You have studied towards a degree and you are on the path to a successful career. Then you get that feeling that all entrepreneurs can relate to – the one in your gut. The one that. Never. Stops. Whispering. That you’re meant to do something more. Something bigger than yourself. To serve. To solve. To evolve.
A new job – at the end of the rainbow
The economic environment is very different from the one that our parents stepped into. The job market is extremely competitive – companies are employing less, and paying less. Or worse still, they are laying people off. It is not economically advisable to be entirely dependent on your job. Even a stable job is not a guarantee that you will still be there in the next 3, 4, 5 months.
You don’t have to pursue a fixed career path simply because you studied towards it. There are stories of doctors who turned comedian and actors who ran for mayor. You can be an engineer and a fashion stylist – the only limiting factor is your own thinking. You can pursue your entrepreneurial passion whilst being successfully employed full-time.
Another income on the loose
I say that there is nothing wrong with diversifying your skills and creating new revenue streams. Rent out property, sell your own music tracks online, trade in shares, sell bikinis through an online store, become an interactive online primary school tutor, start an NGO.
The fact that you have a higher education provides you with a skill set that will assist you in whatever you wish to pursue.
Is my career going to suffer?
Hell no!
Anyone who has a career can show you the long list of items that they need to get through. I call it a rolling list because there is no way that you can finish everything in one day. What you don’t finish gets pushed to the next day.
You’re probably getting stressed just thinking about it.
If you are working on creating a new revenue stream in your own time, outside of working hours, then you are most definitely not prejudicing your career in any way. These are 2 separate activities in your life. One is a contractual relationship where you offer your skills for compensation and the other is passion, a drive, a leap towards your dream.
We are only human. We are complex by nature. Pursuing a career and having your own hustle should not be mutually exclusive.
Our careers are a part of our lives. Don’t use it as a crutch.
You are the CEO of your own life
You are already your own boss. Don’t be scared to pack your life with personal goals and deadlines. Goals and deadlines are not only reserved for your day job.
As entrepreneurs, we have an insatiable greed for life and knowledge…working a full-time job does not change that about you.
By working on your side hustle in your own time, you ensure that your career aspirations remain in tact. Learn to create and maintain that division in time allocation and you will see yourself prosper on both fronts.