This is a mini-series on becoming a courthouse researcher. If you haven’t heard of that job before, or if you missed the first part of this series, make sure to start reading here. Otherwise, read on!
In my last blog, I talked about how courthouse research is not a full-time job, except in rare cases (either the researcher is willing to cover lots of territory to get their 40 hours in, or the researcher happens to live in a very large city that doesn’t have a researcher already covering it, which is very rare.) Some people may say, “Well, if the job isn’t going to bring in enough income to make a living off it, then why am I even bothering with it?” I can’t tell you that you should, because in all reality, it may not be a good fit for you. I can tell you my reasoning, and you can judge for yourself if it will be worth it.
In this blog, I talked about outsourcing, ie, where jobs are sent overseas to cheap labor in India or China. One great part of courthouse research is that there is no chance of sending the work overseas. You have to go find those records in person, at the courthouse, and although the pay is fairly high, it certainly isn’t high enough to justify a round-trip ticket from India. This is a great way to make sure at least part of your income is outsource-proof.
Also, when you’re working on protecting your income by making sure your work can’t be sent overseas, you should also worry about whether to put all of your eggs in one basket by working for one company. If that company goes out of business, you are out of a job. You should always have diversity in your jobs, and this is a great way to add that diversity.
The last reason has nothing to do with money, but instead my own sanity. I found that when I worked at home, and stayed inside my house all day long, I slowly went insane. I could not handle being by myself all day long, every day, for weeks or even months at end. This job gave me a great opportunity to get out of the house and see something other than my dogs wrestle each other in the living room. It was my socializing time, and it really helped. It made me get dressed in something more than my PJs, which didn’t always happen when I stayed home all day.
Would it be worth it for you? That’s a question only you can answer! But while you’re contemplating that, read on to find out some ideas on how to make each trip to the courthouse more profitable.