Epis0de 101
How many rat races is too many rat races?
There used to be a time when asking someone what they did was as straightforward a question as any. Everyone had one singular thing, whether banker, doctor, lawyer, teacher, or unemployed. One answer was all you needed, and one answer was what you got. Nobody needed a flowchart to provide or receive clarification. But you don’t get a lot of that anymore; in fact such a conversation might go something like this:
“So, what do you do?”
“I’m an architect.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“…and I sell perfumes.”
“Oh? Interesting.”
“…and I trade forex.”
“Okay…”
“…and I’m also into event planning.”
“Why not.”
“…and I have a fish farm.”
“Ah.”
When I was in university I only ever wanted to have one job when I graduated. These days, well over a decade later, I find myself with two (well, three to be accurate, but I’m told one of them doesn’t count because I don’t get paid regularly enough. Na wa.). I have my regular job, the one that pays me every month and gives me something sensible to write on forms that ask for my occupation. Then I DJ on the side, and that’s just starting to become a dependable second income stream, which is awesome. Sure, it’s not enough to dramatically quit my regular job like when a movie character wins the lottery, but it’s enough to make me pay attention and work harder at it for sure. But fingers crossed on being able to quit my regular job soon, though. The quitting itself might not be as dramatic as in a movie, but it’ll definitely feel just as good. E sure me die.
Balancing two or more jobs isn’t a unique experience. Nearly everybody wears at least two working hats because having just one job in this economy is borderline insanity. We still call these second and third gigs “side hustles,” but that can often feel like an understatement. Because sometimes the main salary funds the business, and then sometimes the business picks up the slack from the main salary’s heavy lifting. And then other times it’s impossible to even tell which one is actually carrying the other anymore. At that point, the distinction between a main job and a side hustle starts feeling unnecessarily academic. Let the money just be coming in anyhow or from anywhere.
Growing up, most of us were taught the same formula to a comfortable adult life. Study hard, get good grades, find a good job and work hard. It’s still being taught today, and it’s still decent advice, but a good job isn’t always good enough on its own anymore. These days you’re more likely to do everything right and still find yourself looking for something else to supplement the thing that was supposed to be enough. So we adjust as needed. I’m also a DJ. At least three of my regular work colleagues sell thrift clothes online and in-person, and the rest of them are probably running other businesses I’m not aware of. I doubt anybody wants to be doing all this shit at once, but it is what it is. And having options beats putting all your eggs in one increasingly expensive basket.
So that’s why I’m not particularly bothered by the idea of having multiple things going on. I’ve always loved music, whether just listening to it or working with it, but becoming a DJ never occurred to me until less than two years ago. But now something I really enjoy has become something people are willing to pay me human monies for, and now I’m curious to see how far it can go. I also still have my regular job, and I’m perfectly happy to add another source of income if one presents itself. In fact, if you know of one, abeg involve me. We can discuss my long-term career strategy after I’ve seen the money.