What Are Some Ways to Make Money On the Side With a Full-time Job?

From publishing ebooks or pamphlets to driving for Uber and Lyft, here are 15 answers to the question, “What are some effective ways to make money on the side with a full-time job?”

• Create E-Publications
• Start Affiliate Marketing
• Complete Online Surveys
• Work the Stock Market
• Become a Transcriptionist
• Update CVs for Clients
• Provide Coaching or Consulting
• Watch Over Someone’s House or Pet
• Teach a Language
• Become a Freelance Writer
• Resell Items Online
• Do Odd Jobs Locally
• Start a Blog
• Teach a Skill
• Be an Uber or Lyft Driver

Create E-Publications

By creating an eBook or digital course, you can reach a wide audience and earn passive income from your material. 

For example, upgrading your resume and offering career advice through a video series may be something you already do for yourself or for friends; monetizing it allows others to benefit from it as well. 

It’s great for taking your knowledge, skill set, and resources and crafting them into something profitable.

Michael Alexis, CEO, swag.org

Start Affiliate Marketing

With affiliate marketing, you can create your own schedule and work at your own pace, making it a great option for those who already have a demanding full-time job. You can choose to work as much or as little as you like, and there’s no pressure to meet a specific quota or deadline.

Yet, it’s a great way to build a passive income, meaning you can earn money even while you’re not actively working. This can be especially beneficial for those who want to make money on the side while maintaining their full-time job. 

You can gain valuable experience and skills that can help you advance in your career. For example, it can help you build your marketing and sales skills, as well as your ability to network and build relationships with others in your field. Overall, affiliate marketing offers flexibility, passive income, and networking opportunities.

Brian Hawkins, Marketing Manager, GhostBed

Complete Online Surveys

Unlock a world of earning opportunities with online surveys. This is one of the best ways to earn cash while holding a full-time job. Many companies will pay for consumer feedback, while legitimate platforms like Swagbucks or LifePoints enable such ways of repairing the financial budget. 

The process is simple: answer questions or complete tasks and receive payment for your time. With each survey taking a few minutes to complete, you can easily rack up rewards ranging from $0.25 to even $5.00, with more in-depth surveys paying even more. 

By participating in 50 surveys per month on one platform, you can earn an additional $50 to $250. To maximize earning potential, consider joining multiple survey platforms. It all depends on your commitment. 

They make payouts via PayPal or prepaid Visa credit cards, while some websites offer gift cards. The best thing about participating in online surveys is that you can do it anytime, anywhere, using any device, laptop, phone, or tablet.

Nina Paczka, Community Manager, Resume Now

Work the Stock Market

Now, take this with a grain of salt. Trading in the stock market is one of the many suggestions for side income. As a result, you must be prepared to invest a small amount of money at the beginning of your adventure. 

Online trading is something you can do if you have the skills or have taken the time to learn them from resources like YouTube. 

By sticking to a workable technique you have already tried, you can increase your chances of succeeding in the stock market. Start small, get experience, and then consider investing more money if you are unsure.

Brian Clark, Founder, United Medical Education

Become a Transcriptionist

Transcription is a flexible and potentially profitable gig for those looking to earn money on the side. The demand for transcribers is high in a variety of industries, such as medical, legal, and media. 

Many companies and individuals will pay for transcription services, and transcriptionists can work remotely, allowing for a flexible schedule. A transcriptionist can expect to earn an hourly wage of approximately $19.02. 

However, for those who possess advanced skills and experience, the hourly rate increases to a range of $25 to $30. Given a consistent daily workload of 2.5 hours for 24 days, an advanced transcriber can expect to earn a monthly average of $1,141.20.

Mahesh Kumar, Spokesperson, Transcription Certification Institute

Update CVs for Clients

The recent waves of layoffs have thrown thousands into the job market. These individuals will pick up their dusty CVs, polish them up, and jump right into job hunting. 

Interestingly, many of these potential job seekers lack the capacity and experience to revamp their CVs to reflect their recent experience or streamline their resumes to the current realities of their industry. 

They would be glad to pay you to do it for them. You can charge around $30-$60 per hour in your spare time to renovate their CVs. 

The more client testimonials you land, the higher you can raise your rates. Should your client land lucrative roles, you could charge close to $100/hr for resume review services within months.

Lotus Felix, CEO, Lotus Brains Studio

Provide Coaching or Consulting

If you’ve built expertise in one subject, you can coach others or provide consulting services on the side. This is a good side hustle because you won’t have to spend anything on tools or invest in producing a product. 

Instead, you can leverage your years of experience, skills, and knowledge to teach others and guide them on what they need to do or how to strategize. 

Coaching and consulting also don’t require a fixed schedule—you have control over your schedule and how many hours you can allocate for it. Likewise, you can set your own fees, so you have more control over your extra income.

