Gone are the days when your job made up the bulk of your identity. Thanks to remote work, you can now run into lawyers/artists, and tech workers/writers. According to a survey of over 585 Americans by venture capital firm WorkLife Ventures, 70% of employees picked up a side project that they are serious about during the pandemic. According to the study:
- Remote work has made the side project feasible: 76% of respondents said they had been thinking about their side project before the pandemic, and 78% said having a side project was one of the main benefits of remote work.
- The side project takes time: 37% of workers said that they spent a quarter of their time on the project, while another 15% said they spent half of their time on their side project.
- Side projects aren’t just hobbies: 77% of respondents said these projects were passion projects. Almost half of the respondents said they hoped the project would one day replace their day job.
- They’re replacing how we think of our identities: 70% of employees said their job was the main focus of their identity before the pandemic; now only 52% feel the same way.
“We’re witnessing the pursuit of happiness on a scale never seen before,” WorkLife founder Brianne Kimmel stated.