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Intro

I’ve written a bunch about how defining yourself by your work can result in feelings of pressure or even inadequacy. While this is easier said than done, there are many ways to add to who you are both within and outside of work.

Today I want to talk to you about how creating side projects and embracing hobbies has helped me through challenging job searches and has even become the topic of conversation in multiple interviews.

Side projects and hobbies serve as a creative or motivational outlet and can help you become more multi-dimensional. This newsletter is a side project, and look at me now 👇

The Creative Side

Ever since I was little, I have really enjoyed creating things. At first, it was drawings and paintings, but it quickly evolved into anything creative.

From fake cereal boxes and logos in my first high school Graphic Design class to recently trying out pottery and woodworking. I would definitely say that I’m more of a starter than a finisher when it comes to new things. I don’t mind this as it means I get to try a lot of things and only stick with the ones that I truly love.

I’ve designed many ideas for apps, splash screens, UI improvements, chrome extensions, and whatever else and have not followed through on any of them. Some may have been good ideas, others not. The act of making something is simply energizing to me.

This makes me think of mixology and making cocktails. I enjoy making a unique cocktail just as much as I enjoy actually drinking that cocktail. I am a serial maker.

How does this relate to the job search?

Multi-dimensionality, that’s how 🎤

Having side projects or hobbies that you’re passionate about allow you to have new experiences or challenge yourself in new ways. It’s an easy and fun way to figure out what types of things or situations you like and dislike.

For example, being a designer, I’ve thought countless times about starting my own creative agency. It was called WCKD (this was before the witch movie, relax) and I created a logo, brand guidelines, and even shared some things on Dribbble. In the end ( a couple of months later when I found a job), it didn’t go anywhere, but it was still fun to do and gave me some branding experience.

Speaking from experience, they also work great as talking points in interviews. I’ve had many experiences where the interviewer was interested in learning more about one of my many projects because I designed it in a way that it seemed real. It was a concept for a Whisky app.

🟣 That brings me to The Un-Employer

Do I love writing just because I created this newsletter? Lol, no.

Before I started The Un-Employer, I HATED writing. Writing for a purpose other than texting someone instantly annoyed me. Now, that doesn't mean I love writing. What I love is sharing stories and experiences, and connecting with other people.

I treated this like I normally do at first when it came to branding, but I went a step further and made a dope a** website to go along with it 😎.

I’m on week 20 of posting this newsletter each Friday, a milestone I didn’t think I’d reach when I first started it. Like I said, I’m a serial starter who dislikes writing. There are weeks when I dread thinking about what I need to write, and others where it comes naturally (this week is the latter).

Could I do better at cross-posting on social media to grow my subscribers quicker? Definitely. But, for the time being, I’m content writing to a small group of people who want to read what I have to say.

What makes it worth it is the occasional message from a reader saying they got something helpful from one of my posts. That’s one of the things keeping me going!

Conclusion

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who didn’t have any interests or hobbies? It’s hard to carry on in a chat like that.

I’m not saying that those without hobbies are incapable of carrying a conversation, because that’s not true. I’m also not saying that you need to be a self-labeled “serial starter” like me, but stepping out of your comfort zone to experience something new can feel energizing. The hardest part is starting, but momentum quickly follows.

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Nick Cuda is a Senior Product Designer with over 10 years of experience working at early-stage startups and large companies with millions of customers. This is his story, duh duh. www.nickcuda.design

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