(cork popping) - I've got great news for all of you career explorers out there.

The amount of pathways, the sheer number of possibilities of where you can work and how you can work, is more robust than ever before, literally, ever before.

Technology is helping do a lot more than allowing folks to work from home.

It's also creating platforms that reinvent the notion of the part-time job, which is awesome for you, especially if you wanna be your own boss someday.

That's because in today's working world, the idea of the side hustle, and the freelance gig, you know, a money-making venture that's not your full-time career, are becoming more normal at every age level.

I'm not here to say if this is a good or a bad thing, but it is a thing.

So, as we're searching for our careers, it's worth asking a few questions.

Like, what are the benefits of the gig economy and can we turn our side hustle to a career?

(upbeat music) - Do the hustle!

(hums) - We're not talking about that kind of hustle.

Unless you're a dancer, which we definitely are not.

- It's true, thanks to TikTok, but we're not bitter or anything.

- At least I'm not.

What's up?

I'm Mary Williams and this is Talking Jobs.

Side hustles, freelancing, gigging out, there are a lot of ways to describe the ecosystem of work out there.

But typically, what we're talking about is any self-motivated, self-managed effort that is more of a part-time job than a full-time career.

The difference with many of these opportunities is that you're usually your own boss, working on your own schedule, working directly with clients or customers through a tech platform or app.

Now, don't get me wrong.

There are obviously a ton of traditional part-time jobs out there for students like us, in retail, food, or customer service, hospitality, healthcare, sales, or even tech.

These jobs can still all be good ways to gain work experience and make some money while you continue your education or career training.

But, those may not be for everyone.

I know some of you out there have that entrepreneurial mindset and wanna be your own boss one day or you already have some professional skills and you just wanna get started at your own pace.

Maybe you already know what you wanna do long-term and are thinking of starting a side hustle to get your feet wet, so that one day you can dive into a full-fledged business.

The truth is that all of these scenarios are possibilities and you may even embrace more than one method here, especially early in your career.

Check out this stat.

Half of young workers today have tried or are currently working a side hustle.

We're not fooling around, people.

Many do it for the dollars to pay bills or just get some extra dough.

Others do it because it's a chance to explore a passion or interest they have, like making money from a hobby.

Whatever the reason, we should all just be honest about what this can look like.

First, let's figure out what benefits the gig economy can offer.

Let's start by defining what we mean by gig economy.

The gig economy is basically a labor market that involves the use of temporary or freelance workers to perform jobs, typically in their service sector.

In today's working world, much of the ecosystem is based on the use of technology, either to literally perform the work or to connect the worker to the customer.

You've probably already heard of some of the biggest platforms out there.

For the makers, Etsy may be an obvious choice.

You can do ride sharing with Uber or Lyft, personal shopping through Instacart, odd jobs through TaskRabbit or even home repair or cleaning through Handy.

More professional services like programming, writing, design work, or even video making can be offered through sites like Upwork and Fiverr and many others.

I'm not endorsing any of these.

I'm just trying to show you that there are a lot of platforms out there depending on the work you're interested in.

So that's a few of the key players.

Now let's check out the pluses and minuses.

First, the possible upsides: flexibility.

It's an obvious one here.

These side hustles are often flexible in that you can work when you wanna work or take jobs you want to take, it's up to you.

This can be helpful for students balancing education and other training, or just anyone who needs a more adaptable work style.

Independence is another benefit.

No boss, because you are the boss.

Just try not to be too hard on yourself, okay?

The next is the pay, which is actually more of a mixed bag for side hustles.

Extra cash is great and you can do well.

But how well you do really depends on what you're doing, how consistently you're doing it, and again, your purpose.

If you're doing a side hustle to maybe start a full-time business one day, the money early on may not be as important as learning how to run the business and work with clients.

That experience has its own value, even if you can't put it directly in the bank.

If you're providing more professional services such as software coding, designing, writing or even translating, working freelance may actually have a lot of upside, including the money.

Now on the flip side, the drawbacks.

- I got you on the flip side.

This is the reality check about side hustles.

You need to know what you're getting into people, so do your research.

Let's talk cost.

If there are a lot of expenses associated with simply doing the work or being on the platform, it may eat up all your profit.

Money isn't everything.

Yeah, I heard that.

But if you wanna run a business one day, you don't wanna just give money away either.

And the money you do make may not pour in quickly.

Just like any job, you'll have to have patience and invest time and energy to make the most of it.

Another big thing, freelancers or contractors don't get any employee benefits like health insurance.

Depending on your age, this might be an issue.

It's one reason why many folks still keep a full-time day job, even if they're working their passion through a side hustle.

And if you are doubling up on jobs, just try to avoid burnout.

It can kill your momentum with your new venture and your day job.

- Finally, it worked.

Are you finished?

- Actually, I was.

- Because we need to get to the big question here.

- And that is?

- It's the title of the video.

Can we turn our side hustle into a full-time career?

- Okay, go ahead, do your thing.

- Uh, thanks, I guess.

- You're welcome.

- As I said, for some of you, this opportunity may be a great way to test out a business idea before trying it out full-time.

So let's dig into that side of this hustle.

First, the answer.

(drum roll) Yes, of course you can turn a side hustle into a full-time career.

People start businesses all the time, some succeed, some fail, that's capitalism.

The other side of that question is whether or not you should do it that way.

For younger workers, experimenting with a side hustle, especially one that you enjoy doing, is a great way to test the market before committing more of your time to it.

Today's gig economy is really empowering in that aspect because the ecosystem can help you connect with customers and take it one step at a time, all while hopefully making money and gaining experience.

One thing to keep in mind as you move forward is that you may still wanna get a full-time job, whether it's in your preferred field, or not.

Mainly because it's a good way to have stable income.

Stability is always helpful as you try to grow that side hustle.

If things go well, the side hustle will start feeling like a full-time commitment anyway.

Then, it's just a matter of picking the right time to take the leap.

And that's it!

Whether you're just curious about side hustles or you think it can help you cultivate a new business.

I hope this video was useful.

Now go figure out what success looks like for you.

Just don't forget to enjoy the journey!

(funky upbeat music)