Thinking Of Driving An Uber To Fund Your Studies? Some Things You Should Know First

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There’s no better path to a brighter future than education. Higher education can imbue you with the skills, knowledge and resources that you need to achieve the career of your dreams or even take a bite of the entrepreneurial apple. But like anything worth having, studying is hard. Not only must you navigate the perils and pitfalls of full time learning, you must also navigate the perils of maintaining a home, paying the bills and keeping the roof over your head and the food on your plate. This is hard enough for those with a full time job, but when our studies limit the time in which we can earn, it gets a whole lot harder.

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Image by Flickr

In the gig economy, many drivers who own their own vehicles have chosen to dedicate their free time to becoming an Uber driver, and in recent years this has become an especially popular money making opportunity among students. Given the flexibility and the fact that it can potentially pay better than most student jobs, it’s not hard to see why so many students flock to it. But if you’re considering making some money this way, it’s essential that you keep the caveats in mind.  

 

Make sure your car is up to the job

Uber driving is not for those with diesel vehicles. Diesel vehicles are marathon runners rather than sprinters. Being an Uber driver inevitably involves short journeys at relatively low speeds. This means that over time your Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) will become blocked with soot and won’t get the opportunity to purge (which usually happens automatically when travelling at high speeds at 2000-3000 rpm). This can result in a total breakdown of your vehicle and a very expensive repair.

If, however, you’re one of the many students driving electric or hybrid cars, you have the ideal vehicle to earn a crust as an Uber driver.

 

Never drive while tired, angry or hungry

When you’re driving to fund your studies, it’s easy not to treat it with the gravity that it deserves. But make no mistake, if this is to be profitable for you, your behavior on the road must be unimpeachable. That means that you never get behind the wheel unless you are well fed, well hydrated, well rested and ready to turn on the charm. Driving while angry, tired or hungry can cause you to make poor decisions on the road which could compromise your safety, the safety of your passengers and your reputation.

 

Don’t sacrifice speed for safety

If you’re trying to make money as an Uber driver, it’s vital that you aren’t tempted to race yourself to the finish line. Sure, your passengers want to get to where they’re going quickly… But they’d rather get there in one piece. Driving for speed can make you sacrifice safety. You could wind up with a poor review or even visiting www.DuffyLawCT.com/state-crimes/traffic-crimes/ to seek legal counsel for the dangerous driving claim made against you. Slow and steady always wins the race when you’re an Uber driver.

 

Bring your winning personality to work

Finally, your tips will make all the difference between making okay money and making great money from this side hustle. That means you bring your winning personality and your biggest smile to work for each and every passenger, even when you’re not feeling as sunny as you could on the inside. You might just surprise yourself with how much better wearing a smile makes you feel.

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 03/27/15

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Geek-and-proud

Another week has gone by so you know what that means! My Week in Geek!

Here is what's going on in my world:

  • iPhone 6

I just got my new iPhone 6 last weekend and I've been loving the bigger screen, Touch ID, and setting up Apple Pay (not sure if many stores around here use it or not yet though). I had my previous iPhone 5 for a good while and it had starting acting quirky lately, as it always seems to go, so I was glad to trade it towards something new. I'm an Apple person through and through so I love seeing all the new gadgets and tools they come out with. Not sure if I'm sold on the Apple Watch yet but I've had nothing but positive experiences with all my Apple hardware (MacBook Pro, iMac, iPads).

  • Untappd

Something I've been playing with on my new phone is the free app, Untappd. It is a social app that collects the different craft beers you drink, where you drink them, and pulls together recommendations for other beers you might like. So you can see what your friends are drinking and what they thought of them and connect over good beer! It's a great interface and I've been using it for about a week now and I really enjoy it. I've gotten really into ciders lately as well as trying a lot of the cool local breweries here in Maine so I wanted something to keep track of them and recommend more stuff I might like to try. If you're a fan of good beer, you owe it to yourself to check this app out!

