I was having a conversation with my younger cousin and my sister at our family dinner – and my younger cousin starts telling me about his “side hustle”. I shot him this look of disapproval as he describes his new side job- sounding shady, but not illegal (so no, he’s not selling any drugs or people). My sister shoots back at me and says “Don’t knock the side hustle!” She was so right.
Times have change compared to previous generations – when it was normal to be a “lifer” at a big corporation and that was enough to take care of your family, own a house, and take a nice vacation every so often.
Today, we just consume the living shit out of our bank accounts, and some more. Incomes are stagnant yet the cost of living continue to go up. As a millennial that once dreamed of being a lifer at a bank, I realized how unrealistic that is anymore. Loyalty is meaningless, jobs are becoming obsolete with the introduction of more gangster technology, and job security is non-existent.
Nowadays, five years at one company is considered adequate to not be questioned about one’s loyalty. We burn out or realize we have hit a ceiling. And realistically, shit just gets boring at the same place. So what does that mean for the youngins that don’t feel the love at their work? They find a “side hustle”, just like my younger cousin.
A side hustle supplements your income or, is something that is more fulfilling than your day job, and you maybe hope to turn into a full-time gig one day down the road. My sister does market research full-time, but teaches yoga twice a week. My good friend works at a tech-startup, but does catering on the side.
We are a generation that is so ambitious and want not only to make a paycheque, but do something more fulfilling. There is more opportunity now than ever to start a business in a heartbeat that allow us to materialize our passions and creativity. But more importantly, we just need to make more money.
The biggest problem we have in our country is people’s over-consumption that leads them to not save enough. People live in the moment. At this rate, there’s going to be a moment down the road where you will say “Okay, now I’m fucked”. In the midst of the technological changes and generational differences, being in between jobs or trying to figure your shit out while unemployed is the norm. Which means, you better have enough set aside for that rainy day so you don’t drown. Better yet, find a side hustle.
So what’s your side hustle? Do you have enough set aside for that rainy day?