Chris Pyle has been working full-time as a home-based mechanic for over ten years (which may sound like an oxymoron), but his paychecks don’t lie.
He wakes up every day, puts on a tank top and shorts, logs on to JustAnswer.com and answers questions from strangers about their gasoline and diesel engine problems from the comfort of his recliner.
For him, starting out offering expert advice on JustAnswer was a side gig in 2006, but Pyle earned $170,500 last year, which equates to a staggering $14,200 a month.
In just over three months, Pyle earns what The average mechanic earns in a whole yearall without having to look under the hood.
He made $500 in his first month on the site in 2006. His earnings continued to grow exponentially until he earned enough to quit his $75,000-a-year mechanic job at Ford in 2012.
Chris Pyle, 45, is in the process of building a second home for himself and his family on the property, all of which is being funded by his work on JustAnswer.
His new job has also allowed him and his wife to purchase a mobile home and a 34-acre plot of land for $130,000 in Dickson County, Tennessee.
Pyle, 45, is in the process of building a second home for himself and his family on the property, all of which is being funded by his work on JustAnswer.
Although he has to work eight to ten hours a day, seven days a week, he ultimately sets his own schedule, which he says allows him to be present for his family.
“I was a Boy Scout teacher for eight years… I was a football coach,” Pyle said. CNBC‘I could just log off right now and go play a video game with my son or go swimming in the pool.’
Of course, Pyle had to acquire his skills before he could become a virtual car guru.
He explained that Ford hired him and trained him as a transmission technician, while also funding his certifications.
In his second month on JustAnswer, Pyle earned $1,000, half of which he gave to his wife to spend wherever she wanted at the mall. He spent his $500 at Bass Pro Shops in just 15 minutes.
One day when he was searching online for how to fix someone’s transmission, he found an answer given by another mechanic on JustAnswer.
That was the beginning of it all. He signed up and started answering questions here and there after his workday.
He said he enjoyed the challenge of discovering the problem in an engine that he “couldn’t see, touch or smell” and soon realized he had a knack for it.
When he made $1,000 in his second month on JustAnswer, he took his wife to the mall, gave her $500 from his online purchase and recalled telling her, “Don’t come back with cash in your hand.”
He spent his half day at Bass Pro Shop in just 15 minutes.
Over time, he took the topic more seriously on the JustAnswer platform and by 2012 was spending three hours a day answering about 40 questions.
“For six years, my pay was pretty stable working here,” Pyle says. “I thought, ‘Well, if I work a few more hours, my pay will go up.'”
Because he is paid per response, Pyle feels he has to work at least 40 to 60 hours a week to maintain his income.
Pyle used to work as a full-time mechanic at Ford Motors, a job he left in 2012 when his earnings on JustAnswer surpassed his $75,000 annual salary.
He said he works every day, even Christmas and birthdays.
Pyle doesn’t mind the sacrifices, though, as JustAnswer has helped him build a better life for his family and a career that doesn’t depend on a boss.
His wife was able to leave her job as a nurse and raise their two children at home.
And while you have to file your own taxes and pay for your family’s health insurance (burdens that wouldn’t be so heavy if you were still employed on a traditional 9-to-5 schedule), you can deduct things like your phone, internet, laptop and 10 percent of your utility bill.
The main downside to his current job is that he is not an employee of JustAnswer. Instead, the site rates its experts on a weekly basis, which determines how much they earn per answer.
Once Pyle finishes building his new home, he said he wants to scale back his work at JustAnswer, although he will likely be online at least 30 hours a week.
“I have no plans to ever look for a real job again, unless I’m the boss,” Pyle said. “Between my work clothes and the environment I work in, (life) is pretty good.”
(tags to translate)dailymail