The dog waiting for the dog walker.  (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

Recently we had a young guest staying with us. Though he was on business for one job, he needed a quiet place for his side hustle. At first, I was slightly startled, wondering if I had signed up for some craziness. My mind turned to the 1920s rum runner. (He’s a tutor.)

Is that second job or activity a side hustle or a gig? Are the terms interchangeable? To hustle seems like you want to take advantage of a person, while gig refers to performance. When I look back at all my second jobs, some felt like scams, while others were entertaining.

The word hustle comes from a Dutch word meaning to shake. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the word’s meaning extended to include a swindle. As the word evolved, the 1950s added “side” to hustle and softened the term to give those extra jobs an appropriate label. “Gig” is also a 1920s term short for the word “engagement.” Those live performances slowly transitioned to include any additional job needed to meet ends.

I don’t remember when I didn’t have a second job to supplement our income or provide a sense of satisfaction. My regular job has been remote since I moved to the Adirondacks. I have some work travel, but I’ve been adhering to online deadlines long before Zoom work was even considered a typical business atmosphere. I’ve often joked about how I’m the president of the remote workers club. The problem I found with working remotely: It can be lonely. There is only so much I can say to myself.

To fill those nonexistent watercooler moments, I’ve always had a side hustle. I’ve been a board member, treasurer, cook, house cleaner, clerk, volunteer librarian and driver. Most of the time, the side hustle was necessary to fill some sort of need: financial, creative, or social. Either my wallet needed fattening, so I required extra money, or my soul needed filling, so I desired an opportunity to get creative and feel rejuvenated. If I want a new skill, the side gig is there to provide additional career experience.

We continue to tell our kids to take the side gig. Start a side hustle. Always take the gig if there is an opportunity to learn something new. I didn’t ask my visitor the reason for his side hustle. He was busy trying to connect to our internet.