The Gig Economy
I have been in this Information Technology (IT) consultancy industry for 10+ years. It didn’t just start out like that, “a story for another day”, but that is where I am at the moment.
In a nutshell, over a long period of time you get good at doing “something”, hone that particular “something” — in my case programming and other computer stuff). Let people know that you are good at “that something” by doing stuff for them-sometimes at no cost “pro-bono”. It actually requires a lot of time to build this “something”. That is how you become a consultant at that “something”
Let’s call this “something” skill
The Gig
When someone gives you a contract “gig” in that “something” you are good at and pays you for your time and work.
The Economy
“The production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services are used to fulfill the needs of those living and operating within the economy “ — investopedia
The gig and the economy
gig+economy :)
According to:
Google: “a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.”
Wikipedia: Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers,contract firm workers, on-call workers and temporary workers. Gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies to provide services to the company’s clients.
Me: Short jobs -”gigs”- with a monetary component as settlement :)
How it works
With every field or industry going digital, there is always going to be demand for professional services that take a shorter time to accomplish or are less complex/menial,
e.g I only want my fridge to be fixed. This is a short enough gig that needs a professional.
To get such gigs, you need to know a guy who knows a guy who knew a guy!.. Phew!
So basically the simplest way of getting around to finding gigs is word of mouth..
There are several applications/websites e.g linked in, fiverr, freelancer, kuhustle, Upwork, just to mention a few. It takes a while to build relationships within these applications as well, depending on your skills
Merits
- Allows for networking and portfolio building: Growing a network might seem like a daunting task, but it has to be done in the gig economy. That is how you get connections, especially trusted connections.
- Allows for flexible time because you choose when to take on a gig: The most important thing in the gig economy is, ability to choose when/where/what to work on, especially the time factor. You can take on gigs based on the amount of time you have available or are willing to sacrifice.
- Negotiations are a plus:The ability to negotiate is an added bonus. you get to work on gigs on consciously agreed on terms. This way you find the right balance between work and time as well as compensation.
Demerits
- If you have not built a network yet, it is hard to find trusting relationships to work with: The time it takes to build these networks can be considered a demerit especially when you are new to the gig industry
- Under-estimating the amount of work, time and effort it takes to complete a gig: The act of building trust with clients as well as creating networks depends on how satisfied the client is. Sometimes estimating the work, time and effort it takes to complete a gig is complex and can lead to conflict in terms of engagement.
- Misunderstanding your clients needs: This is the most important part of the gig economy. Sometimes the client can ask for complex asks or fail to completely divulge all information when putting across a gig. This will always fall on the consultant to get all the information relevant to the gigs which will facilitate a good working relationship and hence your next client
Conclusion
This is one of the best forms of making ends meet if you know where to look, have the will to expand your reach and excellent networking. Trust is a major component at least in all the relationships I know. This implies completing gigs on time, listening to the client keenly, bonding with the client on a personal level. Remember, not everything is about getting paid. Building a trusted network is key to your next gig.
The gig economy has grown into an industry that can sustain itself. It works for people who love the freedom to choose when to take on gigs. In my case I enjoy working on different things at a time. It gives me creative awareness “The ability to solve complex problems in a simple way”
NB:
https://medium.com/@felipezamana/creative-self-awareness-69c3d9d446a9
