How To Choose A Side Hustle

No matter what you call it — freelancing, contracting, or gig work — side hustles are more popular than ever. In fact, thirty-six percent of the U.S. workforce are freelancers.

According to AARP’s Value of Experience Survey, gig work is on the rise among older adults. More than a quarter of older workers are doing freelance or gig work. While 89% of gig workers say making extra money is their primary motivation, flexible work hours are a close second at 87%.

People who have had trouble landing a job because of age discrimination or have had to cut back on hours to care for a loved one are finding freelancing enables them to earn an income when they need it most.

Today, you can do almost any kind of work as a freelancer. The first step to becoming an independent worker is figuring out the type of work you want to do.

To help you explore your options, AARP Foundation has put together what you need to consider so you can jump in with confidence.

Step 1: Consider your current skills

Begin by taking an inventory of your hard skills, which are your technical skills and knowledge, and your soft skills, which are personality traits or behaviors that are well suited to particular types of work.

Hard Skills

• Accounting
• Graphic Design
• Nursing

Soft Skills

• Problem-solving
• Empathy
• Creativity

Keep in mind that your current skills don’t mean you have to take on the same kind of role when you start your side hustle. Many of your skills will be transferable to other kinds of gigs.

You may excel at time management after years of working for a company. That same skill will help come in handy if you decide to begin your own consulting business and must juggle multiple clients, for example.

Step 2: Factor in your interests

The beauty of starting a side hustle is that it’s your chance to pursue a passion or switch gears at work. Let’s say you’ve always loved to keep your home organized. You could start a home organization business. Love animals? A pet-sitting business may be a good idea. If you have a flair for social media, you could manage social media accounts for local businesses. You get the idea.

Step 3: Determine what you want and don’t want

Do you like working with people? Do you have mobility issues that make working from home more appealing? Would you rather work behind the scenes instead of providing customer service? Your answers to these types of questions will help reveal what kind of side hustle will work for you.

Here’s a list of the kinds of things people usually come up with:

• Use my hands
• Work with people
• Connect with and help my community
• Work outside/connect with nature
• Work remotely
• Work at a desk
• Work with computers
• Work with minimal screens
• Flexible schedule
• Work whenever I want
• Weekends off
• Use my creativity
• Build new skills

Step 4: Get clear on your motivation

This step is critical to going from thinking about starting a side hustle to actually starting one. When you know your “why,” it’s just a matter of how.

Here are some of the most common reasons people give:

• Earn extra income
• Replace lost income
• Work a flexible schedule
• Find work quickly after a move
• Get skills for my resume
• Try out a new career
• Meet new people
• Stay active
• Work from home

Step 5: Figure out your side hustle

Now that you have a good idea about your current skills, interests, desires, and motivation, you can begin looking for a side hustle that fits your criteria. If remote work is on your wish list, check out Top 5 Side Hustles You Can Do From Home.

In addition, AARP Foundation offers free webinars on how to earn income as a freelancer that can help you figure out this important next important step.

Finally, remember to keep an open mind and experiment with a few different options until you start to find something that feels right. You’ll know when you’ve found the right fit.