Scott O'Neil lives in Covington, Louisiana, about 45 minutes north of New Orleans. It&rsquo;s a place he describes with pride: good food, a strong local economy, and a great community for raising a family. He lives there with his wife and two young daughters, and being present for them is central to how he thinks about work and life.
Scott works a steady 9-to-5 in plumbing sales. His days are spent building commercial quotes, answering questions from contractors and homeowners, and solving practical problems that keep construction projects moving. It&rsquo;s hands-on, problem-solving work, and he enjoys it.
Before moving to Louisiana, Scott studied web development in college. He was drawn to the challenge of building things and thinking logically through complex problems. But after relocating to the South, opportunities to work directly in tech were limited. Plumbing sales became his primary career, while his technical skills sat mostly on the sidelines.
That changed after the birth of his second daughter. With a growing family, Scott began looking for a flexible, remote work that could supplement his income without pulling him away from his family. His search led him to Outlier.
Scott follows a consistent routine. He works his plumbing job, and logs onto Outlier in the evenings or on weekends. That kind of flexible, project-based work is common across the AI data economy. Scale&rsquo;s <a href="https://scale.com/blog/economic-impact-data-annotation-industry">Economic Impact Report</a> found that most contributors use AI data work to earn supplemental income on schedules that fit around full-time jobs, education, or caregiving responsibilities.
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What surprised Scott most about Outlier was how mentally engaging the work is. Many tasks involve evaluating AI responses, researching unfamiliar topics, and making judgement calls about clarity, accuracy, and tone.
&ldquo;They keep me sharp,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;They make me think deeper.&rdquo;
The reasoning and logic skills he developed studying web development show up every day in his work. Evaluating prompts and weighing responses feels like a natural extension of the problem-solving he&rsquo;s always enjoyed.
Scott values that the work doesn&rsquo;t feel static. Each task offers a chance to learn something new, often in areas he wouldn&rsquo;t normally encounter in his day-to-day job.
&ldquo;I get a chance to research. I learn new stuff every single day.&rdquo;
Just as importantly, he never feels like he&rsquo;s working in isolation. He collaborates with other contributors and has access to community when questions come up, creating a sense of connection and shared purpose. For Scott, that support makes the work feel thoughtful and intentional rather than transactional.
Working from home allows Scott to stay close to his family and still pursue a passion of his. He can contribute on his own schedule while still being present for his wife and daughters, fitting work around family life instead of the other way around. The Economic Impact Report reflects this experience broadly, finding that flexibility is one of the primary reasons contributors turn to this kind of work.
The income he earns through Outlier helps support things his family enjoys, from vacations to hobbies like deer hunting, and even contributing toward a recent truck purchase. But for Scott, the value goes beyond finances. He likes staying connected to technology, continuing to learn, and applying his skills in a way that feels meaningful.
Most of his work focuses on evaluating AI model responses. He compares answers to the same prompt, flags inaccuracies,&nbsp; and rewrites responses when needed to better reflect how a real person would communicate.
&ldquo;I get a chance to build something greater than myself,&rdquo; he says.
When Scott thinks about the future of AI, he&rsquo;s optimistic. He sees technology creating more free time, opening new possibilities, and opening up possibilities that don&rsquo;t yet exist
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really rewarding to know that I&rsquo;m helping build the future of AI.&rdquo;
Scott&rsquo;s story reflects a broader pattern highlighted in the Economic Impact Report: people from a wide range of backgrounds bringing their skills, judgement, and lived experience into the work of building better AI systems, often alongside full-time jobs and family responsibilities.
For Scott, Outlier is a way to stay curious, keep learning, and contribute to something larger while still keeping family at the center of his life.
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A plumbing sales professional balancing family life while helping evaluate and improve AI models through flexible work.