lindens when you go to beta), and you can tweak and experiment to your heart's content, and get things perfect without any overhead cost.