—
Many people dream of having enough money to retire early, but only a small percentage ever manage to fulfill their ambition.
An excellent way to improve your chances is to take on a second job alongside your primary employment, thus boosting the amount of money you can save during your working life.
While taking on more work alongside a primary role might seem a daunting prospect, that extra effort can undoubtedly pay dividends in the long run.
Read on as we take a closer look at some of the second careers to consider if you want to supplement your main income.
Social Media Management
Social media has become an integral part of everyday life in the 21st century, with most businesses using it to promote their goods and services.
However, many firms fail to invest sufficient resources into social, often handing the job to someone in the company who is ‘never off Facebook’ in their personal life.
Generally speaking, this is a mistake, as the skills required to successfully run business social channels are vastly different from the ones needed to share pictures of what someone had for their breakfast.
If you understand the difference between the two, becoming a social media manager can be a great way to generate a lucrative second income.
Freelance Writer
For people who have a flair for writing, setting themselves up as a freelancer is often their idea of a dream career move.
Many individuals use freelance writing as an ideal second career, as it is something that is not limited by the boundaries of a 9-5 lifestyle.
The internet is awash with writing opportunities, most of which have deadlines that can easily be fit around another full-time gig.
With the ability to work from anywhere another appealing benefit, freelance writing is one of the best secondary careers around.
Rain Gutter Installer
If you have a head for heights and the appropriate skills, working as a rain gutter installer or repairer has the potential to provide you with a handy second income.
All modern households require guttering, but it is often a challenging task to find reliable workers who will undertake jobs.
Building the necessary skills in rain guttering can set you on a lucrative path, particularly if you can build a reputation for reliability and good quality work.
Word of mouth can go a long way and can bring enough work to significantly boost the income you make from your primary employment.
Handyman
Numerous people are not cut out to carry out repairs around their home, and they often end up employing the services of professionals instead.
However, this can be an extremely costly business, which is where a handyman (or woman) can come in extremely useful.
Small jobs like plastering, painting, fence repairs, tiling, and minor electrical repairs are amongst the numerous ways that handyman services are utilized.
If you are someone who is a competent jack-of-all-trades, working as a handyman can help to keep your bank balance ticking along nicely.
Kitchen Fitter
Undertaking an intensive eight-week course to learn design and fitting skills can open the door to establishing yourself as a kitchen fitter.
It is a secondary job that can fit nicely around your primary role and is something where you can pick and choose the amount of work you take one.
Much like other jobs that are labor-intensive, reliable, and competitively priced kitchen fitters can be really difficult to source.
For anyone with the skills to do an excellent job at a reasonable price, kitchen fitting is well worth considering as a secondary career.
Commercial Pilot
In the spirit of going from one extreme to another, training to be a commercial pilot could also be the route to a dream second job.
Securing a license from the Federal Aviation Administration can open the door to a wealth of opportunities, including rescue missions and photography jobs.
Crop dusting, firefighting, and flying athletes to different destinations are amongst the numerous other ways that having a pilot’s license can provide a handy second income.
If you reach the point where you want to quit your main job but still want to keep some income rolling in, being able to fly a plane is an exciting way to achieve this.
Web Developer
Similar to working as a freelance writer, a web developer has the freedom to undertake jobs alongside their primary role.
If you understand programming language frameworks and design strategies, you can use these to build and maintain websites and applications.
The scope to make money in this area is enormous, with many established companies in the sector proving far too expensive for businesses requiring simple web solutions.
This creates a handy niche for trained web developers to exploit, particularly those who are looking to undertake this as a second career.
Part-Time Driver
There are numerous ways to use your ability to drive vehicles to generate a valuable second income for yourself.
For instance, the explosion in popularity of take-away food over the past few years means that many outlets require reliable delivery drivers.
If delivering pizzas fails to float your boat, working as a part-time taxi-driver is another option that can generate a healthy second income.
Parcel deliveries, airport runs, and chauffeuring are other useful driving roles that could support your primary job.
Online Tutor
In an age where video technology has improved massively, many educational establishments have moved towards a remote teaching model.
For people who have the right qualifications or expert knowledge, this opens the door to establishing yourself as an online tutor.
It is a hugely flexible position, as the requirement for your services is not limited by the constraints of normal 9-5 working hours.
With the option to set your own hourly rates, working as an online tutor could even allow you to earn more from your second job than your main role.
—
This content is brought to you by Michael Black.
Photo: Shutterstock