It is quite common these days to find a lawyer who dreams about starting an interior design business or a software developer who enjoys baking. Maybe you have been dreaming of switching to a career that is highly different from your present job, notwithstanding it takes a lot of courage to change careers because of the costs and possibility of success seems too remote. This is not an excuse to plug away at your present job, slowly burning out without fulfillment but the answer might be in doing both. There are ways to shift jobs or even careers without totally giving up on your professional status.
Often called a side hustle, an additional income stream that is different from a paycheck is increasingly becoming attractive and necessary. It helps if this money-earning activity also fuels your passion because it build confidence and security, especially if you’ve always been an employee and have never worked for yourself. There are peculiar cases where some individuals have more than one side hustle, Chike who is a business analyst may have published three books on personal finance and investment which generates passive income for him. As a music enthusiast Chike may also have a music studio where he records and produces music for people.
Working at different jobs helps you to identify where ideas interact, “Its technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing,” said Steve Jobs, an embodiment of interdisciplinary thinking.
Chike’s day job as a business analyst helps to subsidize his record producing career, with no track record as a producer, nobody was going to patronize or pay him to produce their music. It wasn’t money that motivated him to become a producer, it was his passion for R n B and jazz music. Being a business analyst also provided the capital to produce albums and also taught him the skills to succeed as a producer, a good producer should be someone who knows how to create a vision, recruit personnel, establish a timeline, raise money, and deliver results. After producing over a dozen albums and record labels, musicians have started to reach out to see if they can hire him as a producer.
Your side hustle provides you with extra cash and helps you to save more money towards your future and long term goal. Especially with the economic recession, most companies have been downsizing and cutting back on salaries in order to stay afloat. It is therefore reasonable to plan and commit sufficient time to your side hustle project, it can either be at night or early in the morning before you resume at your main job.
Following your curiosities is a great way to bring passion to your career which leave you feeling more fulfilled.
