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Any ideas on a side project/hobby for a very bored fella?

  • 15-01-2020 11:46am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭


    I'm 22.
    I'm in college and I work part time on the weekends.
    I'm bloody bored.

    I earn around €200 a week, I spend €50 of that on petrol (commuting) and I live with my parents who don't want rent from me.
    I've also nearly paid off my 2nd semester of college (€1800, €3000 in total).

    I'm constantly bored, I don't care for college or work, so I want something I can do that I'm actually excited about, and it'd be nice if it there was a chance to make some cash.

    Have ye got any ideas for side projects/hobbies/businesses I could look into?

    - I already play an instrument, don't fancy learning any others.
    - I've tried fixing up a car in the past, but sort of lost interest.. I got it running and sold it for a profit.
    - Don't fancy playing any sports (I golf every once in a while).


    I'd love to fix up an old cottage/house.. something run down where I can do all the work on.
    But who'd give a 22 year old earning €200 a week on a zero hours contract €30,000 to flip a house?
    So that's wishful thinking.

    Any ideas, literally anything.


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,467 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    MrMiata wrote: »

    - I already play an instrument, don't fancy learning any others.

    start or join a band.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,477 ✭✭✭✭Knex*


    Would you take a look at udemy for any online courses in interior decorating, or any home related design? Or is it the tradesman element of it that you like?

    First step might be identifying what it is about fixing up a house that excites you, and whether there is anything there that's translatable to a more immediately achievable job or interest.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    loyatemu wrote: »
    start or join a band.

    Safe to say I've tried that for the best part of my teenage years - I can find 101 DJs but no one who plays an instrument.

    I've lost any interest in starting a band.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    ......romance?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Knex. wrote: »
    Would you take a look at udemy for any online courses in interior decorating, or any home related design? Or is it the tradesman element of it that you like?

    First step might be identifying what it is about fixing up a house that excites you, and whether there is anything there that's translatable to a more immediately achievable job or interest.

    I'd like to buy something and fix it up.
    I was an apprentice electrician for awhile and I've worked with my uncle who's a carpenter.
    I like that work but I have no interest in doing it for a living.

    Also from a business stand point I'd like to get into property.

    I'd like to make money from it, I'd like to learn how to develop property.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    ......romance?

    BAHAHAHAH

    I live with my parents in the arsehole of nowhere, I don't go out other than for the few times a year my old school friends do something.

    Romance would mean moving to student accommodation, which'd cost over €100 a week.. so I'd have my parents paying for it. Can't see that working out.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,871 ✭✭✭✭Ash.J.Williams


    MrMiata wrote: »
    I'm 22.
    I'm in college and I work part time on the weekends.
    I'm bloody bored.

    I earn around €200 a week, I spend €50 of that on petrol (commuting) and I live with my parents who don't want rent from me.
    I've also nearly paid off my 2nd semester of college (€1800, €3000 in total).

    I'm constantly bored, I don't care for college or work, so I want something I can do that I'm actually excited about, and it'd be nice if it there was a chance to make some cash.

    Have ye got any ideas for side projects/hobbies/businesses I could look into?

    - I already play an instrument, don't fancy learning any others.
    - I've tried fixing up a car in the past, but sort of lost interest.. I got it running and sold it for a profit.
    - Don't fancy playing any sports (I golf every once in a while).


    I'd love to fix up an old cottage/house.. something run down where I can do all the work on.
    But who'd give a 22 year old earning €200 a week on a zero hours contract €30,000 to flip a house?
    So that's wishful thinking.

    Any ideas, literally anything.
    what level do you play your instrument and what instrument is it?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    what level do you play your instrument and what instrument is it?

    Guitar, I'm pretty proficient, I've been playing for years and I get quite obsessive for period of time.
    I'm no John Mayer but I can play most of his songs.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 312 ✭✭73bc61lyohr0mu


    Build a gaming PC. I built one myself a few years ago and it was so satisfying to get it up and running. Playing a good game is great..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Build a gaming PC. I built one myself a few years ago and it was so satisfying to get it up and running. Playing a good game is great..