Aidan Kang, CEO, House of Debt

Watch Over Someone’s House or Pet

House- or pet-sitting is easily one of the easiest ways to make some cash on the side. During the pandemic, many people got pets, but as the world opened up, more of these owners had to get back to their real lives, including travel, which opened up a tremendous demand for pet-sitting. 

Some people don’t feel comfortable leaving their house unattended for an extended period. 

If you have a remote job, especially, look into pet- or house-sitting jobs, as they’re an amazing way to make passive income while working.

Bryan Jones, CEO, Truckbase

Teach a Language

Teaching English or any language ‌can bring in a nice stash of cash. There are dozens of platforms where you can sign up to be a private tutor or small-group tutor. 

It’s possible to make up to $54 per hour if you have credentials and up to $30 without. All that’s required is that you are a native speaker of the language you’re teaching.

Jarir Mallah, HR Specialist, Ling App

Become a Freelance Writer

If you have a full-time job but want to make some extra money on the side, becoming a freelance writer is a great option. Freelance writing has become increasingly popular in recent years, and there are many opportunities available for those who will put in the effort. 

The first step to becoming a freelance writer is to create a portfolio of your work; do this by writing blog posts, articles, and other pieces for online publications or websites. Also, create an online portfolio of your writing that showcases your skills and displays samples of your work. Once you have a portfolio, you can start looking for freelance writing jobs. 

There are many websites and job boards that list freelance writing opportunities, so you should be able to find something that fits your skills and interests. You can also reach out to businesses or organizations that you think might need help with their content writing.

Elton Cage, Marketing Director, Hairbro

Resell Items Online

Because there are no set hours or required time spent, reselling items online is simple work to fit into even the busiest schedules. 

All you need to get started are items you don’t plan to use anymore. Because re-seller platforms like Poshmark, The RealReal, and Mercari have built-in audiences to shop for your items. 

You don’t really need to do much work advertising your own products. While the money can be a bit more uneven than traditional employment, re-selling is a great option for a side hustle for anyone whose schedule prevents them from taking on a second gig.

Carrie Shaltz Haslup, Founder and CEO, Tabeeze

Do Odd Jobs Locally

In my experience, one excellent way to make money on the side while still holding down a full-time job is to do odd jobs for cash in your neighborhood. 

For example, you can look at local classified websites like Craigslist and find tons of cash gigs. Some of the most common ones include helping people move, cleaning jobs, landscaping help, and junk removal. 

But there are dozens, if not hundreds, of jobs in most big cities. I actually did this ‌during college, and so did my friends. I went on Craigslist and found some snow shoveling gigs and made a quick $50 by shoveling two driveways. 

Some of my friends did the same thing by helping people move, and they earned $100 for a few hours of work.

Tom Blake, Founder, This Online World

Start a Blog

Starting your own blog can be a great way to make some extra money. You’ll have the freedom to talk about topics that you’re knowledgeable and passionate about, while also being able to reach a wide audience of readers. 

The key to success with blogging is consistency—post regularly and promote your content on social media so more people can find it. 

Once you generate enough traffic, there are plenty of ways you can monetize your blog, such as affiliate marketing, creating sponsored content, or introducing ads. With a bit of dedication and hard work, your blog could become a successful side hustle!

George Patient, Founder and Editor, Merch Mates

Teach a Skill

I used to work full-time as a reporter and teach dance lessons every Wednesday and Saturday. Though it drove me to earn extra income, it was less about that. I found it to be a great way to achieve a work-life balance. 

While I worked during office hours, these side gigs were for my passion. I developed new relationships, connections, and skills that I would not have otherwise had if I only worked my full-time job. 

I emphasized that to my full-time employer. I raised it during my initial interview and told them I had other commitments after work. If they accepted it, it also showed what type of employer they were. I only took job offers from those who welcomed my side gigs.

Joyce Tsang, Content Marketer and Founder, Joyce Tsang Content Marketing

Be an Uber or Lyft Driver

Being an Uber or Lyft driver doesn’t require you to have any marketable skills or to be under any direct supervision. All you need is the app, a car, and some extra time. Even if your full-time job demands most of your time, you can still work as an Uber or Lyft driver. 

This is because you’ll have the freedom to choose when and how frequently you want to drive other people around. It could be something that you do to pass time on weekends or something that you do regularly after work. It all depends on your perseverance and will to earn. Driving for Uber or Lyft can also be a lucrative side hustle. 

Depending on where you live and what time you work, you can make somewhere around $15 to $22 per hour based on last year’s statistics. 

Do note that driving for Uber and Lyft can’t give you a consistent stream of income. Ride-share demands always change, which will affect your earning potential.

Jonathan Merry, Founder, Moneyzine

Related Articles

• What Are Good Entrepreneurship Ideas For Teenagers?
• What are the Best Productivity Hacks for Entrepreneurs?