Got a Laptop? 10 Data Skills and How Each Pays

Make money with spreadsheets: clean mailing lists

Here are ten data skills that pay, with a free spreadsheet. Let's see how each works, simplest first. Number ten: mailing list cleanup in LibreOffice Calc, $21 sixty-four an hour. You merge a small shop's messy contact files into one clean list.

One careers page describes keeping filing, mailing and database systems up to date. LibreOffice says its office tools come at no cost to you. Its No duplications option keeps only the unique entries in a column. That option treats the same name in capitals and small letters as two values.

By our count, two hours at that wage come to $43 and twenty-eight cents. That's a wage for scale, not a price. Customer details you hold should be secure, one business page notes. That careers page usually asks for a high school diploma.

Next, survey answers in one clear table.

Survey data tables in LibreOffice Calc

Number nine: survey tables in LibreOffice Calc, twenty-two an hour on one wage table. You turn a club's feedback forms into a table that counts each answer. One careers page says these clerks compile data into reports and lists. In Calc, a pivot table lets you pick the calculation for the data.

So one small table shows how many people gave each answer. One business page points to local networks and events for your first clients. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $44. That careers page usually asks for a school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training.

If practical guides like this help you, subscribe so the next one reaches you. Every figure and rule in this video comes straight from official pages linked below. Next, a tracker for a small workshop's orders.

Order and job tracker spreadsheet for a workshop

Number eight: workshop trackers in LibreOffice Calc, $22 eighty-nine an hour. Each of a small workshop's orders gets a row, a due date and a status. These clerks report on the progress of work, one careers page says. Calc's icon sets add an icon to each cell based on its value.

With one more rule, jobs past their due date change color. Satisfied customers can bring new business through recommendations, one business page says. Say Maya builds one for a furniture workshop in two hours. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $45 and seventy-eight cents.

That page lists a high school diploma, with training on the job. Next, a stock sheet for a small shop.

Inventory spreadsheet for a small shop

Number seven: stock sheets in LibreOffice Calc, twenty-four an hour on one wage table. Every product gets a row, with stock in, stock out and a reorder point. Such workers maintain inventories of materials, equipment and stock, one careers page says. Calc's conditional formatting changes a cell's look based on what it holds.

So a count turns red when it reaches the reorder point. One business page points to referrals for new customers and partners. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $48. One business page calls a written quote good practice.

That careers page usually asks for a school diploma or several weeks of training. Next, results tables for an adult league.

League standings table in Excel for the web

Number six: league tables in the free web version of Excel, $24 twenty an hour. Match results go in rows, and you sort the table by points. One careers page lists computing data with formulas and discussing its presentation with clients. Microsoft's page calls the web version free, online, collaborative spreadsheets.

Its help page says you can sort numbers from largest to smallest in one or more columns. One business page says to promote yourself where your customers search and compare. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $48 and forty cents. That page says most of these jobs need a bachelor's degree, but some don't.

Next, guest lists for an event.

Event guest and volunteer list in Excel

Number five: party and event guest lists in the free web version of Excel, $29 forty-one an hour. Each guest or volunteer shift gets one row on one shared list. One careers page says event planners handle logistics, such as registering guests. They also meet with clients to understand the purpose of the event.

Who's coming and when: that's the part your sheet covers. Excel's data validation can turn a cell into a dropdown list. It can also show an error message when someone enters invalid data. So every shift and status, like confirmed or waiting, is entered the same way.

That page says planners must pay attention to details and meet tight deadlines. One business page suggests trade shows and networking events, where your customers will be. Say Maya helps a community garden group fill its plant sale shifts. She builds the list, the dropdowns and a count of confirmed shifts in two hours.

By our count, two hours at that wage come to $58 and eighty-two cents. Treat that wage as a yardstick for scale, not a quote. One business page says invoices should include your payment options and details. Customer details should be accurate, up to date and secure, another business page notes.

Voluntary certifications exist for planners, but that careers page says they're not required. Planners typically need a bachelor's degree, it adds, and event experience may help. Next, coding answers for a small research project.

Coding research data in a spreadsheet

Number four: research answers coded in LibreOffice Calc, $29 eighty-one an hour. A small project's open answers each get a short code from its code list. Coding data in preparation for computer entry is a task on one careers page. It also lists verifying data and correcting any errors.

