21 Side Jobs to Make Extra Money (#4 Pays Well)

Many people take side jobs as alternative jobs which they only spend one or two hours doing daily or weekly to put some more cash in their pockets. While some others do side jobs only once in a while to attain their purchasing goals, vacation, or meet other extra needs.

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However, millions of Americans are badly hit financially today. And a lot of people are now turning to side jobs as their primary source of income. Founder, and FlexJobs CEO, Sara Sutton says, “If the past is any indicator, it is likely that a healthy amount of freelance jobs will continue to be available across industries and career levels, despite the economic downturn.” 

No matter where you are in the world or what you are currently doing, the internet has made it easy for anyone anywhere to make money on the side based on their own convenience. So, if you are considering ways to rake in a few extra cash doing side jobs – depending on your area of specialization or interest – you are very likely going to come across countless ideas online.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). See disclosure for details.

While some ideas will demand some investments in time and money, others are a quick fix to get the bucks out. Either way, with the top list of side jobs revealed in this article, you should choose a method that can make you deliver value and also fit in your area of specialization.

Here Are The Top List Of Side Jobs You Should Consider

1. Proofreading

Are you well inclined in grammar that you easily screen errors when reading? Or are you very sensitive to simple grammar mistakes? Then you should turn to proofreading. 

There is a wide open market for proofreaders and you’ll be able to make cool cash from rendering the service online to clients anywhere around the globe. Proofreaders work with individuals and corporations to create top-notch contents for their audience. News outlets, educational publications, blogs, online companies, book publishers, and other content-producing industries need to check for punctuations, spellings, syntax, consistency, and brand tone among others in their contents.

The United States national average hourly rate for proofreaders is $18. So with a serious and focused  mindset, you can make good income every month from your effort. You can improve your reading and grammar skills to learn how to start your proofreading side hustle.

2. Virtual Assistant

Even if you have a full-time job, you can still work as a virtual assistant for prospective clients. Virtual assistants combine skills – depending on the requirements – to achieve the role of an administrator and personal assistant for clients while also working from the comfort of your home. 

Your duties may include scheduling meetings, online research, business writing, answering emails, creating contents, data entry, basic bookkeeping, creating infographics, marketing, Photoshop editing, setting up and managing podcasts or webinars, and arranging travel. This side job is a great way to make extra cash doing things you love to do. 

If you’d love to become a virtual assistant, you can consider taking  a free or paid course first on platforms like Udemy. The national average hourly rate for virtual assistants in the United States is $16.

3. Freelance Writing

Online businesses are constantly in need of freelance content writers to create contents that appeal to the needs of their prospective customers and engage them in their products and services. So, if writing is a thing that rings well with you, then consider helping other people create contents for their websites and blogs. Or serve as a ghostwriter for established authors.

Writers produce contents in the form of website copy, articles, marketing materials, blog posts, and much more depending on your client. You can leverage on writing opportunities on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr to get jobs. And even if you’d rather focus on specific areas like journalism, academics, and law you will still find writing opportunities that will make money for you while also exploring your passion.

The national average hourly rate in the United States is $20. 

4. Blogging

Blogging is one of the best online side jobs you’ll ever find, with its unlimited earning potential. It can turn out as a fun job that pays well, and it’s flexible that you can work on your own schedule and from anywhere in the world. Read my guide here on how you can make six-figures blogging.

But before you jump for joy, this is not likely going to be a quick fix stream of income for you. You are not likely to start making money until you give out an enormous amount of value to your readers. Yeah! But if you are able to get your moves right with blogging, you’ll definitely earn good income from your effort.

Some of the numerous earning opportunities you’ll be able to leverage on as a blogger is sell advert spaces, affiliate marketing, receive guest posts, subscription and memberships fees, advertising networks, and selling your own products or services. 

5. Bookkeeping

Mature people who are looking out for side jobs with flexible work hours and opportunity to work from home can consider bookkeeping. As a bookkeeper, you’ll be required to help businesses and individuals keep track of expenses, sales revenue, purchases, payments, and invoices. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that 50.9 years old is the median age for all bookkeepers in 2019. 

You really do not need previous experience to work as an online bookkeeper, but you may consider taking some free or paid courses on the profession to get yourself prepared for opportunities. The United States national average hourly rate for bookkeepers is $17.

6. Career/Life Coach

As a career coach, your duty will be to help other people find career goals, develop or improve their skills in a particular profession, and plan for career changes. The services you’ll be rendering will involve providing reviews for resumes and cover letters, helping job seekers recognize career opportunities. 