    I've spent ages looking about how to do it, picking out the parts and all of that good stuff but I don't think I'd build one, I've an Xbox that's covered in dust, I've never been too into gaming.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭Krombopulos Michael


    Would you consider repairing and selling furniture. Buy old dresser etc from car boot sales, repair and do it up and sell online for little profit.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,707 ✭✭✭brevity


    MrMiata wrote: »
    I'd love to fix up an old cottage/house.. something run down where I can do all the work on.
    But who'd give a 22 year old earning €200 a week on a zero hours contract €30,000 to flip a house?
    So that's wishful thinking.

    Any ideas, literally anything.

    Carpentry internships? Is there a shed at your parents place where you could set up a bit of a workshop and, I dunno, build something that might be useful for you or your parents?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,166 ✭✭✭Still waters


    Start lifting weights, it becomes addictive especially at your age


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,512 ✭✭✭baby and crumble


    if you're interested in fixing up a house you could start by learning about upcycling and restoring old furniture etc and resell them on. Places like charity shops can have stuff that you could flip for cash if you get creative.

    Otherwise you could volunteer with a local homeless charity or similar, I know when i was in college i volunteered doing up houses (painting etc) for SVP.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭LeBash


    Do a night course in something that will interest you.

    As someone said. Join a band, I have some great mates through music. Doesnt have to be for a gig, can just be a few lads and or ladies having a laugh.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 242 ✭✭Wiggles88


    Have you thought about taking up measuring the width of pigeons chests when the opportunity presents itself. All you would need is to carry a little ruler on you at all times, and it's especially lovely to measure their chests when sleeping. You could then keep a daily record for nostalgia sake, scratched into a corner of carpet in the shed.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,914 ✭✭✭Alkers


    How are you getting on in college? Any need to do more work / study? If it's something you truly don't enjoy, look to change course.

    If you don't mind it, apply yourself a bit better and the remainder of the course will fly, try to join some clubs are societies in the college so you have friends aside from your old school friends.

    Lifting weights / working out in general is a good one for your health and as a pastime.

    You mention you don't want to video game, play sport, socialise etc. Is there anything in the natural world that you're interested in?


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,881 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,885 ✭✭✭Tzardine


    What about offering guitar lessons. Something you might enjoy and you could earn a few euro?

    Are there any causes that you are interested in that you could volunteer a few hours to? Might be a good way to meet like minded people.

    +1 for weight/running physical activities.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    MrMiata wrote: »
    I'm 22.
    I'm in college and I work part time on the weekends.
    I'm bloody bored.

    .

    1) Learn some useful skills in communicating and understanding other people. Get a few journals and start recording information about the people you encounter. Observe their behavior and determine patterns of behavior, and seek to find aspects about that behavior which can be identified to help you guess what they'll do should the situation arise again.

    2) start doing memory training. Pick up a variety of memorization techniques and start playing around with them. It'll boost and stimulate your brain, giving you an advantage as you get older.

    Personal development is an activity worth pursuing, considering that you're bored, and it's something that once you start, you'll never finish.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,533 ✭✭✭Car99


    Do you have any interest in your college course?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,813 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    Learn how to cook, properly. It's a life skill and will help you with the ladies too.Your parents will also be more than happy about it.

    Try another instrument. You can get an electronic drum kit for about 200e.

    Elect a clown... Expect a circus



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,551 ✭✭✭SeaFields


    Plenty of great suggestions

    You say you live in the middle of nowhere. Any rivers or lakes nearby to do a bit of fishing? Another option.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Car99 wrote: »
    Do you have any interest in your college course?

    Nope.

    But it's easy and doesn't require me to do much more than show up so I'm still in it.

    Long story short - I suspect I have ADHD, which would make total sense because all throughout my childhood and teenage years I wanted to be a doctor.. but I could not/cannot study to save my life, every test I've passed so far has been without doing a tap.

    I've now wasted a lot of govt tuition and spend a fortune on college in general that even if I could get into studying medicine, I realistically couldn't afford it.

    So I wanted to become a doctor, that didn't happen and somehow I ended up a business student.
    The typical follow up question is 'Why not become a nurse' - They do very different jobs, I want to do the work of a doctor and not a nurse, It'd feel like settling.

