It all started with a comment on one of my YouTube videos.
A viewer wrote, “With zero working experience in the last few years, you will be lucky to find a job that gives you $2000/month pay in your 50s.”
This was a great comment, and left me pondering for quite a while. It’s no secret that after a long break from the workforce, finding a job that pays a decent wage can be difficult, what’s more at an older age. The job market is competitive, and age can sometimes be seen as a barrier. People also associate career gaps with deterioration of skills and abilities (which I totally disagree, by the way). While that is what society thinks, that’s not what I think.
But how do I know what I’m thinking is true? I’m going to do it the Engineering Way — conduct test runs (experiments) and finding the results.
There are many goals of the experiment:
- Do I still have monetizable skills after a career gap?
- If I still have them, could I monetize the skills without going for a traditional job.
- If I can monetize the skills without going for a traditional job, is it a livable income (at least $2K/ month).
To conduct this experiment, I came up with Project 2K.
Project 2k Procedures
Project 2K has 3 goals:
- Do I still have monetizable skills after a career gap?
- If I still have them, could I monetize the skills without going for a traditional job.
- If I can monetize the skills without going for a traditional job, is it a livable income?
To prove each goal, I have come up with procedures for the experiment.
Instead of writing a series of procedures, I have put them into a flow chart:
Why This Project?
The more I thought about that comment, the more it inspired me.
It wasn’t just about the financial aspect that left me pondering, it was the thought of being erased of my ability to earn a livable income from career gaps. It’s so SCARY! I didn’t want to accept that narrative. I’ve spent years developing skills and knowledge that I know are valuable, even if they haven’t been put to use in a traditional job for a while. I don’t believe that I have stopped learning or growing while not working in a traditional job. So why not take those skills that I have and create a “career” of my own? Through this, prove that, even after a long career break, one hasn’t become degraded of skills and abilities, and is still able to build an income?
I want to use Project 2k to prove my point to myself. My objectives have to be proved. If you look closely at my flowchart, you will just end up at [PROVED] finally. 🤣
Apart from proving my point (see objectives of project above), the project is as much about personal growth. It’s about embracing the potential of reinventing myself on my own terms.
Years down the road, I am sure I will be proud of myself saying “I built this.” I just need to create the “this”.
Rules of Project 2K
The goal of Project 2K is simple: to create a career that generates at least $2000 a month using my skills. However, there are a few important rules that I’m setting for this project to keep what I initially wanted from this challenge.
First and foremost, this $2000/month income will not come from traditional investments like stocks or bonds. Passive income from investments is always what I will be doing. But I do want to expand my income beyond them. This challenge is about monetizing my existing skills or stepping into a field I’ve always wanted to explore but never had the chance to, and creating a “career” out of it through my own means.
The earnings must come from something that directly reflects the value of my abilities. I will be using my skills and abilities to build something for monetization purpose, whether that’s through freelancing, creating a product, consulting, or some on. The idea is to use my skills to build something to sell, and create a sustainable income stream (target: $2k/ month).
Another important rule of Project 2K is that this challenge does not involve applying for jobs and working for others. The goal is not to re-enter the traditional job market. Instead of relying on an employer or waiting for a job opportunity to come along, I want to focus on building my own path, leveraging my skills and passions to create an income stream that’s entirely self-driven.
In addition, Project 2K does not mean earning 2K immediately. No, I don’t expect to reach the $2000/month the very day I start the project, not even the month I started it. It’s unrealistic. Instead, it’s going to be a gradual process, and I’ll give myself at least half a year to build a business that will give me a sustainable income that grows over time.
Whether it’s a passion project or a service I can offer, the point is that it will come from something I truly care about and will work on consistently to turn into a viable income stream.
How to Find Out More About Project 2k
I’m excited to embark on this experiment and see where Project 2K takes me.
Follow along as I work towards this goal! I’ll update it in my YouTube channel and also this website. If you want to be notified of my progress, or simply some behind the scenes, do sign up for my newsletter.
See you around!