This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennifer Martinez, a 35-year-old product manager based in New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve worked as a product manager at an AI startup in New York City since 2017, in a fully remote role that allows me to pursue several side gigs.
Like many other people in NYC, I’ve been feeling more financially stressed. My income has increased slightly over the years, but it hasn’t kept pace with how much prices have gone up.
About two years ago, I decided I wanted to feel a little less money-strapped, because I have financial goals. I’m in my 30s. I’ve always wanted to own a home and travel more. All of these things had started to feel increasingly out of reach.
I started hearing more and more about layoffs, and I was not sure if my career would even exist in the future. I started seeing people around me getting laid off, and I thought I really needed some financial cushion.
Dog sitting for the money
My first experience with side hustles was dog-sitting in NYC two years ago, and it’s still where I get the bulk of my side-hustle income.
At first, I wondered whether I would encounter nightmare dogs that started eating my furniture or tried to bite me, but nothing like that ever happened.
I have a dog at home for around 20 to 25 days a month, and I charge about $65 per night. I roughly earn about $1,000 monthly from dog sitting on Rover.
It’s helped me more than just financially. Because I dog-sit in my neighborhood, I’ve started meeting my neighbors, which has brought me closer to my local community.
It also helps me stay healthy. Having dogs with me encourages me to go outside, especially during stressful times at work.
There have been times when I’ve had back-to-back meetings all day and haven’t been able to take a lunch break, and dog-sitting forces me to go for a walk in the middle of the day.
It also gives me company, because remote work can get really lonely.
Ceramics for the creative outlet
I started doing ceramics during the pandemic. At the time, I was living in a house with nine people, and I needed a place outside the home and away from my roommates to avoid feeling suffocated.
I took a ceramics course and joined a studio where I could come in and work on my pieces as I pleased. Ceramics helps me get away from my phone and calms me down.
I love creating pieces with an earthy aesthetic, like the Cyclades Islands in Greece. They’ve all got this white-and-blue architecture, which is the vibe I’m into.
I created an Etsy shop and tried selling pieces I was making. Over the last year, I’ve been making snack plates, and have sold about 15 plates for $60 each so far.
I also create TikTok content about preventing burnout. All my side hustles are geared toward health and wellness, so I document them on social media.
I’ve been surprised that I’ve gotten a lot of requests recently on LinkedIn for product consulting. I’ve taken some of those gigs and earned a few hundred dollars here and there.
It’s made me more confused
I started side hustling to find answers about what would make me happier and what would help me feel less financially stressed or burned out.
I struggle to find fulfillment in the ways I earn the majority of my income. I’m transitioning to another senior product management role to try something new and increase my job satisfaction.
And I also struggle with not being able to earn income from the things that make me happier.
My ultimate goal is still to turn one of my side hustles into a full-time job. Ideally, becoming a full-time ceramicist or having some kind of handmade art business would be my dream. But I’m not quite there yet.
Side hustling has actually made me more confused. I thought I would have more clarity around the direction I want to go in, but because I’m experimenting with all of these things, I’ve realized there are a lot more possibilities.
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