    So no I don't like my course, but I can have it running in the background


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    irish_goat wrote: »

    Not a big man for drinking but the process looks interesting!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Wiggles88 wrote: »
    Have you thought about taking up measuring the width of pigeons chests when the opportunity presents itself. All you would need is to carry a little ruler on you at all times, and it's especially lovely to measure their chests when sleeping. You could then keep a daily record for nostalgia sake, scratched into a corner of carpet in the shed.

    I'm looking new and interesting, this is a little too close to my current hobbies.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Alkers wrote: »
    How are you getting on in college? Any need to do more work / study? If it's something you truly don't enjoy, look to change course.

    If you don't mind it, apply yourself a bit better and the remainder of the course will fly, try to join some clubs are societies in the college so you have friends aside from your old school friends.

    Lifting weights / working out in general is a good one for your health and as a pastime.

    You mention you don't want to video game, play sport, socialise etc. Is there anything in the natural world that you're interested in?

    I've changed courses far too many times..

    I posted another response about college here a few minutes ago, I think it covers a lot of points.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    There is always this -

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=78235578

    - but its not for the faint of heart :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,516 ✭✭✭RedXIV


    Could look at coding? A lot of my side projects are things I like seeing built and there's a chance if you build something decent you could make a fortune.

    If you're looking at the more hands on sort of thing, rather than getting stuck into a full house refurb, as others said, furniture refurbishment or building your own projects could be very satisfying and would be something I'd love to do if I had the space


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,717 ✭✭✭YFlyer


    Troll online. Be subtle though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,502 ✭✭✭q85dw7osi4lebg


    Golf?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,324 ✭✭✭JustAThought


    ok. here’s something - social and varied and could tie in with a long term plan to do something in medicine after you get your degree and put a few years of work in. You can start it now & it could venefit on many levels.

    all those outdoorsey organisations train people up in paramedic type skill courses - emergency first aid, first responder, outdoor emergency skills - ice/water etc - there are a whole lode of courses they will pay to put you through if you volunteer and turn up. And you get to go places, train with people and its social & helping people etc.

    organisations like:
    - wicklow / cork kerry/ wherever is near mountain rescue
    - civil defence choose general/watersports etc - they also have communications units where you get to play with setting up LX and comms for outdoors events
    - order of malta - travel to concerts all over the country and take part in big events - Slane/RDS/horseshoes/Bloom etc
    etc

    might be a build up to enter medicine as a post graduate degree student where you need to show experience and interest in the field (as well as ability to pay/4 more years / aptitude etc)


    would get you out, expose you to variety of things ine of which might stick or stimulate, meet people etc


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I had an idea recently - not sure if it already exists - to start a group I was going to call something like "20/20".

    Anyway the idea is I would advertise for 20 guys who are - like the OP - looking for something new in their life.

    Meanwhile I would be trying to find 20 as diverse clubs as possible and contacting them about the possibility of an "open day" where I show up with my lads - and the teachers or students or members or whatever put on a talk a demo a hands on sessions or whatever is relevant to their particular club or discipline.

    Then perhaps pints afterwards.

    So one night a week over 20 weeks - basically you and a load of guys go out and try dance - JuJitsu - Beekeeping - Spanish - Cooking - fishing - running - hill walking - fencing - or whatever. Then hit the pub for pints.

    So for the OP - the organisation of it is itself a hobby and probably a lot of work for a few months to kick off - but then who knows what might come out of it too. The 20-20 club itself will focus your attention and stop you being bored - but you might find something good out of it too. If not you can keep doing the 20 20 with new lads each time. And so on.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,965 ✭✭✭Conall Cernach


    3D printing Mandalorian armour for cosplayers. There's a big market for good stuff out there.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,251 ✭✭✭bullpost


    MrMiata wrote: »
    I'm 22.
    I'm in college and I work part time on the weekends.
    I'm bloody bored.

    I earn around €200 a week, I spend €50 of that on petrol (commuting) and I live with my parents who don't want rent from me.
    I've also nearly paid off my 2nd semester of college (€1800, €3000 in total).

    I'm constantly bored, I don't care for college or work, so I want something I can do that I'm actually excited about, and it'd be nice if it there was a chance to make some cash.

