Blogs - Newcomer Friendly
When I first joined Second Life, I had no Linden like many new people, so I began collecting free items. Then I was lucky -- a friend gave me a few nice things to start out. But at some point, I wanted to buy some of the great clothes and AO's I was seeing and that led me to my first job. But if you're new to SL you may be asking yourself, how do I find that first job and is it worth it?
What Kind of Jobs are out there?
Get a sense of what jobs are out there easily by using the Search button in SL. After clicking this button, click the classifieds tab, choose 'Employment' from the drop-down menu and click Browse. In browsing the listings, you will see that many of the jobs fall into services for clubs, such as dancers, strippers, hosts, or DJ's. Many people choose dancing as an entry-level job since it requires you to be flirty, fun, and attractive. Most clubs will ask that your avatar be between 2-4 weeks old, have good fashion sense (good skin and hair) and be able to flirt/emote.
Dancing not your cup of tea? There are other jobs out there, such as writers or managers. Best thing to do is look and see what the potential employer wants and then ask yourself if you have the time and ability to provide those skills or services.
I found a job ad I like, now what?
Always go check out the location. Some of the ads in search are good, some are scams. Does a job sound too good to be true? Then it probably is, just like in real life. If you see an ad you like, TP there and check out the location. Talk to people who are there, they may be the owners, employees, or simply the people who hang out there. Visit at different times to get a sense how busy it is. Nobody wants to be a dancer at a club that is always empty.
Another option is to be a content creator, make those cute clothes and boots that everybody wants to buy. If you have a creative bent and don't mind investing the time, try your hand at learning to build. There are a variety of resources available, ranging from beginning classes, to self-paced tutorials like the Ivory Tower. To see what educational classes are out there, use Search again, click on the 'Events' tab and choose Education from the drop-down menu.
Age Verification: Do I need it?
Probably not, because you can get by without it, but should you do it? I would say so. Going back to the classifieds, remember the different search boxes for PG, Mature and Adult? If you are not age verified, you can go to PG & mature sims, although you may have problems accessing Mature Sims because land owners have the option to block non-age verified people. Age verification will also open up the adult continent to you. For some this is unimportant, however if you want to see the full range of what Second Life offers and you are an adult, the process of age verification is easy. You go to secondlife.com and click on your Account link, then Age Verification and fill in the information.
I have a job now. Is it worth it?
People take jobs for all sorts of reason, so ultimately, only you can answer this question. For some, the social aspect is important, such as making friends or having a common goal to work towards. For others, it's the Lindens (the $$ not the employees :D). Most people don't work only for cash though, because if you calculate it, most of us work hours and hours for not very much RL money. But whatever you decide to do, remember to save time for relaxing and having fun as well. Because this is Second Life after all.