As one of the hottest topics in this era, it is resounding from the lips of most CEOs, workers, and students that the future of work is here. It is shaping how we work, where we work and the skills we need to work. Besides exploring technologies like automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence in the future of work, it is verified that this nature of work is beyond spending hours sitting in an office and counting as the clock ticks.
Are you familiar with the gig economy? The model of work is changing; independent work is being embraced and there are more companies who are now willing to outsource to freelancers/contractors or hire remote employees. These work models are what the future of work is about and is why the idea of having a side hustle is becoming increasingly popular.
What exactly is a side hustle? A side hustle is a way to make money outside of your 9–5 job. It provides an opportunity to pursue one’s passion and allows the freedom to make more money. Basically, your side hustle is anything that makes you money aside from your 9–5.
There are obvious reasons why people should consider having a side hustle, one of which is that the future of work provides more varied types of work and technology aids its growth. There are various sites like Fiverr, UpWork, Freelancer, etc (where people interact with others from around the globe and get paid to execute different tasks) or sites like Etsy (where you can sign up and sell products), Airbnb and Uber (that allow you use your home or car to earn extra income).
The future of work is giving a lot of people especially millennials enormous job opportunities and improved productivity. Millennials are scaling beyond a 9–5 job and getting for themselves side hustles that help them earn and improve their skills.
A lot of people fear that they’ll lose out on maintaining an outstanding performance in their jobs if they take on a side hustle, but this is just a fear that should be trashed. Whatever your current job requires, you can always create the time for a side hustle. Time management is essential to your growth. Gerald Zingraf, product manager with 3 side hustles says “it doesn’t take a lot of time to build a side gig… You probably have free time than you think.”
I urge you to embrace a mindset shift today. The future of work is empowering. It prepares you for financial freedom, skills upgrade, and personal growth. It provides you an opportunity to explore your passion, build wealth faster or reach your financial goals much quicker than relying on your primary career.
If you need more reasons to begin a side hustle, there are interesting stories on the internet of individuals who started a side hustle that even became a full-time job later on; for instance, there’s Tolulope Olorundero, the founder of Mosron Communications who first started her Public Relations company as a side hustle. When she resigned from her job last year in October, she decided to revamp her PR business into a full-fledged company. She scaled from been a 9–5 worker to turning her side hustle into a full-time business. Today, her agency is one of the agile and dynamic PR agencies in Nigeria. According to her, she stated that she had always done business on the side. She loved to do business (side hustle) regardless of academic or career pursuits because she had a widowed mother from whom she learned the importance of multiple sources of income.
So, Yea, the ball is in your court to determine when you should start a side hustle and create time to meet deadlines. Once you decide, it becomes easier to find ways to make time for a side hustle which could include early mornings, late evening/nights, weekends and even commute to and fro work.
Remember, the future of work is beyond a 9–5. Go get yourself a side hustle.
