The above image represents what this piece is about: getting your career back to basics.
Jonathan Rivett’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald, Feel stuck in a rut? It’s time for a reality check, was instantly personally relevant. My very existence of my side-business, CC Publishing, is a direct attempt to create something that has meaning and (hopefully) longevity; something that might create some revenue but, more importantly, allows an exploration of what interests and challenges me.
Side-Projects
Over the last couple of decades, there has been an explosion in people exploring Internet-enabled side-hustles and side-projects. Accessible Internet allows like-minded people to easily connect and engage with each other, share ideas and create something new.
Project funding platforms like GoFundMe and Kickstarter, amongst many others, have sprung up to support these exploratory and creative endeavours. No longer is a burgeoning desire to create stuck unfulfilled or inaccessible. Individuals and community groups can work together and fund creativity.
The question that arises from considering all this extra work, and community funding alongside it, is why is this happening? Is the drive to work and create outside primary employment purely for extra income or to pursue a personal interest?
The Unsatisfying Career
There is evidence that suggests people are finding their primary career unsatisfying.
Australia’s Fair Work Commission conducted an employee satisfaction survey in 2016, and found that employees in smaller businesses (5-19 staff) had higher levels of satisfaction compared with those in medium (20-199) or large (200+) enterprises. Questions focused on levels of satisfaction in areas such as total pay, work flexibility and the actual work conducted, amongst others.
For many (most), holding on to a job is a primary focus and there is little desire to do anything that would jeopardise keeping it. However, if the primary work is unsatisfying, underpaying or does not offer a creative outlet, then it makes sense that some people (with enough time) will turn to side-projects. It follows that if enough people work on personal projects, then support mechanisms for revenue-raising, publication and advertising will spring up as well. Think YouTube, content sites, and self-publishing options through platforms like IngramSpark.
So, if anyone feels they need a career-review or to explore a personal interest, they should do so, right?
Easier said than done, of course.
The more commitments an individual has, the harder it is to explore a side-project or personal endeavour if either of those could reduce income derived from their primary career. Many careers require after-hours research, social engagement and ongoing training that absorb many hours outside of ‘in-office’ time.
Despite the challenges, there is something positive in exploring a creative side or some personal interest purely for the satisfaction of it. In fact, there are heaps of sites that cover all the reasons why a side-project is beneficial to the individual. Some include learning new skills, enjoyment, potential new revenue stream and joining (or creating) new social groups.
