What is the best way to earn money as a newcomer?

[FlamingBunnies22]

I recently started play SL, and I'm really curious about the game. I've noticed how a lot of things costed money which I didn't have. What's the best way for my situation to earn money?

[Fionalein]

Linden Realms game I guess... unless you are  a texture or 3D artist in RL - then you can get better money creating

[Cindy Evanier]

From the start you don't need money.  There are lots of places you can get free stuff for accounts under a certain age.  Or look on the marketplace there is plenty of free stuff there too. Do some hunts. Of course the easiest way to get L$ is to buy them but earning them you could make stuff to sell.  Get a job, host, dj, performer among others.  Escorting, dancer, stripper.  Check the employment section  https://community.secondlife.com/forums/forum/312-inworld-employment/  or as Fionalein says, linden realms

 

Edited July 7, 2018 by Cindy Evanier
typo

[Lindal Kidd]

Hands down, the easiest way to get $L is to buy them, with a credit card or a verified PayPal or Skrill account.

Fiona mentioned the Linden Realms game.  You can pick up a few $L by gathering crystals and trading them in for $L, but it's a very small return for the time invested.

Skilled content creators can make a significant income, but it takes a lot of time and effort to learn Photoshop and/or Blender and learn to make content that's good enough to sell to others.

Cindy mentioned various jobs.  These pay somewhere between Linden Realms and running your own content-creation business, but as a newcomer, it'll be hard to get one of these jobs.  Most employers want someone with at least 30 days in world experience.

[FlamingBunnies22]

The quests Linden Realms are very time consuming and as you mentioned don't give enough.

I want to learn how to play the game before I put my money in it.

Jobs. I am looking for one but they are very hard to find.

Contests. Your chance of winning is slim.

Any other ways?

[Rolig Loon]

26 minutes ago, FlamingBunnies22 said:

I want to learn how to play the game before I put my money in it.

That's a very good goal.  I did the same when I entered SL. So, follow Cindy's first bit of advice

On 7/7/2018 at 3:11 PM, Cindy Evanier said:

From the start you don't need money.  There are lots of places you can get free stuff for accounts under a certain age.  Or look on the marketplace there is plenty of free stuff there too. Do some hunts.

You can do a remarkable number of things, enjoy SL, and make friends without spending much (or any) money in world.  I do suggest buying a very small amount ( $5 worth or so) simply because you need to make a small initial purchase to activate your account and verify that your payment method works.  You don't need to spend the L$ that you buy, but it will be important before long to have your account showing PIOF ("Payment Information On File").  If you want to play games like PaleoQuest or Horizons, for example, you cannot receive a L$ payout unless you have established PIOF. Meanwhile, enjoy things that you can do for free, enter a few contests  (Trivia is fun), and learn your way around.

[Coffee Pancake]

43 minutes ago, FlamingBunnies22 said:

I want to learn how to play the game before I put my money in it.

Jobs. I am looking for one but they are very hard to find.

Contests. Your chance of winning is slim.

Any other ways?

To be blunt .. learning that SL is 100% user created and has a real economy based on selling the things we make to each other is huge part of SL. So is learning that it's not a game.

You would expect a book shop to let you camp out for free while you figured out if you like reading, especially if the book shop was actually the authors home.

The learning curve for SL is very deep depending on what you end up wanting to do here (and mostly dependent on the application of real world skills outside of SL - eg 3d modelling). Many people find it an extremely creative outlet and make some money off the back of that, but in order to learn .. you're going to need to explore what options there are.

Spending a little on you avie can help get you onto a level playing field socially, you will find looks and first impression matter.

My best advice would be to get a single quarterly sub - you will get most of what you pay for membership back in L$ a little each each week and will be able to get a free linden home so you have someplace to rez things and mess about. if at the end of the quarter you're having fun and want to carry on, gen an annual membership, it will end up only costing you $12 a year counting the value of the L$ you will get paid during its time.

 

SL "jobs" are primarily for the fun of it with a token amount of L$ - remember $1 US is L$250 ... that L$20 you just got tipped in a club or from a "make money minigame" suddenly doesn't seem worth your time.

[Nalates Urriah]

SL is very much like RL. All the things we do in RL to earn money are in SL.

That includes theft, fraud, and scams, which is why the Payment Info on File and avatar age are important. Avatars used for theft and fraud usually don't last long. So, they tend to be new and have no payment info. Many places ban new avatars, you can't enter those places until your avatar is old enough. They find it easier than dealing with the 'griefer' avatars.

A number of other places are just a bit snobbish. They discriminate against the 'new looking' avatars. It is both a practice of places and people. We have learned the new  users can be a pain in the butt requiring effort on our part. Fortunately for you, many users are way helpful and will go out of their way to help you. The point is, you want to shake that 'new look'.

[Vanity Fair]

You might find this useful:

https://ryanschultz.com/2019/02/22/you-better-work-a-comprehensive-guide-to-jobs-in-second-life-for-newbies/

[Lindal Kidd]

And I will add that the safest, and by far the easiest, way to get $L is not to work at all, but simply buy some with a credit card or a verified PayPal account.