Geeky Girl Seeks Quick Cash

Let me preface this by saying that finding your first nursing job as a new graduate RN in California is a crazy roller coaster ride - and not easy on your wallet. I'm currently working part time, but I've finally gotten to a point where I'd like to have extra money once in a while. That being said, I went online to prowl for opportunities to earn something writing, on top of the small earnings I make from sales of my first novel.

So, a few days ago, I signed up for an account on MTurk, a marketplace for online microjobs that allow you to earn small amounts of money for small, usually simple tasks. To date, I'm still waiting on account approval from them. Ever eager to find similar opportunities, a search on Reddit quickly led me to another site: GiftHulk.

I signed up for GiftHulk and was able to start earning points immediately - I'm earning them as we speak, actually! By performing small tasks with Crowdflower similar to what you'd find on MTurk, watching videos, filling out surveys, and other small tasks, you can accumulate points towards gift cards. The interface is somewhat clunky, and many of the tasks and offers require you to open multiple windows and click around quite a bit, but for those with the patience to do the navigating, it's a way of slowly accumulating points that be redeemed for prizes that are actually desirable: Amazon and Wal-Mart giftcards, Best Buy, Kohl's, Lowe's... even Facebook credits, if you're into actually spending money on those Facebook games. I know you guys are out there.

A thousand points, or "Hulk Coins" as the currency on the site is called, come out to a dollar of real-world money, so it takes some patience to actually reap the rewards

All in all, as a first impression, GiftHulk has proven to be a faster process to start. I definitely recommend it to anyone who, like me, is jobhunting and has more time on their hands than they'd like. I've earned about 150 Hulk Coins just while typing this blog post, so a dime and a half in a few minutes while typing and eating pancakes in my pajamas, searching for nursing job listings.

It's something, and something is much, much better than nothing. Stay tuned for more about my adventures in microemployment! If you decide to sign up, consider clicking my referral link here and helping me get a few points too!

Geeky Girl Takes On the NCLEX-RN

Now that I've made it to the other side, I think it's safe to recount my NCLEX experience, though with the disclaimer that, per the legal agreement signed when one takes the NCLEX-RN, I won't be discussing questions.

The Morning-Of...

I woke up at 4AM, already with a headache and an upset stomach. Perhaps it was just the nerves of the day, but all of a sudden, I was a hypochondriac.

I drank my morning coffee, the way I always do, and my stomach started gurgling. I'm lactose intolerant. I'm nauseous right now. I must obviously be pregnant. My sinuses. My sciatica. Literally, everything.

Eventually, my husband was able to gather me up, despite the fact that I was a blubbering puddle of anxiety, and we made our way to the Pearson Professional Center. I attempted to get myself pumped with music, trying to see if I could channel my nerves into something productive, all the while attempting to cram regular lab values back into my head. I worked myself up a playlist and tried to shift my mind into a better place to take the biggest exam of my life.

"Killer Queen" - Queen
"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor
"Lose Yourself" - Eminem
"Let it Go" - Idina Menzel

Well. You get the gist of it.