Working Part Time as a Security Guard Offers Flexibility for a Second Stream of Income

Security Guard Reception Desk

There are many advantages to being a security guard. For some, it is not full-time work but a side hustle that helps supplement other income. Let’s examine some different types of people who might benefit from a part-time security guard job.

Students:  As best stated by Forbes Magazine, one of the greatest jobs for a student is to work as a security guard. There are many security guard positions that revolve around having a guard be a physical presence and to report problems. As explained by Security Guard Training Central, often, these positions require that one sit in a lobby and monitor ingress and egress from the building and go on hourly rounds through the facility. At your desk or post for the rest of the time, you simply have to pay attention.

These types of guard positions are perfect for students. For example, electronics manufacturers, some types of hospitals, community colleges and even places that are tourist attractions that need gate guards often are places that someone who performs their rounds and pays attention can sit and be paid for quite a bit of study time.

It is often a win-win situation at such facilities because they are looking for someone who is aware, can write a report and can work diplomatically with others. Students often fill the bill just fine. This author worked at a few different types of facilities as a security guard as she made her way through her bachelor’s at the University of Southern California. One of the most interesting positions was at CNN’s Hollywood Bureau, where the celebrities would come in at night to be interviewed for the precursor to the Larry King Show.

In fact, a student can realistically go to school by day and work full-time at a security guard job on the swing shift and get all of their study time in at work.

Retirees:  Retirees are a natural for many security guard positions, especially those that involve greeting the public or employees as they enter a facility or positions that involve diplomacy and tact. The author worked with a charming, former bank vice president who worked as a security guard for a time while he saved up money, sold his home and made the necessary repairs to his RV before he and his wife began traveling around the country.

Full-Time Workers Who Don’t Earn Enough:  If you need to work a second job, like many people stuck in the gig economy, you need one that is stress-free. As mentioned above, many security positions are simply created for the company to have a physical presence of a person that keeps the facility safe and their insurance rate lower. They don’t ask much of you. Thus, your second job, if it is as a security guard at a low-key site, can give you quite a bit of time to relax. Some places will even allow you to bring in your laptop and use the WiFi. If not, you can read a good book as you get paid. It is nice if your second job allows you to unwind.

Entrepreneurs Who Need to Earn Money While Growing Their Business:  With a lower-key security position, you could work full-time as a security guard and have a lot of time available while at work to write your business plan and put it in place. This is especially true if your enterprise is online.

Freelance Writers:  TheWriteLife.com explains that, while you are sitting at your desk at your guard job, you can do some freelance writing and double-dip on pay. One author wrote an entire novel while working as a guard. Since you will have interruptions at guard jobs, the author suggested that writers do their research and write their outline while at their guard job, so they can write quickly and in an uninterrupted manner after work.

Mothers:  Sometimes new mothers seek security guard jobs, so they can raise their children during the day and leave their husbands in charge of the children in the evening, when they go to work. This gives the mother a chance to get out of the house, taking a break from her maternal duties, and provide some additional income for their growing household. If you are a stay-at-home father, working part-time as a security guard may be a great option for you as well.

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