Side hustles tend to get a bad rap. No one really wants to add any more hours to their work day than they have to & I think the term often carries a negative connotation. You don't have to be struggling to make ends meet to take one up, (though, admittedly, my unwillingness to give up any of the nice things I like while paying the cost of living in Boston takes some budgeting) and my little side hustle I have going is actually one of the most consistent highlights of my day. Even if its only paying for a few extra drinks on Saturday or another overpriced face mask, I think most people could benefit from figuring out a way to make money while doing something they really want to be doing.
If you've graduated college within the past year & you're already working your dream job - you're either lying to me and/or yourself, or my new life coach. It can get pretty mentally taxing spending every day just going through the motions; I've found it really helpful picking up a job that gets me out and gives me a brain break. I signed up to work for Wag, basically Uber for dog walking, over the summer & it's THE BEST. People seriously pay me anywhere between $10 - $30 to walk their dog. I primarily walk dogs over my lunch break just to get myself outside and away from my desk, but every once in awhile I'll walk one later at night or over the weekend with Rob. I can't have a dog in my apartment and I miss my lil guys at home SOOOOO much - its the ideal situation to be able to hangout with dogs AND get paid for it. The service is on demand, so I never have to walk one unless I want to, & unlike my time spent at J.Crew, I can have my nights and weekends totally free if I want. It puts me in such a great mood and really does get me through the rest of my day. Its something to look forward to & its always nice that I can break down the cost of something in terms of dogs to be walked i.e telling myself "I just have to walk 7 dogs to pay for this" - great bargain with myself.
I'm going to try to post more about post-grad life and how to make daily life as an ~adult~ less mundane, so I figured I'd start with this suggestion! If you have any free time at all & feel like your career-job is sucking the life out of you everyday (or you're just bored) - find a little side hustle! You would be absolutely amazed at the things people will pay for. Whether you need to just get out of your building for an hour or use a bit of creative energy productively - I'm positive you can find something that'll get you some extra money while adding a little value to your day. Unless you can find a boutique or a store that is really flexible, would not recommend retail. That's my warning. Retail stinks. Maybe its just J.Crew that stinks or working at a big store in a metropolitan area but,like, if you're looking for something that's a stress release, I would recommend literally anything besides retail.
My department has turned into a doggy day care at this point & its the best thing ever. One of my coworkers started walking dogs too and now there's almost a guarantee of at least one dog coming through our office everyday. If you love dogs, check out Wag or any other dog walking app/business. It's really fun & if you're in a new city, it's a great opportunity to get out and learn the neighborhood. I am absolute trash at navigating my surroundings & the only I reason I EVER know where I am in the North End, Waterfront, Brighton, Allston, Brookline, and Cambridge is because I've spent so much time walking dogs around everywhere. It's a nice little exercise break and Idk about you but as far as endorphins go, I feel like my brain maxes out at exercising with a dog. Once it gets warm enough I'll try walking a dog while eating ice cream & I think that's probably where I'll peak.
If you can get a side hustle that's also a hobby, I 100% recommend going for it. I know life is exhausting and beds are so, so comfortable, but there aren't a lot of other times in life when you have the time or energy to be working more than one job by choice. I know having the time to have a hobby is probably more appealing, but its fun to look at ways you can monetize your hobby. Not everything is about money, blahblahblah, but if there's any chance that I can make money doing something I LOVE doing, I'm going for it. Immediately post-grad is a great time to do some self-reflection and think of what it is you love doing and how you can either 1) make sure you find a career that allows you to keep doing it (the argument I make when I tell Rob I might get my CFA because I like shoes) or 2) take steps to create a career in the future out of what you love. Someday I want the capital to be able to open a restaurant and lifestyle boutique, so for now I'm going to blog and see if I can actually make money from it while I continue to work on my career. Dog walking is purely for fun, but the blogging side hustle hopefully can become something lucrative or at least something that exposes me to new ideas. I see no reason to not put the effort in to have fun while doing something that will either benefit you financially right now, or put you in a position to benefit in the future. Win win in my book.
I know sometimes you can get stuck in a routine that gets boring - I think this is a great way to productively switch things up. If you end up hating it or find that its not adding any value to your day, try something new! The great thing about a side hustle is that its pretty noncommittal & quitting it on a whim isn't going to leave you unable to pay your rent next month. Not to be all motivational-preachy or anything but I think its really important to give yourself time during the day to invest in your future - whether its short term not sending yourself spiraling into a pit of despair after checking your bank account Monday morning or working on long term career goals - you have the time and the freedom now to try different things out & I definitely recommend giving it a try. No regrets with dog walking or blogging, only a couple regrets with J.Crew. Couple hundred regrets. If anyone wants to buy my old J.Crew stuff from me, please. I am begging.