A case for the premium gig economy
This article deserves little introduction; prompted by skyrocketing unemployment and a volatile-at-best economy, the security we feel in our jobs and the income they provide seems to drop by the day. Layoffs have thrust people out of their ‘long-term’ jobs and into the growing unemployment pool as world productivity has largely halted. But there is still a means to accessing the little cash that is flowing through the economy, and you can still stay home; the premium gig economy.
The gig economy is a blanket term — it describes a prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. It has recently gained a reputation for being the small-wage system utilized by the likes of Uber & Lyft and, more topically, allowing for apps such as Instacart and Postmates to deliver groceries to those well off enough to not have to leave their homes. But this is merely a segment and, more to the point, an unfortunate stereotype of the gig economy.
The flip-side of this same coin often gets the term freelancing, which is defined as working for different companies at different times rather than being permanently employed by one company. This can be anything from high-level consulting work to quick logo design to a booming voice acting industry, all done with almost no face-to-face interaction. A great site to see the depth of freelance work is Upwork where any skillset is able to be marketed, utilized, and profited from without leaving their site. There are plenty of other general freelance sites such as fiverr, toptal, etc.
The word freelancing holds a lot of baggage however, and I have opted for a lesser used term; the premium gig economy. The reasons for not participating in this often fall into one of these boxes:
- I don’t have time with my current job
- The system doesn’t provide enough consistency
- I don’t want to be underpaid for my work
- I don’t have the relevant skillsets
If any of these reasons seem like they were just exterminated in a blaze of pandemic and shutdowns, you are not alone. If you fall into the last category, allow me to reference former First Lady Abigail Adams:
“LEARNING IS NOT ATTAINED BY CHANCE, IT MUST BE SOUGHT FOR WITH ARDOR AND ATTENDED TO WITH DILIGENCE.”
And what better time to utilize the near infinite means of learning found on sites like Youtube, Udemy, and the growing list of free courses offered by Ivy League institutions.
If you are sold on the idea that short term work may be the system setup to have a good ol’ college try at tackling both individual and world problems, so are we. I am one of the organizers of Can’t Stop Columbus — a movement which has garnered over 1,200 people in the Columbus Ohio area around the idea that you don’t need to make money to contribute to your community. We have come together in a Slack, stated our skill sets, thrown ideas at the wall, formed teams to pursue them, and largely found purpose in the idea of helping our city stay healthy and happy.
This movement has little focus on profit, but your personal path could be the opposite; a means of finding sustainable work in the long run. Harvard Business Review has a phenomenal article on thriving in the gig economy which I implore you to follow up with, and it has a clear message within it: if you want to succeed in an economy (and time) that is stressfully dynamic, do what you love and don’t get outworked at it.
Please email questions and discussions to bradbcibrowning@gmail.com