  • Evernote Scannable

Another app I've been using for a bit but just haven't gotten around to mentioning is the newest tool from Evernote called Scannable. As the name implies, you can download this free app on your smartphone and take pictures to scan in receipts, business cards, documents, all into your Evernote (and elsewhere). It is really easy to use and works perfectly from my experience. I love Evernote and use it very often to keep track of ideas, notes from books, or now, all of the aforementioned stuff you can pull in from Scannable. I scanned a bunch of business cards I had laying around and now I can access the contact information from all of my devices. It's awesome and takes me one step closer to a paperless life.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 01/09/15

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here is what's going on in my world!

I've been using this new way to manage your Gmail for about a week now and I love it. It helps simplify my messages and get my email out of my way. The ways it compiles common emails and messages of the same type as well as allows for easily snoozing, pinning, and archiving messages. You have to get invited (I can invite you!) or request access from Google (which takes some time) but it is definitely worth it. There is a free app for iPhone and Android, and you can also access it via the Chrome web browser. I definitely recommend you check it out if you love Gmail!

I just finished this mini-series on Amazon Prime, where it is available to stream alongside many other HBO series. The story surrounds Easy Company and their journey in Europe during World War II. It came out over a decade ago but still holds up well. The series spans over two years worth of time in the matter of ten episodes so the story does sacrifice character development and some nuance for this fast pace, but the emotion and action are still definitely there. This is a great series for any American history fans like myself, and you'll even see a lot of familiar faces before they became major celebrities, which is fun.

  • Perspective

"Follow the trend lines, not the headlines." I saw this quote recently in an article and it resonated with me. Too often we get caught up in the little things right in front of our face we forget to look at the big picture. The world is getting better and safer all the time, but people don't see or can't realize the incremental change and improvements that are happening. Change takes time and with marriage equality now available to the majority of Americans, I know this is true. I lived to see this happen over the course of my short lifetime, so I know we can make a difference if we all rally together. The aforementioned article does a great way of explaining this point of view, and it's a perspective like this that helps me stay positive and motivated to keep working hard.

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 11/21/14

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Geek-and-proud

Welcome to another week in geek!

This week's I have some random stuff that I'm into lately. Enjoy!

I rented this movie earlier this week and just sat to watch it the other day. I also recently saw 21 Jump Street for the first time and loved both! They're self-aware, buddy cop action comedies that don't take themselves too seriously. Both of the films have been breakaway hits and they even joke in the movie about indefinite sequels (one of my favorite parts of the already hilarious film). There are great cameos, a solid ensemble, and just hilarious commitment to the bits by stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. I definitely recommend checking it out, it's well worth your time and absolutely worth a night's rental.

Facebook just released their latest standalone app for mobile devices, which like Messenger & Pages, allows for a better experience using some of Facebook's best features while on your smartphone. Groups is a fantastic aspect of Facebook, allowing for more contoured discussions and close-knit circles to come together versus the hundreds of friends and pages cluttering up the news feed. The app also helps you find new groups and just is a solid tool to have especially if you manage groups yourself or just have a lot that you're a part of.

I haven't talked a lot about this show on here, but this is one of my favorite series of all time. The show ran on ABC from 2004-2010, and has some of the best character explorations I've ever seen. The mysteries keep you engaged and the story is a powerful one once it is all said and done. I'm currently getting my partner into the show and we're chugging along the first season. She's been enjoying it and it's neat to be with someone seeing it all for the first time. I rewatch the show often and it holds up to repeated viewings. I even see new things I missed the first time around, such as narrative seeds they plant earlier than I realized or just how appreciating story elements now at a different point in my own life. The series is readily available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/17/14

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Geek-and-proud

Welcome to another of my weekly geek outs!

This week is a random mixture of things that are going on in my world. Hope you enjoy them!

