It’s easy to understand the importance of a job — salary, livelihood, a position in society. But side projects are equally as key to personal development and creating your own opportunities.
I launched this website initially as a travel blog in 2018, and it helped me land a full-time job as a writer, which had long been my dream. But I would not have secured that job if I hadn’t written dozens of articles first to build up my own skills and portfolio.
The blogging — my side project – led to a dream job. I then took the skills from my job and used them to level-up my side project.
Later, this blog helped me earn a scholarship to a top graduate school for journalism, even though I had no journalism experience. But the work I had put in for several years writing online helped me make my case that I had the work ethic, initiative, and passion for writing.
Now, I’m about to publish my second book, Life Between Moments: New York Stories, and early drafts of my writing for the book first appeared on this blog. My website has honed my literary skills for four years and now it’s culminating in a fiction book.
(It’s worth nothing that I’ve never made a single dime from this blog, but it has directly facilitated countless opportunities).
Outside work is key to professional development
Having a side project separate from your day job makes you stand out from a crowd of applicants, students, or employees.
A side project is entrepreneurial in nature, regardless if you intend it to be, and this hones your confidence and ability to pitch yourself in a creative way.
While a side project could be one approach to making some extra cash, there are more valuable benefits to it.
For starters, it can (and should) stem from something you enjoy, and have a passion for. A blog was the natural step for me as a lover of writing and reading, but you may prefer starting a YouTube channel, or a TikTok or podcast.
Whatever the medium, it can be a fun, challenging way to develop your skills in an area you’re passionate about.
What’s more, side projects help you fill in the gaps that your job does not meet. That could be learning new skills you don’t have the chance to with a job, or building up a body of work outside of your professional path.
I have a friend who’s a medical student, for example, and he is passionate about learning languages. He recently launched a blog, PolyglotMD, to marry his passion with teaching people how to excel in medical school.
If he writes one article per week for one year on this topic, he will have no trouble establishing himself as an authority in this area — even though no one is paying him to write the articles. Then, by cementing his own expertise through staying consistent with his side project, it can open up professional avenues that would otherwise remain out of reach.
Supercharge personal development
Side projects, importantly, encourage creativity because they allow you to build your own parameters and be your own boss.
No one else is there to manage your time or efforts. It’s a never-ending cycle of trial-and-error, which means immense room for learning and figuring out new ways to tackle a problem.
For my new book, which publishes August 9, I took skills I learned publishing my first book in 2020, Everywhere But Home, and revamped my approach.
Compared to two years ago, I have a better grasp of the self-publishing and writing process. My time-management is better and my understanding of book marketing is far more developed.
All these skills stem from writing consistently on this blog — keeping the coals hot on my side project.
If I had let my side project wane over time, I wouldn’t have the array of media skills I have now, which means I’d have one less book and likely be in a different job in my career.
Consistency beats a sprint
However, it’s important to note that side projects are easy to let slip. No one else is there to tell you to work on them, or to remember that they exist.
It’s easy to start something new because of the early excitement and inertia. But maintaining it over time takes intention and diligence.
The people who have side projects that impact their careers and build their skills are those who kept at it, week after week and year after year. There can be bursts of energy at times, but the main focus should be chipping away at something with regularity.
Consistency will beat the big sprints of effort. Showing up everyday is the most important part of any side project, and that’s also the fastest, most sustainable way to build up a skill set.
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