Whether you are a stay-at-home parent looking for a new challenge, seeking extra income to go back to school, a full-time employee looking to adopt new experiences and skills, or recently retired and up for an adventure, there are awesome opportunities out there to help you do it.
The reason I love side gigs so much is you can take the pressure off of them. If you already have a main source of income or support, you can use these as a gateway to a new career or business, or as a way to experiment, build up your skills, and your network. I see people putting so much pressure on new ventures or ideas to pan out or pay off. You don't need your next thing to support you 100% right away. Don't be in a rush, have a career adventure and let things evolve organically, if you can. Over time, you can build up your skills, your confidence, and your bank account. Also, if you try something and decide it's not for you, you can move on to something else.
There are different types of side gigs. If you just want immediate cash or want to view your side gig as a financial investor of sorts, your approach to them may be different than if you're looking for an investment towards your skills, for example. I'm not talking so much about getting a second job here. You totally can if you want, of course. Lots of people find ways to pick up extra shifts or overtime at their day job, drive for Uber, or take on a retail or restaurant gig on evenings and weekends. This can be a type of "means to an end" investment. You can also have an approach where you view a side gig as a way to kick off a second act or as part of a larger career change strategy. What I'm talking about now has more to do with exploration over time. I'm talking about doing something as part of a career change strategy that has the potential to grow and help you transition over time.
This can look all sorts of ways. If you are unhappy doing what you're doing now, the very last thing I want you to feel is stuck. You're not. You might be wanting to leave your longterm "secure" 9 to 5 to start a business, for example. Transitioning out of your 9 to 5 and straight into your business start up might throw you straight into the panic zone. Expecting a new business to support you right away is putting a lot of pressure on it, and on you. But if your current day job is demanding or otherwise not conducive to a side gig, an interim bridge job might help you. I've had clients pursue full-time contract work that allowed them a little more breathing room to be able to continue to put food on the table while freeing up bandwidth for a new venture. There are quite practical ways to make this work. I help people plan this out all the time.
Will there be some trade-offs in the process? Sure! I've seen clients figure it out. They've dealt with having a little less money coming in temporarily, they've decided to rely on their partner's health benefits short-term, they've put their vacation plans on hold for one season. If you can make it work and it feels worthwhile to you, you won't mind. You don't have to rule out an amazing future vision simply because of your reluctance to prioritize it.
So, here are 10 awesome sidegigs to consider to kick off your career change. You can do all of these from home as well. I hope they help you get your creative light bulb turned on:
1. Graphic Design - from Fiverr to Upwork, Behance to Creative Mornings there is often a wide range of projects that need to get done. If you're new to graphic design don't view this as a big money making venture right away. Start building up your portfolio, your skills and your reputation. Look into some options to get some training. Talk to folks in the field. You might start with some unpaid work even. Dabble. Don't overthink it. If you're already experienced in this area you can go a little bigger. Get involved in some larger projects. Think about the types of projects that interest you and start telling people you're available. Create a low cost one page website and get yourself on Google My Business. Reach out to marketing agencies or businesses directly.
2. Virtual Assisting - Think being a virtual administrative assistant for one or more professionals or businesses from the comfort of your own home office. Think of small business owners, entrepreneurs, self employed people like consultants, coaches, and financial professionals. Even busy households of working professionals. You can be the person who takes care of things that make another person's life so. much. easier. This can be lucrative and is in demand. Find people doing this online and research a little. Check out Upwork, for starters or come up with your own creative ways to market your services.
3. Tutoring - If there's a particular subject area you're interested in and knowledgeable about, this could be a good option for you. You can work for someone else or do this independently. Get creative here. Think beyond school subjects. Did you know that video game tutors are a thing? Check out Study Pool for some inspiration.
4. Coaching/Consulting - are you a former All-Star runner? Maybe you can become a running coach. Have a knack for organizing and find it fun? Maybe you can become an organizational consultant. Did you use your background in finance to get yourself out of debt? Maybe you can become a budgeting coach. Are you a CPA? You could help small business owners with their taxes or to set up their bookkeeping systems (someone needs to teach all the people starting side gigs about sales tax and all the other parts of self employment). Have you had a successful business? Teach others how to do the same. You get the point.
5. Want to teach from home? Check out organizations like VIPKid.
6. Are you internet-savvy with good keyboarding skills? Data, data, data. With our world of technology comes so. much. data. You can find ways to do this on your own or check out opportunities with companies like Clickworker.
7. Have Web Design skills? Have a sharp eye for design and want to build some? There are people building small businesses setting up simple websites for people using WordPress or even Squarespace and Wix. Check out Upwork.
8. If photography is your thing you could look into starting a photo or video editing side gig, selling or licensing your photography, or photographing events for people. Non "stocky" looking photos depicting different careers and life experiences are in demand. You could specialize in taking headshots for all the people starting side gigs to put on their websites!
9. Are you an animal lover? Petsitting and dog walking could be an option. People love their pets and are willing to invest in good care for them. You can go out on your own or start with a company like Rover.
10. Are you fluent in several languages? Translation can be lucrative. Check out Blend.
These are a drop in the bucket of all the opportunities out there. I suggest reading some reviews and doing your research before committing to any agency. New ones are popping up all the time.
What's most important is that if you believe you don't have options, practice reminding yourself that you do. I'll remind you, too. Also, if none of what I've shared here appeals to you, don't sweat it. There are many pathways you can take to change your career.
Good luck and cheering you on.
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