Most people are doing just that and tend to have an external source of income. Some have left their in-house jobs and decided to go for less stressful jobs. Therefore, we can safely say that gig tasks have allowed them to change careers successfully. Even though people have left their 9-to-5 jobs for online jobs, it is much more than doing the work from the comfort of your sofa.
What is the Gig Economy?
If you are looking for an ideal online job today, you must understand the gig economy. It is a combination of small tasks that a worker completes before a deadline. The tasks can be about any industry or any niche. The tasks can go from picking groceries from an eCommerce store to writing professional codes for an IT company. Therefore, you must go with a niche connected with your preferences. An individual can work for a specific number of hours depending on the project's time.
The worker moves on to the next job when the task is finished. The next task could be the same from a different company or vice versa. Many people tend to correspond with their shifts and gig schedules together. For example, they do their shit from 9 am to 5 pm, then start their gig tasks from 6 pm to 10 pm. If individuals are unhappy with their full-time jobs, they can create an alternate schedule by combining several gigs.
What is Gig Jobs?
Initially, musicians defined " gig " as a performance at a specific location. The concept of the gig economy is the same without the inclusion of any tune. Gig workers can be medium to long-term contractors associated with one or multiple employees rather than an in-house or full-time job with a single organization.
Simply put, gig tasks provide individuals with a free market system in which online businesses employ people on short-term contracts.
The term “gig” is a slang word for a job or a particular task that must be completed in a set amount of time. Freelancers, independent contractors, temporary workers, and project-based task holders are common examples of the gig workforce. Even though the term “gig” has been new in the market, the concept of remote work has existed for a long time. According to a study by the American Staffing Association, around 78% of Americans believe that gigs are a new way for the independent workforce to showcase their work.
Elements Involved In Gigs
When we talk about the gig economy, we talk about gig jobs performed by individuals in a specific amount of time. This term applies to numerous organizations and responsibilities, from transportation to technical positions. The gig tasks are connected with every industry and every niche these days. Some of the initiatives that promote the concept of a gig workforce include:
- Project management
- IT (Information and Technology)
- Software development
- Software quality assurance
- Education
- Writing
- Transportation
- Arts and Designing
- Accounting and Finance
It is essential to note that an individual cannot perform all of these gig tasks at the same time. They are a community involving freelancers, independent contractors, temporary or part-time employees, etc. According to a report from Statista, there are 23.9 million independent contractors in the United States, which is 12.9 million more than in 2017. Even though you cannot find the gig workforce in the overall employment or earning surveys, individuals rely on it in terms of their source of income.
Best Gig Jobs
1) Education
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic came to the surface, the sector that suffered the most from it was the educational sector. As part of the self-isolation rules, all schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutes were closed. As the teachers had no other way of making revenue, they started doing gig economy jobs as part of the educational sector. As the effects of the pandemic have decreased and the schools have reopened, you will see many teachers working as independent contractors as they deliver lectures to various clients.
The best way to gather students and clients for educational courses is by creating an educational website on Strikingly. You can bring thousands of students to your website through innovative marketing strategies and deliver courses to them. You can offer them discounts rather than telling them to fill the premium immediately after signing on to your platform. Moreover, you can attach the soft copies of your lectures on the website so that the students can access them easily.
2) Writing
Regardless of which niche you choose, you simply cannot disregard the importance of writing. Whether you write guest posts, personal blogs, or freelance tasks, writing has become an important asset for gig workers worldwide. In the gig economy, you will find many freelance writing opportunities. The clients deliver tasks to the freelancers and tell them to complete them as per the deadline. Some of the clients have timing restrictions as they have to complete the job daily.
On the other hand, some companies or clients give their freelancers the freedom to do their tasks per their preferred timeline.
If you want to make your way in the writing industry, it is important that you create a fully-functional blog website on Strikingly. If your freelance tasks are approved, you can make your tasks part of your blog website and let the world recognize your hard work. If you have completed multiple writing tasks, you can assemble them on your website in alphabetical order so that visitors can find your tasks easily.
Pros and Cons of Gigs Economy
Advantages
One of the biggest perks of gig economy is that you can enter it easily. In other words, you don’t need top-quality degrees from the world's biggest institutes to confirm your gig world eligibility. Most gig tasks are straightforward and don’t even require much experience. Apart from working from home, gigs also give you the freedom to choose the tasks per your preference.
For example, if you have multiple gigs and find it difficult to assign time for each of them, you can reduce your gigs and make it easy for yourself. As you are working with multiple clients, it will reduce your boredom and keep your work interesting. The biggest benefit is that you are self-employed, i.e., your own boss.
Disadvantages
When we talk about the pros and cons of gig economy, the cons are a massive talking point despite being minimal. The biggest drawback regarding gigs is the payday or salary. If you are working on gigs for the first time, getting income from small jobs can be a huge challenge. If you are a delivery driver or deliver groceries from one place to another, you will have a better idea about it.
To maintain a work-life balance, you must always prioritize peace of mind over money. However, if you are stuck to your computer display screen from morning till late at night, it will disrupt your social life. Your family members will question your lack of involvement with them and ask you to do something else in your professional career. Therefore, even if you start making huge revenue, it won’t taste good because of the lack of support from your family.
Build Gig Website on Strikingly
Image taken from Strikingly
If you are inclined to gig economy jobs, you have an opportunity to earn loads of money as it has the potential to grow with time. If you rely on a quality website builder like Strikingly, your business will go in the direction you want. If you look at some Strikingly users, they all started with baby steps a few years ago and now are making a lot of money through their freelance business. If you create a website on Strikingly and display all your gigs as part of your portfolio, there is no reason why more clients will look forward to interacting with you for further services.
Conclusion
In today’s day and age, there are numerous ways to earn money from small or on-demand jobs in the gig economy. Workforces have given gig jobs multiple names in recent years. These workers begin with small amounts of revenue with inconsistent work before converting their work into a freelance business. Most importantly, they hold responsibility for their taxes and expenses.
Gig tasks provide independence to the workforce and a low entry barrier. If you are unsatisfied with your income statement, you can make more money in the world of gigs and supplement your revenue.
