You know how people say one of the fastest ways to pay down debt is to pay as much as you can towards said debt? They weren’t lying. Even just $100 a month can go a long way to getting you out of debt faster. Now that we’ve reached our emergency fund goal of $10,000 (this number helps me sleep better at night) we’re back to focusing on paying down our student loans. As I’m still self-employed, and income is irregular from month to month, I’ve decided that getting a part-time job is the smart move when it comes to us reaching our financial goals.

We don’t hear the term “part-time” job too often. Now it goes by a much cooler name known as “side hustle.” Some may argue that the term side hustle is geared more towards self-employment, but the way that I see it is that their both the same. They are an activity that you do after you’ve completed your full-time job or on your day off that brings in extra income. There have been very few times when I didn’t have a part-time job or some other means of bringing in income besides my usual way. You can say I’d grown accustomed to always having extra money coming in. I never saw it as a chore or a negative thing. I just knew that to afford my lifestyle and meet financial goals I needed extra money, so I went to work. I’ve worked retail, been a waitress (one of the fastest ways to make money), and even worked food services at a hospital.

I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a part-time job for the past few months, and several places caught my eye. However, I knew that I had to be strategic about where I worked. The temptation is real and being that I’m a beauty and lifestyle blogger also it’s easy to purchase items with the innocent plan to blog about them only to find them forgotten in the corner of my office months later. This is why places like Sephora and Ulta were out!  If the sole purpose of securing a part-time job or a side hustle was so that I could pay down my debt, then I had to make sure that’s exactly what I would do with the extra money.

Company Culture

Keeping this in mind, I’ve applied to a few places with the mindset that I want to work somewhere that I enjoy shopping. If I’ve had a great customer service experience while shopping I hopefully can assume that there is a positive company culture behind it all. As a graduate student, I learned early on about reading the room and learning what other graduate students weren’t exactly saying when you asked them how they liked their lab. Getting a part-time job isn’t a decision that people make lightly. Most have to overcome a huge mental hurdle to even fill out an application because often we feel we’re too good for a part-time job and, the last thing you want to do is to go into a job with a horrible company culture that makes you regret being there. One great way to get an idea of company culture is to check out reviews on Glassdoor.com.

What are my Non-Negotiables?

I next thought about things that I didn’t want to do, things I tolerated in my old jobs but disliked. I knew immediately that a clothing retail store was out. While I love fashion, I hate continually folding something over and over only for it to be messed up. Plus, the older I’ve gotten, the more clutter frustrates me, just ask my husband how I wake up and have random “throw everything away” moments. I didn’t want to look at this part-time job as a chore, so it was important that the task aligned with things I didn’t mind doing. Helping people sure, putting clothes back after you’ve pulled them from all over the store and balled them up in a pile, not so much.

Will the Discounts be Beneficial?

As an employee, you’re privy to discounts and benefits that could also end up saving you money. So the third thing I thought about was how the job would benefit us beyond providing us with extra money. What things did we want to do in the upcoming months or years? Did we want to travel, buy a new car, make some upgrades to our home? I also had to ask myself if it was a deal breaker if a job didn’t offer an employee discount as some companies are moving towards a discount booklet that gives you perks at other stores beyond where you work. Some part-time jobs even offer 401K benefits with matching for nonfull-time employees. Word on the street is that Sephora is one of those employers! Even if you’re only bringing home $300 a paycheck 5% ($15) of that money going into a 401k with let’s say a 3.5% match is an additional $5.25 towards you retirement It may not seem like much but don’t forget the power of compounding. If you were to continue this until retirement age with an annual rate of return of 7% you’d save over $53,000. I’m not saying you’ll keep your part-time job until you retire, but some people love it so much that they do. Plus, who would snub their nose up at an extra $53,000?

Is there Flexibility with the Schedule?

Fourth, I thought about my schedule and if this job would fit in with it. Schedule flexibility is important. While I’m still FT job hunting, I will probably try to work four days a week as my goal is to bring in an extra $500-$600 a month, but once I secure this FT job, there is a possibility that I may have to drop down to weekends only. Having a part-time job that’s accommodating is always reassuring and allows me to pursue other interest as I please.

Now that it’s officially “Now Hiring” season part-time jobs are plentiful. Some places are even willing to hire to interview you on the spot when you come in to turn in your application. Make sure wherever you apply you put your best foot forward and always dress for success just in case you get a chance to talk with the hiring manager. Marsha Barnes of The Finance Bar put it best in this Instagram post below. We have to think differently about how we plan to pay off our debt. To pay off this next loan I just need to make $1000 four times instead of thinking of making $400 ten times. With my side hustle/part-time job, I’m pretty confident I can make it happen.

Even though extra money is a sure fire way of meeting your financial goals take the time to think about your next move before jumping right into it. Your mental wellbeing is more important than anything, and if a part-time job outside the home isn’t the best option for you there are plenty of opportunities that will allow you to work from home and still make great money.