Are you looking for a way to earn extra income while pursuing your passions? Side hustles have become a crucial means of survival for many individuals who seek to balance their personal needs and interests with additional sources of income.
By pursuing your passion, you can also sharpen your skills, get to know new people and new opportunities, discover new industries and learn more about the value of being really good at something. With so many side hustle opportunities available, it's wise to explore the options to determine which hustles fit your skills, goals, budget and available time.
First off, what kinds of side hustles exist for UX and Product Designers? I have identified four solid types of side hustles:
🔸 Freelancing: UX designers can offer their services on a freelance basis to businesses and individuals who need help with UX design projects. This can be a great way to earn extra money on the side or even build a full-time freelance business.
🔸 Consulting: UX designers can also offer their consulting services to businesses that need help improving their UX design processes and strategies. This can be a more lucrative side hustle, but it typically requires more experience and expertise.
🔸 Teaching: UX designers can teach UX design courses and workshops either online or in-person. This is a great way to share their knowledge and experience with others, and earn extra money at the same time.
🔸 Creating and selling products: UX designers can create and sell their own products, such as UX design templates, resources or even e-books. This is a great way to generate passive income, as you can continue to sell your products even when you're not actively working on them.
Now, let's see how a side hustle can address the individual claims I made in the opening paragraphs of this article.
Additional sources of income: Side hustles are a great way to make some money and improve your financial situation. You may not always work on amazing projects that will have a positive impact on mankind. Sometimes, you might just do everything that's necessary to design a few screens or a limited workflow. Still, you're getting paid for it. And if you do it well, you might get additional work.
🔹 It's all about the attitude: If you're working for a Fortune 100 company by day, and you've reached a point in your life at which your take-home pay allows you to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, designing a few screens for a few hundred dollars might not seem so attractive at first...and that's OK. However, if you are interested in learning more about mobile design –because your company only does desktop applications –a paying side hustle might just give you enough of an incentive to help you learn how to design for mobile devices in your spare time.
🔹 Is it worth it? Only you can decide whether a side hustle is right for you. There's no cheatsheet that will tell you whether the compensation for the job is right for you or not. It all depends on what you expect to get out of it.
Sharpen your skills: Perhaps you've always wanted to be able to say that you created a design system or were instrumental in re-branding a company's website and digital assets?
🔹 Work on a variety of projects: A side hustle allows you to work on projects outside of your full-time job, which can give you the opportunity to work on a variety of different products and services.
🔹 Get feedback from real users. You have the opportunity to get feedback from real users on your designs. This feedback can be invaluable, as it can help you identify areas where you can improve.
🔹 Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies. UX design is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies. A side hustle can give you the opportunity to experiment with new tools and techniques, as well as learn about new tools and trends from your new contacts.
🔹 Build your portfolio. A strong portfolio is essential for any UX designer. A side hustle can give you the opportunity to work on projects that you can add to your portfolio. This will help you showcase your skills and experience to potential employers.
Get to know new people: Aside from meeting people who can get you a side hustle, you will most likely encounter others who are also involved in the work you do on the side. In my opinion, that's a great way to let your people skills shine and enjoy some "side effects" that could positively influence your career.
🔹 Expand your network: When you meet new people through your side hustle, you have the opportunity to expand your network of contacts. This can be helpful for your career, as you may meet potential clients, collaborators or employers.
🔹 Learn new perspectives: When you interact with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences, you learn new perspectives. This can help you to better understand your users and to design products and services that are more inclusive and accessible.
🔹 Get feedback on your work: When you share your work with new people, you can get feedback from a different perspective. This feedback can be helpful for improving your designs and making them more user-friendly.
🔹 Stay motivated: Meeting new people and working on new projects can help you to stay motivated and excited about your work. This is especially important if you have a side hustle that you are passionate about.
Discover new industries: A side hustle is a flexible way to gain experience, learn about different industries and identify new opportunities.
🔹 Encounter new products and services: Most likely, you will be exposed to new products and services that you may not have encountered before. This can give you a better understanding of different industries and the needs of their users.
🔹 Work with different people: You will work with people from different industries and with different backgrounds. This can help you learn about different industries and to see how UX design is applied in different contexts.
🔹 Identify new opportunities: When you have a better understanding of different industries and the needs of their users, you may start to identify new opportunities to apply your UX design skills. This could lead you to start your own business, or to find a job in a new industry.
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The value of being really good at something: When you become really good at something, it can be a very rewarding to find out that your skills might be valuable to others. Perhaps you excel at analysis and affinity mapping? Using those skills (or superpowers) on the side can give you a sense of accomplishment, boost your confidence and open up new opportunities for you. A side hustle is a great way to challenge yourself, learn new things and use those skills.
🔹 Challenge yourself: When you work on a side hustle, chances are you will be challenged in ways that you are not challenged in your full-time job. This can help you to grow your skills and to become even better at what you do.
🔹 Experience a sense of accomplishment: When you deliver a finished assignment, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. This can help you realize that you are capable of great things and that you can achieve your goals.
🔹 Build your confidence: The more success you have in your life, the more confident you will become. This confidence can carry over into your full-time job and other areas of your life.
By the way, if you're doing it only for the money and as a means to stay alive, here are some sources that cite the potential earnings for UX designers:
It's important to note that the amount of money you can earn from a side hustle will vary depending on your skills, experience, and the type of side hustle you choose. However, a side hustle can be a great way to earn some extra money and to build your UX design skills at the same time.
On the other hand, if you are truly dedicated to the craft and simply want to make a difference, here are some specific side hustle ideas for UX designers:
So, with a basic understanding of what a side hustle can and cannot do for you, I hope that there's something in this article that will help the right person accomplish something that will make a positive difference in her or his life. If it helps you in any way, I would be happy to hear about it in your comments.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Additional Resources
By Philipp Binggeli. My UX & Product Design journey is a result of studying & practicing journalism (curiosity) and spending a couple of decades in the web & software industry (sweat, blood and tears). I would say that the last 10 years after that have been primarily focused on UX and mentoring along the way.
It's been interesting and eye-opening, to say the least. Sometimes, you get new assignments and urgent deadlines without missing a beat. At other times, you wonder whether you'll ever get done with arranging 200 research interviews, taking notes and analyzing the data the Chief Culture Officer wants from you.
If you know of any job openings for junior-level or mid-level designers, please let me know. I happen to have a number of connections who are desperately looking for work right now.
And if you happen to hear of any interesting opportunities for a senior level designer, message me immediately (asking for a friend, of course). 😉
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