You must be able to find joy in helping other people achieve their plans and goal setting, and also help them develop. The market you find would determine how much you can make. Charges for higher-income can be as much as $297 per hour, or even more. But then the kind of model you put up matters a lot to how you earn. However, the United States’ national average hourly rate for Career coaching is $14. 

7. Project Management

The duty of project managers is to oversee projects to ensure that all required resources are perfectly harnessed to bring about their timely completion within a given budget. As a project manager, you will be required to prepare budgets, plan resources for projects, monitor ongoing projects, and update project team members on the work progress. The United States has a national average hourly rate of $26 for project managers.

Project management often requires lots of commitment from managers unlike many other side jobs. Sometimes you’ll have to sign a contract that would last up to 12 months of work. And most of these jobs cannot be remotely done. But as an experienced and well skilled professional, you’ll be able to work together with a team of professionals to achieve the completion of huge projects. This could be upgrading information technology systems or launching a new product for a company.

8. Quantitative Market Researcher

The national average hourly rates for quantitative market researchers in the United States is $19. You’ll be penetrating your target market and gathering required information using surveys, polls, and questionnaires in your research. You may also have to create detailed research reports and analyze responses gathered from research efforts.

Quantitative market researchers go out to curate data about the costs of services and products. And also input the gathered information in an app for companies to make a decision on which product to focus on, the amount they should be sold, and the marketing strategy to be employed.

9. Online Tutors

If you are skilled and certified in a field, you should consider tutoring people online as a part time stream of income. And it doesn’t matter where you live around the globe, you can find students online living in the United States and United Kingdom among other high-paying countries.

Online tutors can make as much as $2000 every month and work only for 3 hours daily. Countries like China also have a market base for this job. Check out VIPkid, MagicEars, QKid, EF Teach Online, WyzAnt, Preply, Kaplan, TutorMe, and Tutor.com.  You can also schedule offline classes for interested students in specific languages, science, and math, or get them prepared on specific professional tests like SAT, LSAT, ACT, or GMAT. 

10. Become A Transcriber

If you are someone who is quick and accurate in typing, you can work as a transcriber, and create written records for different contents such as conversations, meetings, video and audio recordings. You will also need to review drafts for accuracy and completeness. 

As a transcriber, you’ll need a lot of patience with your work, and will often need to sit on a spot for long hours giving written details of recordings. You can work on flexible hours and make between $7 – $21 every hour of work.

11. Sell On Amazon

Amazon’s FBA is a great platform to earn while working from home. You’ll find good deals from online or physical stores that you can resell on Amazon at a much higher price. More than half of the United States internet users have stated that their products are searched on Amazon, and as such have proven to be one of the most profitable platforms to get things sold.

Some of the top selling products on Amazon are books, clothing, shoes,  jewelry, electronics, and toys and games. This opportunity has turned a lot of Americans into six-figure earners, either by selling their own products or other people’s products. Visit the Amazon website to begin.

12. Interpreter

Anyone who is able to read and write in two or more languages can work as an interpreter on the side. You can interpret, translate, and communicate both verbally and written information to make communication effective between different people. And the good side is that there are countless industries that are in need of interpreters. 

In addition, since everyone is into one business of the other, it is the work of interpreters to ensure that communication of company products and services are effectively done to prospective customers in targeted markets. So, even if you have a second language you are very good at and may not be popular in the United States, you can still land yourself a well-paying side job. American Sign Language is one in-demand field that interpreters can leverage on.

You’ll be able to work in diverse industries such as health, banking, finance and business, entertainment industry, public schools and government services, insurance industry, training and consulting, humanitarian services, and legal profession and earn up to $20 per hour – the United States national average hourly rates for interpreters.

13. Let Out A Space In Your Home

Perhaps you have unused space around your home, you could work out different ways to earn with them. People are regular looking out for spaces to fulfill one need or the other, and there are different options you will want to consider to make some extra cash with these spaces.

One, you can rent out free bedrooms in your home for guests. Platforms like Booking.com, Airbnb, and other similar sites can help you fetch some cool money with this side. Sign up on the platform to start getting your pocket happy. Your storage space is another area to consider. 

You could also get a roommate if you stay in a suitable area with a rather competitive rental situation. While this may not work nicely as renting out your bedrooms or storage to guests on Airbnb, it would relieve you of the heap of having to sort out your rents or mortgage alone. And within 24hours after having a guest check in, you’ll get your cash from Airbnb. The good thing about this is that with good spaces around your residence, you could even turn this into your primary stream of income.

14. Become A Realtor

With good marketing and sales skills, you can start as a realtor. Real estate agents make great income from their efforts. And the job can be so filled with fun being around other people and keeping track of market trends in the industry. However, you can’t do much on this job working from home.

