By Ijiolowo Mariam Abodunrin
It’s no longer a search to find youths gaining knowledge in the morning and managing a small business in the evening. From selling of pastries to creating content for showcasing a jewelry sales. Many youth do this as a way of surviving in the challenging economy, to support families, cover daily expenses and fund personal goals.
It also a form of strong desire for independence. Youth today are not necessarily depending solely on external support, which create a room for the spirit of entrepreneurship among them. It help them develop opportunities for themselves without waiting for them to appear in a professional forum.
Side hustles are a means of survival which comes in different forms, especially with the way digital platforms and creative industries are growing. Some do digital jobs such as freelance writing, visual assistant, or content creation. Some dwell into creativity in aspects of fashion design, despite the countless benefits, it’s not in existence without its challenges.
Managing academic stewardship with business activities can be challenging, especially for students. Social media also paid a huge role in portraying stories of young people balancing school, life and business which framed them as symbols of ambition and productivity. But the fact remains, that the reality of this is more complex which raises questions about survival, pressure and the cost of constant maintenance.
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The growing culture of side hustles had also created unspoken pressure because many young person wants to earn something for themselves and those who has no business in their name feel left behind, which can lead to unhealthy comparison.
These days, the idea of relying on a single source of income is less feasible for many youths because of the cost of living, for many; it is the matter of necessity, for few; it is a step toward financial stability and self reliance.
Even though side hustles gives space for financial relief, they also come with hidden costs. Many youths face challenges balancing between academic commitment and business, which leads to burnout and result to experiencing setback in academic performance.
Additionally, most times the income of side hustles is not stable and there’s no formal benefits like job security or healthcare. Some people achieve significant success from this while others struggle with constant earnings and lack of growth in their business.
At the end, the act of normalizing side hustles may lead to overlooking deeper structural problems instead of addressing economic instability, the duty is shifted gradually to individual to “figure it out” by themselves.Side hustles is not just a trend, it is a coping mechanism in a system that gives limited supports.
This is not disregard to creativity and grit to the youth. Rather, it is to question the circumstances that makes side hustles feel like a need rather than a choice. As the rise of side hustles continues to grow, it becomes more important to ask that are young people truly empowered, or are they simply adapting to survive?
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