Danielle Rainwater is standing above an inflatable slide more than 20 feet off the ground.
Artificial wind from a giant fan blows in her face and hair. After one last deep breath, she takes the leap.
But this isn't Rainwater's extreme sport fantasy. Today, it's her job.
Like many college students, Rainwater -- an incoming English linguistics freshman -- knows what it's like to be short on cash and would do almost anything for money.
So when she heard about the day-by-day opportunity to work for Goodrich Aircraft Interiors as a slide tester, she jumped at the chance. And no wonder; the gig pays $12 an hour.
Rainwater says the company employs about 40 slide testers, who work about twice a month.
She says about half the people there actually get to test the slides, while the rest wait in case one of the sliders gets injured.
"It really sucks unless you bring a book or something to do," she says, recalling the first time she went to the slide testing. It was the only time she didn't get to go sliding, and had to do nothing for 10 hours.
"But when you do get to slide, it really is a lot of fun," she says, smiling.
Rainwater says the main reason she has repeatedly participated in the slide testing is the $12 an hour.
"They have to pay you that much because a lot of people get hurt," she says.
Rainwater says she has seen three people get what she would classify as seriously injured while performing the slide tests, though that is still not enough to deter her from participating.
"One reason to do this, if for no other, is that if I ever get in a plane crash, I'll have the upper hand," she says.
It may seem natural for a person to have an odd job or two in his or her lifetime, but 19-year-old Trent Potter, a current employee of both Circle K and Kirklands, is the king of the unconventional.
Potter says he would do just about anything for money. From working on an organic herb ranch in Colorado and selling his plasma to singing in a ska band and taking surveys at a mall, Potter has done more for a quick buck than most.
Potter recalls one instance when he and a friend took a bus trip to a mall across town. He says once they got there, they were hungry but had no money left for food or the ride home, so they decided to seek out the people who solicit surveys for quick cash.
"We'd seen people do surveys before but we found them odd," Potter says.
After watching and answering questions about a Levi's commercial, Potter says he received $7, and his friend received $3.
Judging this a success, Potter says he later returned to the mall with his friend Yosh, a foreign exchange student from Japan, with the specific intention of earning some cash.
"Yosh didn't know how to speak English, but they gave him five dollars, anyway," Potter says, laughing.
Potter says this was one of the easiest "jobs" he has ever had, but the pay was almost not worth it. He says donating plasma was the easiest way to earn a moderate amount of money because there is little work involved, and absolutely no restricted schedule.
Although it was more work, Potter says the best-paid job he ever had was working at a Christmas tree lot last December.
"You are constantly dealing with people who are happy," he says. "So you get extensive tips."
Altogether with tips and salary, he made $2,500 dollars for just three weeks of work.
Rainwater says she prefers odd jobs to a real, stable job because of the many benefits, including the lack of dress code and the freedom involved.
"They're always desperate for people, so even if you call in because you don't want to go, they will still call you the next time."
Although she is now a part-time employee at Quik Trip, Rainwater says she would still go to future slide testings.
"If there was a guarantee for these things to come around, I would definitely go. But, of course, having a real job is the only stable way, now that I have bills to pay."
Reach the reporter at tara.brite@asu.edu.
