Ask HN: Should I take on a side job? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Should I take on a side job?

6 pointsyayitswei5 comments

I'm thinking of doing something minimal (e.g. teaching piano 5-10 hours a week) to supplement my savings before my business becomes ramen profitable. Do you think this is a good idea, or do side jobs generally end up being a distraction?

In "How Not To Die" pg says distraction is fatal to startups, but I'm just starting out and brainstorming ways to support myself for the long haul.

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I see it both ways. If you run out of savings and have to get a job, then that might kill the business. The good thing about side jobs (or contracting) is that you still have a lot of freedom to pursue the business. The key thing is to keep the business as the number 1 priority.

With a side job of teaching piano, might be ideal because it would not become your top priority very easily. If you were contracting, it is very easy to shift from part time contracting to full time contracting because of the cash flow.

So I don't see an issue with it. Being able to stretch your savings out longer, I think will give your business a better chance of being successful.

I don't see why not as long as you manage it well. If you can spend a few hours doing something else you like you will create a buffer from all the other crazy stuff going on. It's nice to get your head out and into something completely different.

If this side job is really teaching piano, you have the added bonus that music is really enlightening. You'll have time while you're teaching when you can just have some peaceful inspiration.

Side jobs are fine if they're not things that you get caught up in such as large scale project work. That's the kind of stuff that will start to compete in a bad way with your company and which will sooner or later eat up all the time you've got leading to the premature death of your other business.

But bite sized projects are a great way to make ends meet during the hard times.

I think that it is okay. Teaching piano has predictable hours, and it takes you away from the computer as well, giving you some off-screen time. Think of it as your recuperation hours, where you're probably even having fun, but you're making cash off of it.

Thanks for your responses! I appreciate your thoughts on this. Seems like the consensus is that a side job is okay if it doesn't ever take over as the top priority.

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