My Unexpected Path to a Side Hustle

A writer’s conference I am a member of and whose meeting I sometimes go to, posts monthly interviews of members.  Among the many questions they ask is what their day job is if they do something besides writing.  The percentage of authors who can rely solely on writing for income is well below one percent.  Until I become the next John Grisham, I will remain in that 99 plus percent.

            I have not one but two jobs.  My second job, or “side hustle” as lovers of slang would say, is part-time and seasonal, but it is enough to make finding time to write an even greater challenge than it is for most part-time writers.  My second job is itself a challenge, a challenge that I welcome.

            Now that I have your curiosity worked up, my second job is as a tax professional at H&R Block.  On some nights and weekends, when I am not downtown at my day job, I am in an office in a small suburban shopping center waiting for people who have appointments with me or those who just walk in and need help with their taxes.  They will come to my cubicle and have a seat while I get them whatever refund they are entitled to.  Sometimes the client will upload their information to me virtually and I will serve them from the office.

            What I love about this job is that I am a professional at something.  “Professional” means that not many others can do what I do.  Therefore my skills and knowledge are valued.  People turn to me for help.  It makes me feel needed.

            I cannot truthfully way that I had to go to school for years to get this job.  The gateway income tax course only takes a few months.  When I did go to college, I studied something different.  I was a computer science major and a math minor.  When I work as a tax pro, the computers will do the math.  The skills I use in this job are understanding concepts and knowing facts about tax law.

            Although I aimed to be a computer programmer coming out of college and worked in the computer field for several years earlier in my life, I now do work that some people turn to accountants to do.  My day job is also accounting related.  This is not what I expected to ever be doing when I was in college.  This is just how my career path has evolved.

            Bearing in mind that no job is forever, I am now trying to develop my skills and experience in both jobs as much as possible just in case I need to look for other opportunities.