Don't Let Your Hustle Stop You From Career Planning

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Today’s post comes from fellow S&S reader, Sophia.

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A lot of us spend a lot of time in transitional phases of our careers as hustlers. We’ve made the move to start working for ourselves, and may even be freelancing exclusively for our income, but we haven’t quite built the business into career we want just yet.

In this state, you need to keep working to make money to survive, but you also want to take the next step in your career, which is hard when you don’t know exactly where to go from here.

Here are a few tips to help you get over this hurdle.

Always be looking for different kinds of work

It can be tough to justify doing the kind of work that doesn’t immediately get you paid. If you’re a freelancer, you may find yourself doing 100% of your work for agencies that aren’t paying you as well as you’d like. Don’t let this happen for too long. Not only does it get more labor out of you for less in return, but it makes you too dependent on one revenue stream that could simply disappear one day.

Instead, look at diversifying your income and tracking your income growth to make sure you’re making more money over time.

Identify flexible learning opportunities

In many cases, you need a certain qualification, education, or certification to help you get to the next level in your career. And you might not think you have the time to earn it.

However, it’s likely that you are able to earn it if you’re more flexible about how, exactly, you do that. For instance, you can continue working while earning the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree you need to start up your own physical therapy practice if you’re a fitness or wellness teacher. Online and flexibly timed courses have made it much easier to get the qualifications that you need, so be sure to take a broader look for the opportunities that might apply to you.

Build your online presence

You don’t necessarily need to develop new skills to move your freelancing career in a better direction. Working for a higher caliber of clients and charging more on the same services you’re providing now might be the right direction instead. In order to do that, you have to work on creating a name for yourself and building a reputation.

Don’t simply rely on freelance networking websites and don’t do all of your work through agencies. Build your own website, establish your own portfolio, and make sure you have multiple partnerships with those who provide other services. For instance, you can work as the copywriter of choice for a marketing company.

What’s most important is that you’re able to recognize, as soon as possible, when you’re at risk of getting trapped in a rut. You need to keep up the momentum, and hopefully, the tips above can help.

Don’t Let Your Hustle Stop You From Career Planning