And it mentions tables, graphs and fact sheets that summarize research results. In Calc, a formula rule styles a cell whenever its formula's result isn't zero. So any missing or unknown code shows up in color. You fix those rows and hand back the coded sheet with its code list.

The client gets back the same answers, now ready to count. That careers page also lists quality control procedures for research. One business page suggests building up your connections, and potentially your client base too. Say Maya codes the open answers of a hobby group's survey in two hours.

By our count, two hours at that wage come to $59 and sixty-two cents. Put the price breakdown and the schedule in your quote, one business page suggests. If the job changes a lot, it suggests revising the quote before you finish. One business page says such information should be secure from anyone who doesn't need it.

Most of these jobs need a bachelor's degree, but some do not, that careers page says. Several years of related experience or training on the job are usual, it adds. Next, quote sheets for a small trade business.

Quote calculator spreadsheet for small businesses

Number three: quote calculators in the free web version of Excel, $37 eighty-six an hour. Your sheet prices every job for a small trade or craft business the same way. One careers page says estimators assess the time, money, materials and labor a service needs. They also prepare estimates and bids for clients, it says.

One business page notes that software can help you work out the costs in a quote. In Excel, a List rule lets each quote line pick its item from a dropdown. A Whole Number rule lets a cell accept only whole numbers, like hours. Formulas then add the materials, the hours and a margin into one total.

One business page suggests keeping your website and business profiles accurate and up to date. It also suggests useful content that answers customer questions. Say Maya builds one for a garden furniture maker in two hours. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $75 and seventy-two cents.

The real price is whatever Maya and the maker agree on. The upside: every quote adds up the same way, whoever fills it in. Get the customer's written confirmation of the price and the work, one business page says. That page says a quote commits you to its price, so it suits stable costs.

Estimators typically need a bachelor's degree, that careers page says. Several years of construction experience sometimes qualify without one, it adds. Next, product files for an online shop.

Product CSV file for an online shop import

Number two: product files in LibreOffice Calc, $39 ninety-three an hour. That's one page's median for a wider group of business operations jobs. A shop's products go into the exact layout its import tool expects. WooCommerce's page says its built-in CSV tool adds many products at once.

It asks for one for true and zero for false in yes-or-no columns. Its import screen matches recognized columns to product fields automatically. In Calc, the No duplications option finds repeated product codes before the import. Then the sheet is saved as a CSV file.

That file can bring in many products at once. Spreadsheet apps can change formatting or encoding, so that page says to review the saved file first. Images need to be uploaded or online before the import, it adds. Calculating sales and expenses with spreadsheet software is on one careers page's task list.

One business page suggests making yourself easy to find through marketing. Say Maya moves sixty products from an old list into a shop's import file. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $79 and eighty-six cents. One business page suggests a letter setting out the service, the contract period and overdue payments.

The import page also says to create a backup before you start. Most of these jobs need a bachelor's degree, but some do not, that careers page says. Next, charts that track a small business's sales.

Sales dashboard charts for a small business

Number one: sales charts in the free web version of Excel, forty-four an hour on one wage table. A small business's daily sales become a few clear charts on one page. One careers page says market analysts provide statistical support and identify market trends. That page says they may also be self-employed.

It lists digital literacy and writing among their competencies. Another lists compiling reports, charts or graphs that describe findings. Excel's help page says charts help you visualize your data for maximum impact. You select the cells, then pick the chart type that suits your needs.

Charts can include a trendline too, that page adds. Sales by week, best sellers and sales by product type each get a chart. The owner refreshes them by adding new rows. Existing customers can be a cost-effective source of repeat sales, one business page says.

Say Maya builds a monthly sales page for a small bakery in two hours. By our count, two hours at that wage come to $88. Like every wage here, it's a yardstick, not a promise of what a client pays. One business page says clear payment terms help an invoice get paid on time.

Protecting customer privacy is part of running a business, another business page notes. One tax page says income from gig work is taxed, so check what applies where you live. That careers page usually asks for a university degree. How do you turn one of these skills into a fixed-price offer you can sell repeatedly?

Click the video on screen now to see six formats.