If there is one thing that school will teach you fast, it is that pocket money can disappear like magic, within a twinkle of an eye, one minute you are feeling okay, next minute you are calculating whether garri can last you till weekend, that was literally my life at some point, and that is how I found myself entering the world of side hustles, for me, one of the major things that helped me survive school was crypto trading, so it was Not the “I invested and forgot about it” type, I mean real hustling… buying and selling, acting like a middleman, moving coins up and down like my life depended on it.
Because at that point, it actually did, i started small, just trying to understand how everything worked, at first, all those names like USDT, Solana, Tron, they sounded confusing, but once I got the hang of it, I realized there was actually money to be made if you were smart and patient, I became that guy people would message when they wanted to buy or sell crypto quickly.
“Bro, you dey online? I wan buy USDT.”
That kind message became normal for me, I would buy from one person or the market, sell to another, and make my little profit in between, it was nothing too crazy at the beginning, but it added up, sometimes it was small change, sometimes it was enough to sort out feeding for days, and in school, that kind of money is not small at all and what I liked about it was the flexibility, I could literally be in class, checking charts or replying messages quietly, I didn’t need a shop or physical space, just my phone, data, and steady network, although, let me not lie, network issues almost frustrated my life one time like that. Imagine trying to complete a transaction and your network is acting like it has personal problems with you.
There were also risks, crypto is not one of those safe and steady things, prices can rise today and fall tomorrow, If you are not careful, the same market that gave you profit yesterday can humble you today, I had moments where I made mistakes, lost some money, and just had to sit down and rethink my strategy, But that’s part of the process, I learned patience, I learned how to take calculated risks, and most importantly, I learned how to manage money, because when you are the one making it yourself, you think twice before spending it carelessly
Another thing is trust, since I was dealing with people directly, I had to build a good reputation, If you mess up once, word spreads fast, so I made sure I was reliable, If I say I will deliver, I deliver, that consistency is what kept people coming back and looking back now, that side hustle really helped me, It was not just about the money, even though the money was important, It gave me a sense of independence, I didn’t always have to wait for allowance or depend on anyone to sort myself out.
School is tough, no doubt, but having something on the side, something that brings in even small income, can make a big difference, for me, crypto trading was that thing, it was not perfect, it was not always easy, but it definitely helped me survive those school days.