    Have ye got any ideas for side projects/hobbies/businesses I could look into?

    - I already play an instrument, don't fancy learning any others.
    - I've tried fixing up a car in the past, but sort of lost interest.. I got it running and sold it for a profit.
    - Don't fancy playing any sports (I golf every once in a while).


    I'd love to fix up an old cottage/house.. something run down where I can do all the work on.
    But who'd give a 22 year old earning €200 a week on a zero hours contract €30,000 to flip a house?
    So that's wishful thinking.

    Any ideas, literally anything.

    Go halves with your parents on that cottage - They supply the cash and you renovate it for them. Sell it on and split the profits or use to buy a bigger place and build a little business from which you'll all profit?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    bullpost wrote: »
    Go halves with your parents on that cottage - They supply the cash and you renovate it for them. Sell it on and split the profits or use to buy a bigger place and build a little business from which you'll all profit?

    Assuming my parents have money, bold move.
    I don't want to get them involved, I mean I don't even want them paying towards my college.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,813 ✭✭✭✭everlast75


    Perhaps learn how to swim to a standard that will enable you to get a lifeguard qualification. With that, you will always find work around the world.

    Elect a clown... Expect a circus



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    everlast75 wrote: »
    Perhaps learn how to swim to a standard that will enable you to get a lifeguard qualification. With that, you will always find work around the world.

    I was qualified as a lifeguard, in first aid and in using an AED.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 245 ✭✭5p9arw38djv2b4


    Would you look at joining a rural youth organisation like macra? It's really not just for farmers. They have loads of competitions, one in a different sport each month and then debating, public speaking, drama, a talent show, and a good social side.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,777 ✭✭✭worded


    Have you looked at night classes in the local area ?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 873 ✭✭✭Captain Red Beard


    Have a ****. Have two.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    3D printing Mandalorian armour for cosplayers. There's a big market for good stuff out there.

    Is that like chinese armour? Like those Samurai guys?
    -Joking-


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Have a ****. Have two.

    Don't tell me what to do.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,875 ✭✭✭Feisar


    I'd steer away from the cottage, can be a nightmare.

    First they came for the socialists...



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,931 ✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    OP there's something about the tone of your posts that sounds empty. Are you happy in general? Do you feel alive, or are you just existing?

    You suspect ADHD, have you ever sought a diagnosis or therapy to address either your study issues, your boredom or your dreams of being a doctor being shattered?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    Feisar wrote: »
    I'd steer away from the cottage, can be a nightmare.

    Yeah, I mean it looks good.. But I'm no structural engineer and nor can I afford one.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 805 ✭✭✭no.8


    Become a well respected vigilante


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    OP there's something about the tone of your posts that sounds empty. Are you happy in general? Do you feel alive, or are you just existing?

    You suspect ADHD, have you ever sought a diagnosis or therapy to address either your study issues, your boredom or your dreams of being a doctor being shattered?

    Thanks for the concern.

    I recently spoke to my GP, seeking a referral to a consultant psychiatrist to get formally diagnosed and I got a referral for a psychotherapist, not quite the same thing.

    Dreams of being a doctor aren't necessarily shattered, they're unlikely but not improbable.
    Realistically I don't know how much of that is a burning desire with good intentions and how much of it is me forgetting I'm not the best maths wise, or chemistry wise..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 393 ✭✭MrMiata


    no.8 wrote: »
    Become a well respected vigilante

    Pothole man.

    Could lead to a career in politics too.. now ye're talkin'


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,931 ✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    MrMiata wrote: »
    Thanks for the concern.

    I recently spoke to my GP, seeking a referral to a consultant psychiatrist to get formally diagnosed and I got a referral for a psychotherapist, not quite the same thing.

    Dreams of being a doctor aren't necessarily shattered, they're unlikely but not improbable.
    Realistically I don't know how much of that is a burning desire with good intentions and how much of it is me forgetting I'm not the best maths wise, or chemistry wise..

    A psychotherapist is a decent first step. It sounds like you maybe need at least a little stint in therapy before referral onto a psychiatrist or psychologist.
    Additionally, the GP knows the difference between the two, so I'd imagine there's a reason they chose that referral.


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