Do legwork at home, and in the evenings or at weekends, you can go about showing homes. To become a real estate agent, take a pre-licensing course, take a licensing examination, get your real estate license activated, become a realtor, and join a brokerage.

15. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an amazing side job that has full-time earning potential. Affiliate marketers can earn as much as $50,000 a month from their effort. Teacher turned blogger, Melyssa Griffin teaches about how she rakes in incredible cash from Affiliate Marketing. Blogging.com reveals that Melyssa makes $110,000 every month! 

As an affiliate marketer, you will be selling other people’s products and services from around the world from the comfort of your home using your personal affiliate identification code on affiliate links. And you do not necessarily need to have your own website to begin or succeed with affiliate marketing. You can leverage on social media platforms with massive usage such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram among others to generate considerable income from your marketing efforts.

16. Create And Books And Sell Ebooks

If you love writing, you may have considered putting your skills into creating a book for readers. But more than just writing, it is important to write on sellable topics. You’ll need to do your research on what people are currently anxious to read about, and then create compelling contents in that aspect which would make your work get so much attention. 

You may also save yourself the trouble of printing hardcopies of your work by turning your work into ebooks which can be downloaded online after being purchased. Amazon Kindle is one of the top platforms to get your ebooks published and sold to a massive audience already available on the platform.

People often get attracted more to ebooks with creative and appealing cover art more than others. So, it is only wise that you make your ebook cover art very creative and appealing to your target audience to increase its selling potential. Turning your ebook into an audiobook is another way to increase your target market for more income. Audible is a great platform to help you turn your ebooks into audiobooks and increase your revenue. Here are more platforms to get your ebooks sold:

a. Payhip 

b. Feiyr 

c. E-Junkie 

d. Google Play 

e. Fiverr 

17. Create Online Courses

Create online courses on areas you have passion in and can conveniently teach others. A great way is to convert your already created hardcopy books to ebooks and develop it into an online course. There are several online platforms that can help you achieve creating your online courses. Examples of websites to checkout for are Udemy, Thinkific, and Teachable.

You should consider taking a free or paid course to help you get started. Websites like Udemy have so many resources that can help you get started with a step-by-step guide on creating your first online course and actually earn from it.

18. Become A Social Media Manager

With a myriad of social media platforms, pages, and communities on the web today individuals and companies are regularly looking out for people to help them manage their social media pages. And if you are active on social media with a curious mindset, you’ll have learnt a lot of things on social media that can get you started as a social media manager.

Young people especially find this job very convenient and rewarding. But then, anyone with the know-how can do it. And with a massive usage of social media and schedulers today, you are sure to make cool cash on the side. You can get clients anywhere in the world and earn up to $10,000 every month. 

To begin, consider taking a course on social media marketing, or make in-depth research on YoutTube and Google for resources that can help get started with the job.

19. Photographer

Photography business is something you can both do on the side and on full-time. You’ll do a lot if you have love for great pictures. The Canon EOS Rebel T6i Body and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens can be a deadly photography weapon in your hands. 

To begin, it is advised that you take a few classes on photography to polish whatever you already know and also learn about photoshop to make your photos have quality outcomes. But more importantly, you must make taking great pictures a hobby. 

Always look out to improve your work and take classy photos. You’ll learn so much on the job and hone your skills while practicing. You should also consider rendering free services to friends and families who need the service as a way to get potential clients and gain popularity in the industry.

Reach out to your local estate agents to provide the service to create professional photos for their new listings. And you should also consider licensing your photos via stock photography websites like Shutterstock and iStock. You can make $25 to $200 per photo from small local businesses, $700 to $3,500 from wedding photography, and $100 to $300 from Senior Portrait photography.

20. Babysitting

You can also make side income playing and caring for young kids. Babysitters are babylovers. And it is just a great way of making money doing things you enjoy doing. 

Depending on your client and your environment, babysitters can earn up to $20 per hour and even more. Sign up on Urbansitter for your next babysitting job. A family is waiting to receive you.

21. House Cleaning

Cleaning is one of the jobs many people find daunting and unproductive. You can turn this into a side job by reaching out to your family, friends, and neighbours who may need the service to get the job done for them for a fee.

House cleaning job can fetch you up to $1000 every week if you find good clients and you are very hardworking. You can start this side job with little or no startup cost. Most of the equipment you’ll be needing will be provided by your clients, but as your work grows, you’ll get better equipment that would make work faster and easier. You can also look up on Care.com for house cleaning jobs.

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