Chris Pyle has been a full-time, work-from-home mechanic for over a decade. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, but his salary is nothing to sneeze at.
He wakes up every day, puts on a tank top and shorts, logs on to JustAnswer.com and answers strangers’ questions about gasoline and diesel engine problems from the comfort of his own home.
Providing expert advice for JustAnswer started as a side hustle in 2006, but last year Pyle was making $170,500, which equates to a staggering $14,200 a month.
In just over three months, Pyle earns what the average mechanic earns in a whole yearand all without you ever having to look under the hood.
He earned $500 in his first month on the site in 2006. His earnings continued to grow exponentially until he earned enough to quit his job as a mechanic at Ford in 2012, where he earned $75,000 a year.
Chris Pyle, 45, is in the process of building a second home for himself and his family on the property – all funded by his JustAnswer work
His new job also allowed him and his wife to purchase a camper and 85-acre plot of land for $130,000 in Dickson County, Tennessee.
Pyle, 45, is currently building a second home for himself and his family on the property, financed through his work for 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 Cub Scout leader for eight years… I was a soccer coach,” Pyle said CNBC“I can log out right now and play a video game with my son, or go for a swim in the pool.”
Of course, Pyle had to develop his skills before he could become a true car guru.
He explained that Ford had hired and trained him as a transmission technician, and that the company also financed 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 in the mall. He spent his $500 at Bass Pro Shops in just 15 minutes
One day, while searching online for a way to fix someone’s transmission, he came across an answer from 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 figuring out the problem in an engine he “couldn’t see, touch or smell,” and soon realized he had a talent for it.
When he made $1,000 in his second month on JustAnswer, he took his wife to the mall, gave her $500 of his online earnings, and recalled telling her, “Don’t come back with cash in your hand.”
His semi-final at Bass Pro Shop lasted just 15 minutes.
Eventually, he started working more seriously on the JustAnswer platform and by 2012, he was spending three hours answering nearly 40 questions a day.
“For six years, my pay was very consistent here,” Pyle says. “I thought, ‘Well, if I put in a few more hours, then [check] will increase.”
Because he is paid per answer, Pyle finds he has to work a minimum of 40 to 60 hours a week to maintain his income.
Pyle worked as a full-time mechanic at Ford Motors, a job he quit in 2012 when his JustAnswer income exceeded his $75,000 annual salary
He said he works every day, even on Christmas and birthdays.
Pyle doesn’t mind the downsides, as JustAnswer has helped him build a better life for his family and create a career where he isn’t dependent on a boss.
His wife was able to quit her job as a nurse and homeschool her two sons.
And while he has to do his own taxes and pay for his family’s health insurance (costs that wouldn’t be so burdensome if he still had a 9-to-5 job), he can deduct things like his phone, internet, laptop and 10 percent of his utilities.
The biggest downside to his current job is that he is not an employee of JustAnswer. Instead, the site rates its experts weekly, which determines how much they earn per answer.
Once Pyle finishes building his new home, he plans to cut back on his work for JustAnswer, but he will likely still be online at least 30 hours a week.
“I have zero plans to go back to a real job unless I’m the boss,” Pyle said. “Between my work clothes and the environment I work in, [life] is quite good.’