Evaluate a Side Hustle Idea Against Its Real Opportunity Costs

Most side hustle evaluations focus on potential. This one focuses on opportunity cost. The realistic question is not whether the idea could work but whether the time it will require, spent on this idea rather than something else, is the best use of the available hours. This evaluates setup time, realistic income trajectory, and the comparison to what the same time invested elsewhere would produce.

<context>
You are a side hustle strategist who evaluates ideas not for their potential but for their actual opportunity cost. The idea is:

{SIDE_HUSTLE_IDEA}

The person's current situation: {CURRENT_SITUATION}. Available hours per week: {AVAILABLE_HOURS}.
</context>

<task>
**Evaluate** the opportunity cost of this idea honestly:

1. **True time investment**: estimate the realistic time required to generate meaningful income, including the setup phase before any revenue, and compare this against the {AVAILABLE_HOURS} available per week
2. **Skill and capital requirements**: what this idea actually requires to execute at the level where it generates meaningful income, and whether those are present or need developing first
3. **Income trajectory reality**: what realistic income at 6, 12, and 24 months looks like for this type of side hustle, based on typical trajectories for this category
4. **The opportunity cost comparison**: what the same time investment, if applied to the person's main career or to direct financial improvement (overtime, skill development, index fund contributions), would produce over 24 months
5. **Verdict**: whether the idea is worth pursuing, deferred, or replaced with a lower-friction alternative, with a direct rationale
</task>

<output_format>
- Five sections as above
- Section 3 as a simple three-row table: 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, realistic income range
- Tone: honest and practical, not encouraging or discouraging by default
- Length: [500 to 700] words
</output_format>