I've been following the Happier blog for a little while now, and I had gotten the advice recently to keep up with jotting down daily happy moments. The Happier app came to my attention, which is an awesome way to curate your happy moments and can create a positive community around you of people sharing their own moments and appreciating yours. It's a create, simple, free app for download that I encourage you all to take a look at. It's important for us to appreciate the moments, big or small, that make us happy each day.

The new Mac operating system came out yesterday and I just got it installed this morning. I like it already! It's a nice, fresh new coat of paint and adds some cool new features (which you can read all about here). I appreciate that Apple is making these updates free for users, which I think is the way to go. Maybe once the next huge update comes then we'll pay for that premium product but these iterative updates, just like with iOS, should be free since it helps all users have more secure, functional devices. Looking forward to playing around in Yosemite some more!

  • NYC

I spent a fair amount of time in New York City when I interned there during the first half of this year. I really enjoy the city and how much there is to do there. Most of my graduate school cohort is still around that area so I'm going down to visit next month. I look forward to hopefully ending up somewhere around there further down my professional journey. There is just so much activity going on there and I like to be a part of it or at least near it! Does anyone out there have a favorite part of NYC?

Thanks for stopping by!

whatdoyougeek

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 09/05/14

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Geek-and-proud

Welcome to another week in geek!

Hey everybody. Here is what I'm into lately!

So this cult series originally aired on Starz from 2009-10 and had one of my favorite actors in it, Adam Scott from Parks & Recreation fame. Parks grabbed Adam Scott from this show as did Glee with Jane Lynch. The series didn't fare too well with viewers at the time but it has had a second life after its too short tenure. All of the episodes have found a home at Hulu Plus and I've been rewatching them for nostalgia's sake. The premise is that a bunch of wannabe actors and writers in Los Angeles work as caterers and get into a bunch of wacky antics. To put it succinctly, the show is great, you should watch it. All the actors are wonderful in it and it is very smart and witty, like me!

I've seen a lot of people using this app lately so I decided to check it out. It's been a lot of fun seeing what happened on each day in my life several years ago via what I posted that day. It's free and fun and helps us wax nostalgic, social media style. Check it out!

  • Fantasy Football

I have had the pleasure of being a part of a student affairs fantasy football league of some kind for the past three years. Doing fantasy football has been an awesome way to get more into the sport, since I get all the updates of how my players are doing and have more of a general idea of how each team is doing as well. I won my league last year, and I have a pretty solid lineup this year so I am looking forward to seeing how they do!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/15/14

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Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Welcome to another week of geek outs! This week is filled with new apps that I've been checking out recently and thought I'd share with you all. Enjoy!

I've known about this neat add-on for a little while now but I just installed it ahead of the start of the academic year. I am very excited at the possibility it promises to help manage email outreach. Its simple premise is that you can schedule automatic followups if the message you sent was unread for a certain amount of days. It also allows for you to schedule out emails to go out at a later date/time. I see this being pretty useful with messages to my residence hall community about pertinent information. I also see the followup feature being very helpful keeping on top of correspondence with students, following up if they aren't responding in a given time. The add-on is free and is simple to use so I definitely recommend it!

I just got started using this app since I got it for free from Starbucks the other day since they give out cool free apps, music, books, etc. every once in a while. It is a neat to-do list app that has a neat interface and helps you do what you need to do when you need to do it. Think of it as a little personal assistant that will remind you about stuff. I haven't used it too much yet but I'm eager to see the possibilities as I get rolling with all the stuff I'm sure this first year of full-time work will entail.

For a while now I've been looking for one, end all calendar solution that brings all of my disparate calendars together automatically. Sunrise does just this. It links with any and all of your Google Calendars, your Apple iCal events, Facebook events, and Outlook. It has a great interface, updates seamlessly, and they have apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Google devices. It's an amazing, free app to get all of your appointments, meetings, and plans together in one place. I love it already after just about a week of use so you should definitely check it out. You'll be glad you did.

That's it for this week. Check back next Friday for more geek outs!

Thanks for stopping by!