College grads turn to babysitting to make money

The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 1.6 million people aged 18 and over earned a bachelor's degree in 2009. I happen to be among those graduates: hitting the street, bright-eyed, and looking for opportunity. And since graduating from Chicago's DePaul University with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and photojournalism, I've found myself hustling between a plethora of part time and freelance jobs.

That's where the kid comes in.

You see, one day a co-worker offered me $50 to entertain her son for an evening. Never in a million years would I have predicted that at age 23, with a degree under my belt, that I would add "personal caretaker" (a.k.a. babysitter) to my resume. The last time I remember babysitting, I was 12 -- and frankly did not care for it. I never was completely fond of kids; between tantrums, fragile emotions and their co-dependent natures, I never felt a desire to interact with them.