Side hustles have become somewhat of a buzzword in the world of jobs and careers, but there’s a good reason for this. In fact there are a number of good reasons for this. While many people choose to focus on the financial aspect of side hustles whilst dreaming about financial freedom and an early retirement, what about the relationship between side hustles and career growth and development?
Side hustles can bring you a lot more than just money. If you’re currently looking for ways to advance your career growth, don’t discount starting up a small business on the side. Here are a few ways pursuing a side hustle can advance your career prospects.
Skill Development and Career Growth
Starting a side hustle is one of the best ways to develop your skill set, and it goes without saying that a more impressive skill set should open up doors in terms of career growth opportunities. This is particularly true if you are trying to follow a career in some form of business operations.
Starting a side hustle can often make you responsible for every single business operation. That includes areas such as marketing, cash flow, customer service and any other activity that needs to be completed on a daily basis.
If you are attempting to pursue a career in marketing, a side hustle will allow you to earn experience in a number of related areas. For example, you might need to learn the basics of SEO or content marketing to improve your website’s visibility. Alternatively, you may choose to go on a course that teaches you how to implement ads on social media platforms.
Whatever it is, there isn’t a side hustle in the world that won’t teach you new skills or improve existing ones, which will be a big help when it comes to chasing your career growth and development goals.
Personal Development and Career Growth
It isn’t just technical skills that you’ll improve from pursuing a side hustle. Starting a small business or side hustle can also be a great way to develop your personal skills. That could be mental skills such as resilience and confidence or improving communication skills through dealing with suppliers and customers.
While starting a side hustle is an exciting prospect, don’t underestimate how difficult it can be. In the beginning, you may be losing money and finding yourself working long hours alongside a full-time job.
However, if you’re able to overcome these challenges, you’ll almost certainly experience some form of character growth that comes with stepping outside of your comfort zone and succeeding. Whether it’s that first sale or that first month breaking even, every milestone will develop mental strength and resilience that can be taken with you no matter what career growth and development goals you are chasing.
Experience and Career Growth
Employers love to see experience in this day and age. So much so that young professionals can often find themselves in a vicious cycle where it’s hard to get a job without experience but even harder to get experience without a job!
If this applies to you, a side hustle can offer a way to break this vicious cycle whilst also aiding career growth and development. Starting up a small business on the side gives you a way to gain your own experience that can make your CV stand out against other candidates when applying for jobs.
Not only this, but potential employers will likely be impressed by the fact that you have used your initiative, showed independence and found a way to bring the experience to you. All in all, a side hustle will leave you with a CV that many employers won’t be able to ignore, and for this reason alone, it can be a great starting point in terms of a career growth plan.
Financial Freedom and Career Growth
You can’t ignore the financial aspect that comes with starting a side hustle. In fact, many people’s reason for starting a small business on the side is in fact to earn extra money. Whether you’re chasing financial freedom or simply trying to ease money woes after seeking debt advice, a side hustle is becoming an increasingly popular option.
You may be wondering what this has to do with career growth and development opportunities, but if you can build a financially viable side hustle, it could well become your whole career. As side hustles are usually focused around a passion, this is also a great way to ensure you love what you do.
If you’re a skilled baker for example, why not set up an online bakery as a side hustle with the aim of it becoming your full time job. This is a great option for older workers who may feel they’ve reached the end of their career growth plan and need new motivation.
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