Yolo, so the saying goes. You only live once. But you don’t need to make a living only once, especially when tough economic times are putting the crunch on living expenses. Here’s what you need to know about the exciting multi-job world of today.
It used to be called moonlighting. The practice, so-called because it was typically conducted on the quiet, after working hours, of taking on a second job to supplement your income or diversify your marketable skills.
But in today’s tough economic times, it has come to be known by another name. Survival. With the skyrocketing cost of groceries, petrol, property, education, and a host of everyday living expenses, who among us can afford to run a household on one salary alone?
Which is why, by the light of day, more and more people are “second-jobbing”, adding to their earnings and their interests by seizing the opportunity to breach the traditional boundaries of the 9 to 5.
To find out what that means, and what it can mean for you, our BrightRock Iris Session host, David O’Sullivan, invited two expert multi-workers into the studio to share their thoughts, experiences, and advice.
Benita Levin, news editor for Eyewitness News, who doubles as a life coach and motivational speaker, and Makgotso Nkwanyana, client relations manager at Safarmex, who has a thriving sideline as a distributor for Herbalife.
David himself, after 30 years in radio broadcasting, is now a freelancer with a wide range of saleable skills in his portfolio. That’s where it all begins, advises Benita: “Assess your skills, and ask yourself what value you can bring to your new job. If it doesn’t work, is there a Plan B?”
It can be risky to give up the security of your salary and benefits for the unpredictable world of freelancing, says Benita, but if you are able to turn your passion or hobby into a source of extra income, you’ll have the best of both worlds.
Maybe you can bake batches of delicious cookies to sell at the office. Maybe you can refurbish a garden cottage and turn it into an Airbnb, for rental to guests from near and far.
Maybe you can dig through the treasure chest in your attic and unearth goods to sell on eBay. Maybe you can string bright beads onto fishing line, and market your own own line of trendy jewellery. Or maybe you can just harness your natural selling ability to sell, sell, sell.
For Makgotso, the spur to a second career was the sight of her husband struggling to keep fit and lose weight. She investigated healthy eating options, and decided to try Herbalife nutritional supplements. Then she became a distributor herself.
“I thought, I couldn’t just leave my job after nine years,” she says. “But I did need to supplement my income, and now I can do it by helping people out there at the same time.”
But you do pay for that extra income, says Makgotso, because you have to find the time to earn it. “You have to give up your weekends,” she says.
It’s not just about the modern working dream of doing what you love and loving what you do, adds Benita. Taking on a second job is an investment in your skills, your abilities, your future.
“It’s important to have a portfolio of careers,” she says. “Sticking around in one job is not what people are striving for anymore.”
David remembers how his father worked in the same steady job for half-a-century. A lifetime of service. Now, you have a lifetime of opportunities.
“Be bold, break the mould, expand your horizons,” says David. While it wasn’t easy for him to leave a full-time, salaried career in broadcasting, he was encouraged by this nugget of advice from Ruda Landman, who took the same giant leap when she left her job as an anchor on Carte Blanche: “When you step into the void,” she told David, “the bridge comes up to meet your feet.”
Are you ready to make that leap? Start by watching the full BrightRock Iris session below or on YouTube, and learning what it takes to change your life, by changing the way you make your living.
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