You can juggle multiple roles with a side hustle – slashie work culture is a great way for young people to gain experience and boost employability skills.
Years ago, it was the norm to get a ‘job for life’ or stay in each position you gain with a company for at least a year or more, before moving on. For Generation X or the Baby Boomers, this is still the common perception. This is why your parents or grandparents, may be surprised if you say that you don’t want to have just one job, but rather multiple jobs that can work alongside each other.
The truth is, times are changing. You can embrace slashie work culture and juggle multiple roles to get lots of different experiences and build up your CV in a short amount of time.
My main source of income is my freelance work, but I’ve had other jobs along the way during quiet periods, and I’ve managed to juggle the two. I also do lots of speaking in schools on the side, and volunteering with Youth Employment UK, The Prince’s Trust and The Diana Award too. It’s helped me to gain lots of different experiences, and work with varying groups of people over the last few years. I love it!
I’m currently at the stage where I’ve finished university, and I’m now looking what else I can move into alongside my freelance work. A lot of people have said I should either choose my freelance work or full-time work, but why can’t I do both?
There are many reasons why you might consider taking on more than one role – whether it’s for more money, or to feel more fulfilled.
To give you an example, you might choose to work for two small companies who can’t afford to employ you full time, or you might choose to work three days a week, and volunteer with a charity for the rest of your time. You might also choose to work multiple roles because you’ve got other responsibilities or commitments at home, and it’s important that you can work out a schedule where you can accommodate everything.
Having multiple jobs comes with several benefits including:
- More than one role offers you the opportunity to boost your income and earn extra money that you wouldn’t be able to gain with just one role.
- You might discover that your company loves the fact that you’re in multiple roles. And they might be more than happy to offer a flexible schedule to help you accomplish your goals. It’s important that you’re not afraid to ask your manager for flexible working if you feel it could benefit both you and the company.
- Working multiple jobs can mix things up, and from experience I can say that it’s really refreshing, especially if you get bored easily like me. Plus, if you find there are aspects that irritate you in one of your jobs, having another part-time role means that those frustrations don’t build up over the week!
- All in all, you might find that your job roles complement each other. Whether that’s through the skills you learn, through networking, or just through a break from the routine.
Juggling multiple roles can be difficult though, so you’ve got to work out whether it’s for you before making any decisions. You need to be smart about managing your time to ensure that your responsibilities don’t get on top of each other. Plus, not all employers will allow you to have another job in the same area, or run your own business alongside working for them, so it’s important that you ask the question before you apply for any positions – this is a mistake I’ve made before!
Remember that it’s becoming more normal to have a ‘side hustle’ these days. Researchers say that by 2030, half of UK adults will have launched a business on top of their day job. Your own happiness is what’s most important, and if having multiple roles and responsibilities feels like a good fit for you, go for it. Your CV will be sparkling with all of the experience you gain too.
