For Gen Z, the 5-to-9 After Your 9-to-5 Is Essential

Passion projects are so much more than hobbies

One month after landing my first full-time agency job—a dream come true for any 22-year-old advertising major– I co-founded Rainy Saturdays, a mental health athleisure brand. It might sound like a lot at once, but I’m far from alone. Many of my Gen Z peers also run side businesses that allow us to thrive personally and professionally. These “5-to-9s” are more than hobbies—they’re essential extensions of our identity and purpose. When nurtured, they don’t compete with our day jobs—they enhance them.

Rainy Saturdays started, appropriately enough, on a rainy Saturday in an Uber en route to Trader Joe’s. My roommate Brook and I were feeling overwhelmed by the social pressures of our twenties and found solace in those rare, cozy moments when it was socially acceptable to cancel plans and just breathe. With my background in PR and social media and Brook’s expertise as a mental health counselor, we turned that feeling into a lifestyle and community brand centered on self-care and protecting people’s peace.

The conversations became all-nighters in our Boston Back Bay apartment—pinching pennies for samples, fine-tuning slogans, debating design decisions (as non-designers) and pitching the brand to anyone who would listen. What began as a passion project quickly became a viable business, and our 5-to-9 hours became some of the most transformative.

Cooking Dinner, Doing Laundry and Running a Marathon—All at Once

Running a business while starting my agency career was (and still is) like trying to cook dinner, do laundry and run a marathon at the same time—with no training. The “dinner” is our latest product drop. The “laundry” is the never-ending to-do list. The “marathon” is navigating post-grad life, agency deadlines and startup budgets. I worried whether being open about Rainy Saturdays at my agency, A&G, would be risky. Would it seem like a distraction? Would people take me less seriously? Short answer: Not even a little bit.

I shared my entrepreneurial journey with my team, and they celebrated it. When we launched our first hat in spring 2024, I was offered access to our Third Space Studios to shoot professional content. My coworkers even volunteered to model our products. They didn’t just support my “side hustle”—they helped elevate it.

How My Two Worlds Fuel Each Other

Almost in parallel, Rainy Saturdays grew as I deepened my skills at A&G. What I was learning in my day job—about communication, collaboration and creative strategy—helped shape our brand. What I was learning as a founder—about leadership, budgeting, content creation and customer insight—made me sharper and more confident in my agency role.

I’ve come to see my side venture as my own personal edge and career booster, pushing me into new responsibilities faster than any training program could. I can’t opt out of learning on the fly. I have to figure things out—quickly, creatively and often with no safety net. (That’s life, right?)

Gen Z Isn’t Afraid to Talk About It

For Gen Z, the line between personal and professional is more fluid than ever. We’re not afraid to talk about our side ventures. We don’t see them as distractions, but as creative outlets that feed our mental health, ambition and sense of self.

Yet, I can’t help but notice that while hobbies like golf or gym sessions are easily discussed, entrepreneurial pursuits—especially ones that suggest independence or ambition outside the 9-5—can be perceived as a threat. It’s a subtle, often unintentional double standard, but one that I believe over time will discourage individualism and penalize passion. That’s an unconscious bias worth confronting.

Recognizing the value of a 5-to-9 side hustle—and talking about it openly from interviews to onboarding—builds trust and respect. It shows that employers see the full picture of who we are and what drives us.

The Real Balance Is Personal Growth

Of course, juggling two worlds isn’t always easy. Like any young woman whose first exposure to PR was through the iconic Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, I’ve had moments of doubt. Can I really do it all? (And is it even possible to write about your twenties without a SATC reference?)

But the answer is, yes—I can do it all, on my own terms. And the more I lean into both parts of my life, the more confident and capable I become.

The future of work isn’t about switching off parts of yourself to “fit in” at the office. It’s about integrating who you are and what you love into everything you do—and creating spaces that empower others to do the same.