The Road to Financial Independence: Community Education

You may remember that in the money guidelines post, I mentioned achieving financial independence. Now, that term means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To me, it means being able to maintain our lifestyle without depending on a paycheck from someone else. Basically, I'm hoping that there will come a time that we will have enough income (from various sources) to maintain our standard of living at the level we desire. Once that is achieved, my husband and I can work outside the home as we choose, because we want to, not because we have to in order to survive. The concept as I view it comes from "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. I highly recommend that book for anyone who is interested in working less and living more.

One of the ways I have found to bring in income is to teach classes through local community education programs. Every school district has some sort of program whether it's called community education or something else. Find out who runs the programs in your area and give them a call. They are always looking for ideas for new classes since this is a money-making venture for them, too. Currently, I work through Huron Valley Community Education and split the class fees 50-50 with them. I've taught various ceramic classes for about two years and this summer will be adding some science classes as well.

A ceramics class I taught in the fall of 2010.

This is a great option for anybody. If you have a particular skill, offer a class! It can be something in the arts and crafts range, but it certainly doesn't have to be. Are you great with a certain computer program? Do you enjoy genealogy? Maybe you have carpentry or masonry skills you could share. If you love what you do for a living, why not share that with people? If you have a hobby that gives you hours of enjoyment, let people know.

This is perfect for everyone, whether you're looking for financial independence or just a little extra cash to pay off some bills. Give your local coordinator a call today!