More Turn To 'Side Hustles' To Bridge Pay Gap, Turn Passion Into Profit

(CBS4)- Side hustles are becoming more common, as many people are going to their regular job during the day only to go home to work a part-time gig for additional income. According to Don Strankowski with Ascend Career and Life Strategies, recent studies show nearly 45% of people have a side hustle. That number has grown since pre-pandemic life.

"More people have taken on side hustles, but 60 million more according to recent surveys are going to be starting one," Strankowski said. "I find that so interesting."

Many of the common side gigs use technology, which makes it easier for people to do some extra work at home. Those jobs can include anything from copywriting, online tutoring to managing social media for a company.

Strankowski says side hustles are more accepted by employers these days.

"People do it as a means of additional income," he explained. "And the number two, it's a necessity, where they've been hit hard by COVID. And because maybe they had to go under-employed just to land a position, maybe it's giving them 75% of what they need. They have to bridge that gap somehow."

Other popular side gigs include driving for Uber, food delivery companies, or turning a passion into a profit.

"Maybe, you know, somebody has a full-time engineering position but they have a woodshop in the garage," Strankowski explained.

Strankowski says many of his career clients have started a side gig or are looking to do so. His advice is to do something you have marketable skills for.

"Find something that you're interested in, because you're just going to work harder," he said. "The average side hustle right now, and there's a lot of data points because a lot of people are doing it. The average person realizes between 100 and $1,000 per month."