How Carlson P. Found a Student-Friendly Side Job

As an undergrad at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Carlson struggled to find part-time work that fit into his busy schedule. Last spring, a friend recommended that he look into Outlier. This friend had been using his math expertise to train AI and enjoy a nice income stream on the side, all without interfering with his coursework.

Carlson jumped at the opportunity and, 200 hours of work later, he’s used his computer science skills on several AI projects. The best part? “I’ve been able to work and fit it into my schedule wherever I can,” he says. “Either in between classes or after doing homework.”

Unlike most part-time jobs available to college students, Carlson’s Outlier work not only relates to his studies, but helps him further develop his programming chops. A typical project will involve reviewing AI-generated code.

“I can see how large models approach different problems,” he says. “Sometimes they approach them in a novel way I wouldn’t even think of. “Also, reviewing code helped me understand where these big models tend to make errors. I’ve been able to put this experience to use in my classes.”

He finds the Outlier community supportive, as well. Whether he’s stuck on a problem, or finding himself in a situation he’s never encountered before, he’s enjoyed quick, effective support from the Outlier team. Plus, there’s a bond between contributors.

“I can talk to people from the same project and share tips and tricks on how to best tackle problems,” he says. “It’s a fun community.”

Carlson strongly recommends Outlier to his friends, emphasizing the flexibility and intellectually challenging nature of the work. “It’s a very good opportunity for students to be able to work on state-of-the-art models that so many people use in their daily lives. It’s been really rewarding for me.”

If you’d like to join Carlson and thousands of other people using their expertise to train the next generation of AI, check out the opportunities available on outlier.ai.