Data Annotation My Side Hustle Journey and How You Can Get Started Too

Data Annotation: My Side Hustle Journey (and How You Can Get Started Too!)

Been wanting to write a post about this for a while now, and with all the questions I’ve been getting about my side hustle, I figured it was high time. Today’s topic: data annotation!

What is it and how does it work?

Imagine this: you get paid to write, but instead of cranking out blog posts or articles, you’re helping train AI programs. Pretty cool, right? That’s data annotation in a nutshell.

Most of the writing gigs are hourly, around $20/hour. You track your own time (there’s a timer on the screen, but it’s more for your reference), and they audit your work to make sure everything’s up to snuff. Do a good job? You get offered more projects! Slack off or do shoddy work? Well, they’ll politely show you the door (for that specific project, at least).

There’s a great community aspect too. They have Slack channels where you can ask questions, chat with other annotators, or reach out to admins for help. Plus, most projects have their own chatrooms within the platform.

Getting paid: the nitty-gritty

For hourly projects, there’s a 7-day wait before you see your cash. But hey, once you hit that sweet blue “pay” button, the money hits your PayPal instantly! Just a heads up, there’s a 72-hour cooldown between payouts.

There are also per-task projects, which might not pay quite as much, but you get paid way faster - only 3 days! These can be things like labeling profile pics (race, number of people) for a couple cents each, or deciding if a post is NSFW (not safe for work).

Is it all writing? What kind of projects are there?

The hourly gigs are mostly writing-related, but you don’t need a fancy English degree. Just gotta be able to write clearly and follow detailed instructions.

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Here are some examples of projects I’ve done:

• Picking the better response between two AIs pretending to be different characters (think Tony Stark, Taylor Swift, or a Roman emperor!).
• Writing both sides of an AI conversation for brainstorming or story writing.
• Even trying to trick an AI into writing something bad (don’t worry, it’s all for the greater good of training them to be awesome AIs). The best part? You get to pick and choose what you want to do. Don’t like a project? Move on to another! There are no quotas or minimums to worry about.

So, how do you get started?

A few websites I recommend checking out are Appen, Alignerr, and DataAnnotationTech

Some of the requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years of age
• High speed internet access
• A personal computer
• Excellent web research skills and analytical abilities
• Excellent comprehension and written communication skills
• Fluency in a language other than English

Any last words?

Data annotation has been a great way for me to make some extra cash on my own terms. It’s flexible, interesting, and (usually) pretty fun. If you’re looking for a side hustle that lets you work from home and use your brain, this might be the perfect fit for you!

Feel free to email [email protected] me if you have any questions. Happy annotating!

• Tags:
• Data-Annotation
• Work-From-Home
• No-Cost
• Remote-Work