VIP Class Notes (Ally)[R/S]

Vocabulary

obstacles: zhang ai
ie. It’s not an obstacle for me because I know Chinese.

clash: chong tu
ie. There is clash of cultures among these people.

inferior: lower level
ie. Coach purses are inferior to Chanel bags.

discrimination: qi shi
ie. The topic of discrimination is always sensitive.

jay-walk (v): luan guo ma lu
ie. Jay-walking is very dangerous.

tedious: tiring
ie. Memorizing English vocabulary is quite tedious.

Do you have a job? If you do, you’ll know the world of work can be tough – long hours, tedious tasks and stress. But it can bring benefits too, such as a regular salary and, sometimes, job satisfaction. Maybe that’s why more us are now taking on a side hustle – another name for a second job.

For some having two jobs is a necessity – a way to make ends meet and provide extra income. But it now seems that more people want to put their skills and passions into practice to make money. These tend to be entrepreneurial young people who want to work on their own projects alongside their main source of income.

According to Henley Business School, around one in four workers run at least one side hustle business, half of which were started in the past two years. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to be involved, with 37% thought to run a sideline of some kind. It calculates that the average side hustler makes about 20% of their income through their second job.

But what’s interesting is that many millennials are turning their hand to new jobs not just for money and security. Research has found that almost three-quarters of people are following a passion or exploring a new challenge. BBC News spoke to Becci Mai Ford, who works some of the time for a telecommunications company to pay the bills, but spends the rest of her time developing her crafting company Ellbie Co. She says going full-time is “not financially worth it right now but it fuels my creative soul and makes me happy.”

Mobile apps have also aided the more commercially-minded side hustler. Peer-to-peer firms such as Uber, Deliveroo, AirBnb and TaskRabbit allow users to do everything from odd jobs to renting out homes and parking spaces from their mobile phone.

Of course having a side hustle means you are self-employed – or freelance – which can give you flexibility to work when you like, but it can be risky. You sometime work on a zero-hours contract and may not get offered enough work. Or what was originally your passion may become more of a chore. However, this could be the best way to try out a new career or follow a passion while not giving up the day job.

Q: Tell me about your time in the UK? What was your major? How did you spend your time?
A: I went to UK in 2015, for my post-graduate and with major of innovation management and entrepreneurship in Manchester Business School. I spend one year there for my degree in Manchester and also I make some friends with my classmates there as well. After that I went to London for three months, after I got my degree, because one of my friends live in London and I went there to spend some time with her together before I came back in 2016. I think the time I studied in the UK is a bit stressful for me because we need to submit several projects work in one semester and also we need to prepare for our dissertation within three months as well. For the UK post-graduate, we only have one year for finishing our course, so our time is very busy there. So I feel very stressful, especially for my dissertation time.
Edited: I went to UK in 2015, for my post-graduate in the major of innovation management and entrepreneurship in Manchester Business School. I spent one year there for my degree and also I made some friends with my classmates as well. After that, I went to London for three months, after I submitted my dissertation, because one of my friends lives in London and I went there to spend some time with her together, before I came back to China in 2016. I think the time I spent in the UK is a bit stressful for me because we needed to submit several projects in one semester and also we need to prepare for our dissertation within three months as well. The UK post-graduate requirements dictates/requires/gives only one year for finishing our courses, so we are very short on time. So I felt very stressful, especially during my dissertation time.