Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Craigslist. What do these companies have in common? They all began as side hustles. It might not be quite on the level of Steve Jobs walking around a uni campus barefoot, going on a spiritual trip to India and moving his office to his parent’s garage, but a creative project on the side is a well-worthy cause.

Werkin’, busting your ass, making the cash money, whatever you want to call it; it seems like masses of millennials are tapping into the pursuit of a side project in their student days, and we think it’s a pretty good idea.

Time Is Of The Essence

What better a time to pursue such a project than in your university years, when you’re still full of hopes and dreams and aren’t too downtrodden by the relentless slug of 9-5 life?

The uni lifestyle is flexible, less hours than a full-time job and provides multitudes of holidays; if ever you’ll have the time for a side-hustle, it’s now.

Learning Outside The Box

The rigidity of classrooms, assignments and curriculum is certainly not for everyone. On the contrary, there are multiple opinions, papers, research and experiences to suggest that higher educational systems are actually killing our creativity.

Working on a creative project whilst studying is a great way to practise skills, some of which might be entirely new and never taught in a classroom. You can also work your brain in a way that’s perhaps not utilised in your degree. Creative projects are a great way to challenge innovative thinking and teach you to think a little differently from the norm, which can never be a bad thing.

Cash Me Ousside

We’re not guaranteeing that your project will earn you money, however there are lots of paid freelancing gigs out there for creatives, even if it is writing from your couch for the Internet (eg. what I’m doing right now).

Part of the reason our generation of millennials are pursuing side hustles is so they can earn a little extra dosh on the side of their jobs; sometimes a tough situation requires a little creative thinking and can breed something amazing, even if it does come from broke student despair.

Increasing Mental Wellbeing

According to studies, millennials are far more likely than any other generation to experience depression at work. We’ve been defined as the generation searching for a career that ignites our passion and makes us excited to get up every day and go to work. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

No longer settling to stay in jobs that aren’t bringing us satisfaction, having a creative side hustle is often an expression of what we’re truly passionate about and want to do with our lives. Investing in a creative outlet requires self-expression and finding personal meaning in the work we’re doing, giving us a sense of fulfilment as opposed to something you do to merely pay the rent. Instead of looking at just our degrees to define our career paths, perhaps we should turn our attention instead to the projects we pursue in our spare time.

Who knows, you may create the next must-have app or become a professional creative. Ready, set, hustle.