Sarah Andrews says she "can't see why anybody would work these days".

This is not to say she's not held a traditional job in her life.

Ms Andrews obtained two bachelors degrees, topped one with a master's, and worked as a spatial scientist for an engineering firm in London.

She questioned whether office work was for her, but decided to change her lifestyle after she got a skin cancer for the second time.

"Over-worked" and "dissatisfied" with her life, when she spotted a 50-square-metre rustic shed for sale on the west coast of Tasmania, she bought it without hesitation.

"It had been on the market for five years. Nobody wanted it," she said.

"It was priced at $88,000. I just paid it, I thought that was quite cheap. But when I got there, the locals told me I overpaid."

Ms Andrews hired local handymen, and with an extra $20,000 they turned it into a "whimsical" shack for her to recover in.

But she never ended up living in it.

Despite being told the remoteness of the area would render the place un-rentable, she listed it on a short-stay accommodation site anyway.

Even with a hefty price tag, it's booked out every day for months on end.

"Within I think two months, I was booked out and I've been booked out every day ever since for three years," she said.

"It brings in six figures a year profit — that's after tax and expenses.

"I also book it out for photoshoots … that's a big earner.

"It's paid it off many, many, many times over already."

What was once an unwanted "trawling tin shed" has become Ms Andrews' livelihood, leaving her better off than when she worked as a scientist.

She's capitalised on her success even further by teaching courses on how to turn holiday rental ventures into a lucrative businesses.

"I do sense sometimes a little bit of green eyes [from] some people who are working very hard in businesses," she said.

"I just think, why would anybody go to work every day.

"There's lots of other ways people can make money. It's about thinking outside of the box."

Carolyn Alchin, the vice-president of the Career Development Association of Australia, said in today's world innovation and adaptation were the key to success.

"Building a 'side-hustle' into a full-time business is often a great way to succeed because you did it because it's interesting, you're good at it," she said.

"A lot of people make career decisions based on a very small number of jobs that they knew were available.

"The more research that you do into the plethora of careers that exist out there and the number of different job opportunities … the more likely [you'll] have success."

'It was completely left-field".

Source | ABC