Poll: Do you have a side job?
The term gigonomics has been bouncing around for the last few years as unemployed, or under-employed, people have been drumming up work in various ways, outside of your typical 9-5 office job for a single employer. Since AUGI members are some of the most highly-skilled and fascinating people I know, one can't help but wonder what they would do for side gigs?
Thank you to everyone who chimed in on last month's AUGI homepage poll. I have been really looking forward to the answers and learning about what amazing skills you are sharing with the world.
Please take a moment to chime in on this month's homepage poll on software upgrades. Look forward to the results of the poll in next month's HotNews, as well as reading up on Implementation from all of the fantastic authors in the next issue of AUGIWORLD Magazine.
Drafting and Design
16% of the respondents said that they do not have any side gigs. A day job is more than enough work for many folks.
10% of the respondents said that their side gig is drafting and design, probably much like their day jobs. If you're good at something, why not make the most of it!
Teaching
It may not surprise you that 20% of the respondents said that their side gig involves teaching, BUT, it just might be eye-opening to know that 40% of those teachers are not teaching software, but physical skills, such as climbing, water fitness or a high school color guard. Wow.
Of the more traditional teachers, some are instructing on software specifically, others are adjunct professors, or sharing their knowledge at conferences.
Writing
There are more than a few writers in our midst; in magazines, newsletters, blog sites, books and training materials. And one Technical Editor and Food Blogger. Editors, whether EIC's, copyeditors or Technical Editors rarely get the recognition that the authors do, but, they serve an important function of ensuring that a writer's point gets across in the most clear and accurate manner possible.
I believe I'll include forum participants here, too. As you may have noticed, there are people who volunteer their time to cruise the peer to peer forums and help others with tips and troubleshooting. That is not paid work, but, it is sometimes like a fulltime job for the tireless souls on sites like ours.
Music
10% of our members are musicians of some sort in their side job. This really doesn't surprise anyone who knows someone like rockstar CAD Manager Robert Green. He ran a survey a few years back, ferreting out the other musicians in our industry. Some folks concluded that since we are a profession with strong math skills, a musical correlation could reasonably follow.
And then some
There were some scattered responses; IT consultant, processes and procedures consultant, residential BBQ cleaner, woodworker, quilter, translator, sales, content creator, a cartoonist and a couple of photographers.
Also, we know parenting is a fulltime job all of its own. Thank you to the fellow parents who chimed in on the poll, too. The myriad skills involved with being teacher, caregiver, personal chef, dishwasher, paramedic, organizer, shopper, counselor etc cannot be stressed enough and would be far too many to fill in here.
Why?
I posted about this poll topic in the Facebook page "CAD Managers Unite!" and a rather interesting discussion sprung up about what motivates people to do side work in the first place.
That could really be an article all its own. Some people just need the money, others want to keep their skills fresh or be less financially dependent upon a single source of income, some want to raise their professional profile, others are looking for a way to relieve boredom, still more have simply seen a need that demanded filling and no one else stepped up, still others simply do it to help others and give back to the community.
Whatever their reason for working, if this article has you thinking that you need to hire someone for a contract, maybe you want to check out the AUGI Resources Directory? You can find contact information for some designers, consultants, developers, trainers, technical writers, editors and more. http://www.augi.com/resources (Looking for clients yourself? Why not think about adding yourself to the Resources listing.)
Melanie Stone is a CAFM/ IWMS System Administrator supporting and writing about ARCHIBUS, FMInteract, Tririga, Revit, AutoCAD, BricsCAD or similar. She served as an AUGI Director/Officer for over 6 years and is currently involved with the STLRUG. Melanie can be reached at mistressofthedorkness@gmail.com or found on Twitter as @MistresDorkness on YouTube or on her Mistress Of the Dorkness blog.
