2025 Side Hustle Guide: Cultivate a Skill to Support Yourself with Just $5000

Why Cultivate a Self - sustaining Skill

Cultivating a skill that can support you doesn't require a huge amount of money. Just a few thousand dollars per month is enough.

Today, I saw a recruitment notice. The monthly salary for a salesperson is between $4000 and $5000, with a single day off per week. Two technical positions offer a salary of $5000 - $8000, which is a bit higher.

You'll find that having skills gives you an edge and a higher salary. At the same time, you should realize that if you can have a stable monthly income of around $5000 (after - tax), whether through taking orders or selling products, you don't necessarily have to work for an employer.

For example, some of my students take orders for writing, programming, etc., helping others with writing or programming tasks.

It's possible to earn a few thousand dollars a month with a bit of time investment. During peak seasons, you might even earn up to $10000.

Is it tiring? Definitely not a walk in the park. There are issues like unstable orders, high - difficulty tasks, frequent communication requirements, and clients always rushing you.

Different Ways of Side Hustles

Another way is to be an intermediary, focusing on generating traffic and leaving the specific business to others, then taking a cut of the profit from each order.

This is similar to being a middleman or a tout at the station. Don't underestimate it; it can be profitable and is easier than doing the back - end delivery work.

Many people pursue a decent job, but this so - called decency is often for show. For example, it makes them look good in front of others or gives their family a sense of pride.

As a result, they end up being too proud to admit they're struggling and don't get much real value from it, and they're not happy with their work either.

Previously, when thinking about making money, I thought I had to rely on certain skills, create a product, and earn money through real - world value. Later, I found that this path is difficult and doesn't yield much profit.

For ordinary people, directly engaging in sales, being an agent, an intermediary, or doing traffic - based business, or making money from information asymmetry is more likely to be the source of the first pot of gold.

Even if you plan to create your own product, you first need to solve the problem of sales and traffic.

Job Stability in 2025

Some time ago, I attended an event where someone asked if a certain job was stable and if there was a risk of being laid off.

As of now, only civil servants with official positions in the public sector have the guarantee of job stability and no lay - offs. It's hard to guarantee the stability of other jobs. Lay - offs in private enterprises are almost inevitable since it's uncertain whether a company can operate in the long run.

Many companies don't survive for more than three years, and very few can operate for over ten years. Even if there are such companies, the employees have changed over and over again.

If you really want job stability, try your best to get into the public sector. Of course, whether it will really be stable in the future and whether you can accept the low income that comes with it depends on you.

Strategies for Non - Public Sector Workers

If you're not in the public sector, make plans as early as possible. On one hand, make a career plan to increase the possibility of extending your career.

On the other hand, look for one or two ways to make money outside of your job. It's not just about finding these opportunities but actually taking action so that you can switch to them at any time.

The gap between knowing and doing is huge, and it might take you several years to bridge it.

If getting into the public sector means relying on the organization for stability, then outside the public sector, you need to rely on the diversity and comprehensiveness of your personal abilities for stability.

Diversity means having multiple skills and multiple sources of income; comprehensiveness means forming a complete loop, rather than just being a small part of the machine.

We all know the saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket", which means you should have multiple options. If one fails, you still have others, which is safer and more stable.

Just like I set multiple alarms to make sure I wake up. How can you rely on just one job for something as important as making money?

Taking Action

Based on your daily expenses, plan and find a way to support yourself outside of your job.

If you have a skill, use it; if you have traffic, leverage it; if you have information asymmetry, use it for marketing.

If you have nothing, just pick one thing and start doing it. Don't be too picky.

Daily Reading & Writing by Xiaolu 05/24/2025 [Day 628]