Hi everyone! I’m back yet again with another article, and don’t worry, it won’t be about university. This time, we’ll explore how you can turn a hobby into a business and earn some extra income on the side! If you’re interested in learning how you can profit from even the most basic things, this article is for you.

When it comes to hobbies, I have many: reading, watching TV, listening to music, playing instruments, playing chess…the list goes on and on. And while these seem unproductive, and many can consider listlessly watching random Netflix shows a waste of time, I have found many avenues for earning profit from these “senseless” activities.

For example, I love Pokémon and have always been a fan of the series. I play the game, watch Youtubers play Nuzlockes, and follow competitive Pokemon. I was able to write about one of my all-time favourite competitors, Wolfey Glick, and his take on the resilient mindset needed for competing on the ShadeeCare website. The fact that I get paid for writing about my hobbies is definitely a bonus.

Over the summer, I was fortunate to find jobs that suit my schedule and interests. Even during the current semester, I teach chess and write for profit. I occasionally attempt to find more part-time jobs, but for now, this is more than enough for my end-of-year target. Additionally, I love what I do: I love chess, I love teaching, I love writing, and I love sharing my life interests with everyone on the internet! How exactly did I find these opportunities? And more interestingly, how can you turn your interests into profit? Well, read on to find out!

Finding a Hobby

The first step is to find a hobby. Something you genuinely enjoy, not for the sake of earning money or anything, just something you genuinely like to do. Do you like to read? Do you like to play video games? Are you interested in arts and crafts? What is something that you genuinely enjoy doing?

For me, it was always reading. I have always loved books, even from a young age. I could spend hours in the library with my nose in a book (yes, I was indeed a nerd). As I grew up, music and chess got added to the list. I love listening to music, and I learn instruments for fun (as of now, I can play piano, guitar, and drums decently. No bass yet, unfortunately). Chess is the most recent addition — my interest was first piqued when I watched Michelle Khare’s video on how she trained to reach 1000 elo on chess.com. My passion only grew when I went overseas for exchange and went to chess club. It was there that I realized that chess can be a fun social activity for everyone!

Your hobby also doesn’t have to be “productive” (some might consider chess “productive” in some way, but I just find it fun). It can be as simple as playing a video game, or watching a favorite streamer on Twitch. As long as you have fun doing it.

Finding a Related Job

Now, this part is perhaps trickier — finding a job that is in any way related to your hobby. I think it is more straightforward for some hobbies than others. For example, my chess hobby is very clearly linked to my chess job. I like chess, so naturally I don’t mind teaching chess to others.

However, I like Pokemon, video games and Chinese singing shows, and there isn’t really a direct job in the market for that. For these interests, there needs to be a medium. For me, it’s writing! I like writing and don’t mind sharing my thoughts, interests, opinions and hobbies on the internet for everyone to read. I write for Digital Senior and for ShadeeCare, both of which allow me to express my passions, interests, and experiences. I found Digital Senior by just searching for writing jobs on Google and scrolling through a lot of searches. I found ShadeeCare through a telegram channel for psychology mentees under the SG Psych program. I had initially signed up for a one-day Mobile Legends event, but they mentioned that they had writing opportunities, and so I naturally followed up.

Of course, it doesn’t always have to be writing. Many people like streaming (Twitch.tv is one outlet), or if you prefer making videos then TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are all possible avenues. With the advent of social media, there are so many avenues for you to share about your interests. I personally have never bothered to venture into the video-making industry, but I know of friends who have attempted such things — some of my friends had YouTube channels in the past, and even though they don’t have millions of views, you can still earn some side income from making a channel.

I think another more direct job of mine is music. I have played piano from a young age, have Trinity Grade 5 in drums, and am self-taught in guitar. There have been times when I have taught music for income — nothing fancy, just general private lessons. I managed to find them through agencies like SmileTutor, or Instagram ads online. Other popular avenues for JC or Poly students include tuition — there are many tuition agencies out there, and if you are interested in teaching or earning some side income from your years of schooling, then feel free to apply! Students usually secure these jobs through companies that require commission for the first few lessons, so take note of that.

I have also considered working in either bookstores or in music shops before, not even as a music teacher or anything but just as a staff doing something simple like administration. I may not be reading or playing instruments, but at least I am near things I enjoy, and can stare at the shelves or musical instruments all day and feel happy.

Additionally, I love concerts, so I found a job through the FastJobs portal that involved working at concession stands during concerts. It started for a football event in the Singapore stadium, and from then on, I was added into a WhatsApp group where future opportunities were regularly posted. I often try to sign on, especially if it is a singer I enjoy (I was working as a cashier in the Bruno Mars concert and the Mayday concert, and was a server in Sentosa for a Tanya Chua event).

If you know your interest(s) and are not trying to start your own business or channel, what you can do is to just type the keywords in a job portal online. I often type things like “writing”, “music”, “piano” and “chess”, just to see what comes up. I also try “research” and “data”, as both of these are highly related to my psychology degree. Job portals that I use include: Indeed.com, Glints, FastJobs, PersolKelly, Telegram group chats, and various NUS portals. I have also seen many people advertising their services on Carousell — personally, I am not sure if it works, but it is a possible option.

Being Creative

Now, if there is no part-time job that matches your interest, you have two options: you can find any general part-time job purely for income (e.g. F&B, admin, etc.), or try and be more creative.

One option is to try starting your own social media channel — YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok and any other platform that markets to mass audiences. You can also start a blog, although I have heard that it does not make you a lot of money and is very hard to do (I had tried to set one up before, but read that the profit is not worth the time invested, unless it is a very popular blog).

Another possibility is starting your own company. If you have the means, connections and experiences, there is no reason why this is not an option. In fact, the chess company I work for (called Chess Grande) was started by two siblings who have been in the chess scene their whole lives. Their father is an international master, and they have been taking lessons, playing in tournaments and have been arbiters in chess competitions from a young age. They also have had lots of experience teaching chess to others, but felt that the chess scene was a bit exclusive. They wanted to make chess an activity for everyone, and to share the fun that playing chess can bring. Thus, they started their own company, got schools and stakeholders, and currently hire chess coaches to teach in a wide variety of schools. Of course, not everyone has the means, opportunity, or experience to do so, but it is always a possibility.

For the most part, I think it is very hard to start something, especially if you are trying to balance university as well. I think most people just find part-time jobs on job portals, although the part-time job acquired can either be related to your hobbies and interests, or can just be a means to earni money. I used to do both, but now that university has started, I do need to prioritize the jobs that I undertake, and so earnings and interest are usually a significant consideration when I decide whether to undertake a job or not.

In summary, if you want to make money from your hobby, I recommend you identify the hobbies first then find any related jobs to it, instead of just trying to start something. Also learn to be alright with jobs that are relatively similar to your interests — for example, I like music, but I don’t mind being a concession stand worker in a concert or an administrative staff for Yamaha. Afterwards, do a Google search using the keywords of the hobby and scroll through the results to see if anything comes up. Who knows, maybe a one-time event might lead to a permanent ad-hoc position that can continue to earn you income for the next year. Anyways, that’s all from me! See you guys next time!