Pros:
1. Easy Set Up
2. You Can Work From Anywhere
3. It Has Flexibility
Mechanical Turk doesn’t require you to meet a specific earning threshold to keep your account open. You can also create your account and close it whenever you want to, so there are no strings attached. Complete tasks at any time of day or night. Your schedule is completely up to you.
4. There’s No Limit
So far, there’s not an earning limit on Mechanical Turk. You can learn earn as much money as you want, as long as you are willing to put the time in.
5. There’s Not A Lot of Skill Required
While some companies that provide work on Mechanical Turk prefer people with certain backgrounds and skills, most don’t. So, you don’t have to complete a degree to be eligible to work. In fact, as long as you are over 18 and meet basic requirements, you should be able to set up an account relatively easily and earn money the same day. So, now that we’ve gone through all of the pros, it’s only fair that we weigh the cons.
Cons:
1. The Pay Is Not High
If you get paid over $1.00 for a competed Mechanical Turk task, that’s good. Of course, the tasks shouldn’t take you very long. Most of them range from a few cents to $0.25. So, you won’t get rich off of it, but you can definitely put in a few hours worth of work and save up to help pay for something you want, like a video game or a new book.
2. You Can’t Quit Your Day Job
A lot of people work online jobs in hopes that, one day, they can quit their day job. While I’m sure it’s not impossible, it’s also not likely that you will be able to work solely on Mechanical Turk. Really, it’s just something that you can do in your spare time to supplement your income and help you purchase a few items that you want.
3. Not A Lot of Room For Advancement
4. Some Questionable Opportunities
One type of job I saw offered on Mechanical Turk was that people can get paid to click on ads on various websites. If this is for personal gain as opposed to business research for the people advertising this job, it is actually against Google’s terms of service. I’m not saying every person who advertises this type of job is doing something unsavory, but please do your research before completing certain tasks. Ultimately, how much or how little you can make from Mechanical Turk is completely up to you. While it may not be beneficial to seasoned freelancers who are used to a higher hourly rate, it can definitely be great for college students or those who are currently unemployed to try to make a few extra dollars. With a focused effort and a strategy to pick only high paying opportunities, you can definitely make minimum wage with Mechanical Turk. In a down economy when jobs are hard to come by, I think it’s a great option to pad your monthly income and enable you to purchase a few things for yourself.
