How A Side-Hustle Can Skyrocket Your Long-Term Career Goals.

By Irene McConnell (Kotov)

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I have a pretty twisted prediction about the future of employment. 

Right now there are millions of people working full-time in jobs they don't like for companies they - let's face it - don't really care about. I think that will change dramatically over the course of the next 10 years.

The trend will shift towards working for smaller companies, for shorter periods, on more meaningful projects, appying skills people enjoy using.

More people will be starting small, low-risk, Internet-based businesses and hiring people in their network (who are aligned in vision, beliefs and skills) to work with them. 

I think we're beginning to see evidence of this shift now. How often do you meet someone, ask them what they do and hear this?

"Well, I work for XYZ company full-time, but I also have an ABC business that I'm working on in my spare time."

 

I Don't Believe That It's An Accident. 

My business, Arielle Careers, began as a side-hustle. It was borne out of my frustration with the corporate world and the de-humanising effect it has on people. 

I had a vision for a more meaningful approach to work, so I started it as a blog while still working as a corporate HR Manager full-time. 

I think you are here because you're the same. You want a creative outlet for your values, passions and beliefs. You want to give rise to something that has meaning.

The previous generation called this pursuit "hobbies". And of course, hobbies still exist. But there's now a new brand of hobby - one which you love doing and one which you aim to monetize with a view, perhaps, to one day make it into our full-time job.

Thing is, whether you turn it into a full-time or not, I think a side-hustle project will aid your career in unexpected ways.

 

Future-Proof Your Professional Skill Set.

To get a side-hustle off the ground you'll need to learn business skills. 

You'll need to learn how to make sure your business gets noticed. This means learning how to market. Specifically, how to pitch, how to create content which gets consumed and how to get inside your target audience's head. 

You'll also need to learn about  and have be very familiar with SEO, SEM and social media.

Learning all those skills might seem like a pain in the neck, but remember - now that just about every business is quickly becoming Internet business, learning these skills is not a matter of "if", but of "when". 

Might as well get a jump on your competition.

 

Grow As A Human Being.

On a personal level, you'll have to start thinking about who you are as a human being. Your side-hustle will be an extension of who you are as a human being. It will require you to have a clear, loud stand for a set of values. 

This means you'll need to grow thicker skin to deal with disbelievers and critics.

You'll need to develop self-discipline so that you know when to say "no" to distractions.

You'll get to be a thought leader. It means you'll get to say which problem you want to solve in the world. You will become a voice for a cause you care about. 

 

Be More Fulfilled.

The net result of it all is a happier, more fulfilled you. 

People aren't most happy when they get paid most or work least. Quite to the contrary, I bet the happiest you've ever been was at a time when you've had to push past your personal boundaries to reach a goal which had meaning to you.

Starting a side-hustle allows you to create change. It gives you an opportunity to build something which you feel needs to be built and which gives you an enormous amount of satisfaction from the process.

The only questions left are - what do you believe needs to be built? And when will you start?

 

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Irene Kotov helps senior executives get jobs in exciting companies. Through her resume writing services, social profile campaigns and interview coaching she helps people stand head and shoulders above their competition. You can catch up with her on Google+.

 

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