There is a stadium in the school I graduated from, and each time I pass through that side of the town—because that's where I currently live—memories of the somewhat bad old days flash through my mind. I was among the hustlers that dug the pile foundation of the stadium, and that happened during my third year in school when everywhere was "red" (lack of finance). During those times I worked there, there was no day I closed before 7 p.m. We all stayed very late, trying to work more to earn more money. During the weekdays, I would end my school day on the site—I mean, I would close from class and go straight to the site to work.
So yeah, doing menial but hard jobs was my side hustle while I was in school. I used to go to building sites to work as an assistant mason and earn money, and it wasn’t easy back then because I felt really exhausted, and it was difficult to combine school activities with it. But what could I do? I lacked money a lot during my schooling days, and doing side hustles was the only way out.
Towards the end of my third year in school, I got linked up with a man in our church who had a rental business. I started following them on weekends to do the work, and I was earning a good amount of money. I did this till the end of my school year, and the money I earned through that helped me a lot, especially during my school project stage. This side hustle was supposed to be the shy one because it involved going to different places and party grounds, unlike the building sites that were mostly located in the bush. But in all that, I didn’t mind at all—I was all about making money to sort out my needs, especially my financial needs in academics.
Another side hustle I did was laundry. Oh yeah, I started my laundry life way back when I was in school. I had families whose clothes I ironed in their houses, using their electric iron and electricity, and I was earning in the process. This was the coolest hustle for me because I did it mostly at night when I had finished my academic work, and I wasn’t seen or mocked by anyone because no one saw me or knew what I was doing.
Thanks for reading.