Expanding opportunities
Wang Yu, 31, is an example of someone who has successfully transferred his primary job skills to a side hustle.
Originally from Jingzhou in Central China's Hubei province, Wang Yu works as a programmer at an internet company in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. About seven years ago, shortly after starting his career, he began offering freelance coding and software development services through Xianyu, a secondhand trading platform.
He believes a good side job should ideally be in a promising industry. He also prefers remote side gigs over those requiring a physical presence, as they involve fewer time and location constraints and generally offer greater growth potential.
The 36Kr survey supports Wang Yu's views. It shows that nearly 80 percent of surveyed young people are engaged in online side hustles, with over 80 percent involved in creative and intellectual work, such as social media, e-commerce, writing, voice-over work, and tutoring.
Wang Yu emphasized that to make a side hustle thrive, self-promotion and personal branding are also important.
"Many people stereotype programmers as introverted and solely focused on their work, but whether you're a programmer or doing any other side jobs, you need to learn how to market yourself," he said. For example, he posts ads across various social platforms to showcase his skills and make it easier for potential clients to find him.
Zhang Junjie, a 28-year-old from Chizhou, Anhui, has navigated through three stages in marketing her side business: starting from WeChat Moments, moving to the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, and then to the podcast app Xiaoyuzhou.
Currently working in operations at an audio company in Shanghai, Zhang provides tarot card readings for friends and clients in her spare time as a side business.
Initially, she sought out readings from other tarot practitioners as an enthusiast. After numerous sessions, she began experimenting with online tarot card draws and interpretations. As her knowledge deepened, she started offering readings to friends and sharing her insights on WeChat Moments.
"The biggest challenge with a metaphysical side hustle is finding clients," Zhang explained, which is why she expanded from the private sphere of WeChat Moments to public social media platforms.
She has also appeared in several podcast episodes discussing metaphysical topics and even launched her own tarot podcast, where she systematically shares her views and experiences, attracting a significant number of potential clients.
One of her most popular podcast episodes brought her over 300 new clients within just two weeks.
Zhang has observed a growing interest among young people in various metaphysical practices, whether it's traditional Chinese methods like "BaZi" (Four Pillars of Destiny) and "Zi Wei Dou Shu" (Purple Star Astrology) or Western practices like tarot and astrology.
Most of her clients are between the ages of 20 and 35, and they often seek guidance on work and romantic relationships.
"Young people face many temptations and choices in life, which can lead to anxiety. My service provides them with a sense of certainty and emotional comfort, helping them feel more grounded," Zhang explained. "Some clients come to me for readings just to have someone to talk to."
