Most Kenyan candidates experience limbo during the long stretch of time after completion of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination
On average, the transition takes eight months to one year, making it one of the longest breaks in a student's life.
With a considerable amount of time on their hands, the ex-candidates can brace and cushion themselves for the first years in college through undertaking side hustles.
The eight months of wait can be put into value through the following hustles:
- Food Delivery
Man must survive on food; some opt to order supplies and prepare some for themselves while others like to make their orders ready.
With this comes the opportunity, one may opt to supply ingredients or deliver ready-to-eat food.
Whether you are working for an already established firm, or you are starting from scratch, it is one of the lowest cost businesses that one can start with as little as Ksh 5000, or get hired without any certificate.
2. Photography Business
Cameras are pricey, and saving for one may not be within the reach of a fresh high school graduate, however, most photographers hire the gadgets they use.
As long as you target an event or a function, you can hire a camera and make a profit from it.
If you are residing in a busy neighborhood that has a lot of life going around, you can select days you are sure your neighbors might need a good photographer, with prior YouTube learning you can offer the services for a fee.
3. Caregiving/Babysitting
This could be a good time to turn your parent's house into a daycare center for neighbors with a tight work schedule.
While the expenses can include toys and meals you might just make good returns out of it considering you will get to charge per baby even though they will all be sharing the resources you put in.
But again, you can minimise costs invested on toys and just request them to be dropped with their play bags.
4. Teaching Assistant
For those who did well in certain subjects, sitting at home waiting to take the next step might prove boring, but this can be the time to build up more on your career and practice some public speaking and oral speech delivery.
From coaching and mentoring fellow high school students, top-performing students can also charge per session or offer a whole tuition package.
5. Sales promotions
Product promotion can be a great gig, especially for candidates who are not looking for a full-time job.
Once in a while, different brands push their products, through roadshows, mall exhibitions, and even door-to-door advertising.
Depending on the brand you working for, the salary can run from 500 - 2000 daily.
6. Cashier
Over-the-counter payment is a common means of payment in the Kenyan market system.
Cashiers take home an average of Ksh 10,000 – 15000, and since you are commuting from home, packing lunch and snacks for the breaks, you will not incur major expenses.
Apart from your bus fare; you might just save these whole earnings.
7. Local Tour guide
One can also volunteer to show local tourists around, especially if you living in areas most sought after by domestic tourism and even international tourists.
Depending on where you hail from, a tour guide's daily services can catch as low as Ksh500, and the more you do the round the higher the pay, however, some tourists are philanthropic and can throw some more cash for you.
8. Food Vending
From eggs, smokies, and coffee one can venture into several street foods and earn good money.
With a capital of around Ksh1,000 to start an egg, smokie, or coffee business, one egg goes for Ksh 15, when boiled it sells twice the price.
Fruits and ice cream parlor can also do good if you have about Ksh 5000 to start on, just ensure your strategic location is accessible and the competition is favorable.
9. Lawn mowing/ cleaning
If you have a family loan mower, all you need to do is make a poster with a reference on how one can reach you, and with the clearance of the county council post it on a busy highway.
However, for those who are not privileged to own one, you might just as well go ahead and create a poster then whenever you get a client have a trusted source who can rent out a mower as long as you split the profit accordingly.
10. Data Entry
Once in a while, companies, government institutions, and corporations have to merge their data, it’s not a job that requires full-time employees thus short-term contracts are always the best options.
It is one of the highest paying side hustles one can manage to get during this duration with daily wages ranging from Ksh 800 – Ksh 2000 on a maximum.
Even though they are not always readily available as they are periodic jobs.
