30-year-old found his lucrative photography side hustle after trying 2 other careers—now he makes $134,000 a year

From a wide lens, Sean Audet’s career looks random: He was a biochemistry student, trained fine-dining chef and local college lecturer before picking up photography.

Audet’s background as a chef landed him a recipe research and development job at Red River College in Winnipeg, Canada, in 2016. He also taught a “pastry arts” class there, and learned to stage meals for cameras when the school began helping local restaurants plate, photograph and advertise their food.

Then, he tried taking the pictures himself, and realized he had a knack for it. He borrowed a camera from a friend, and picked up a couple of clients of his own. By 2020, he had enough momentum to quit his other jobs — at the college, and as a chef at a pop-up restaurant — to pursue photography full-time.

His freelance work is now the most lucrative job of his life, Audet says. Last year, his business brought in roughly $133,900 in U.S. dollars, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Most of his business comes from Fiverr, a freelance platform where he finds most of his clients, he adds.

He works up to 60 hours per week, but the power to control his own schedule while being creative every day is priceless, he says.

Here’s how Audet got his photography business off the ground, how he manages his freelance budget and what he plans to do next.

Audet couldn’t have jumped straight into full-time photography: He needed to live on paychecks from his other jobs while learning the ropes of his side hustle.

When Audet started taking photos in 2018, he was earning around $56,500 per year from the pop-up restaurant, which he started with a friend — complete with a seven-course tasting menu — and his college job.

Adding photography into the mix came at a price: He regularly worked 12-hour days, seven days per week,…