you want interesting? I would recommend doing part time Mental Health Technician. You usually only need a HS diploma (or Bachelor's, depending on the state and/or the quality of the facility.) It's basically helping out on inpatient psychiatric units.
It's REALLY interesting, and you get to spend time with interesting and bizarre people, and it can be quite fulfilling. You also get to REALLY develop your interpersonal skills. I laugh when customer service people complain that they deal with difficult people all day. "Really? Was she schizoaffective? Did she start urinating into a styrofoam cup in front of 20 people, then throw it at you?" (HMM, maybe I'm not doing the best job selling it.)
I did it for years, and after a while, the system started to get me down. But I really learned a lot from it, it's interesting, and they're almost always hiring.
Pay is usually 10-$12 an hour, depending on where you are. Three shifts.
I'm currently taking time off from school to focus on my eduction. I'm reading (a lot), mastering some skills, and finishing some projects.
It takes money to live, so I need money. I was considering what my options were for jobs that would keep me engaged, and I thought I'd ask LessWrong.
Constraints:
1. I don't yet have a bachelor's degree. I am however, an intelligent and courteous student at a prestigious university, who doesn't drink smoke or do drugs.
2. I need at least $800/month (500 for rent, internet, and bus fares; 150 for food; 150 for savings).
3. I'm looking for less than 16 hours a week, or the taking time off to focus on learning becomes sort of mute. However, that is on average; it is feasible for me to work many hours one week and than little to none the next.
Optimization criteria:
1. Something interesting, especially something where I would learn something new. This may come in all kinds of forms (for instance, puts me in close contact with the sorts of people I wouldn't usually talk to), including some that I haven't thought of yet. It may even be a new approach to a generic job that makes it challenging or engaging. Jobs that will let me just sit and read without distraction, or even just listen to audio books while I work, would be great.
2. The fewer hours I have to work, the better.
I'm currently running experiments (mostly surveys) for a decision research lab. The work itself a little boring, but I do get to spend some of my time around marketing Ph.d students who are interested in behavioral economics and I get paid $12/hour. It works, but I'm open to other options.
Any ideas?