Benefits of Side Hustles
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I am a big fan of side hustles because I believe they are vital for a person to grow and learn.
They offer opportunities that you don’t always get with a 9-to-5 day job, they can turn out to be a lot of fun, and these days they either cost nothing or very little to get started.
This post was written from the perspective of a developer but the benefits of a side hustle can be applied to a number of different fields or scenarios so please bear with me.
Without wasting any more time, let’s have a look at some of the benefits of having a side hustle:
Requires different types of thinking
Having a side hustle allows you to see things from different aspects because you need to take on different and varying responsibilities.
You are not only a developer but an entrepreneur, a business analyst, marketer, salesman, etc.
Each of these positions requires a different and unique way of thinking which comes with benefits of its own.
You will be able to appreciate the people in these positions in your day job more as you will have a better understanding of what it entails and you might also be able to help them.
Gaining experience in several positions will also benefit you if you want to start your own business.
Explore new things/develop skills
As mentioned above, you will need to be different people at various times which not only requires different thinking but it will also force you to learn and develop new skills.
While doing so, you will also have the opportunity of exploring new things that you don’t get to do in your day job.
The more skills you can develop and exposure you get, the better equipped you will be if you want to start your own business.
Create something of your own
I’m sure anybody who has created something will agree that there is no better feeling.
And it is even better when you can share it with others.
Even more so when it enables you to help others and takes on a life of its own.
The sense of achievement, confidence, and pride when you are able to create something either on your own or with others is difficult to beat and it can also give you a sense of purpose and direction.
The opportunity of starting a business without high risk
Starting a business is usually high-risk due to financial reasons.
Will you be able to support yourself and ensure the business makes a profit?
With a side hustle, the risk is much lower because you still have a day job which allows you to support yourself and therefore it is much less stressful.
This doesn’t mean it is easier as you might need to put in extra hours during the week or on weekends.
When it comes to development, there is very little cost involved in getting it started which means you don’t need to invest a lot without knowing if there will be a return.
Cure for boredom
If you are bored at your day job, a side hustle is a perfect cure.
It can help you stay engaged and productive.
Extra source of income
Some might wonder why this is last on the list.
I know making extra money is a benefit for many including myself but I don’t believe it should be the primary focus of a side hustle.
Making extra money should be a by-product of a side hustle and not why you started unless you are unable to support your family or something similar.
Except for emergency cases, the money you make from a side hustle should be used to save or invest.
You can save the money to buy a house or go on a holiday you’ve always wanted to.
Or you can invest the money.
Make sure you use the money for something long term and not short term such as buying something expensive or paying off debt as you can do this with the money you get from your day job.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and found it useful. If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know below.