Top 17 side jobs for earning extra money [updated]

SkillsCategory
13 min read
Kamalika De

Are you looking for a way to earn extra money without leaving the job that you already have? The internet is a powerful tool that can help you learn about countless side jobs that pay well. But you need to think which one matches your schedule and skills, while helping you earn a respectable amount of money.

In this post, I have listed the top 17 side jobs that you may consider. Choose the one that allows you to take what you love or are good at and turn it into a profit.

Editor’s note:Once you have chosen a side job, search for a domain name for your business, a suitable web hosting plan and a professional email to build trust and help you spread the word about your services. You can also use our Online Starter Bundle that can help you get online in less than 5 minutes.

17 side jobs to consider

Here are my top suggestions for side gigs that are bound to get success.

  1. Graphic designer.
  2. Digital marketer.
  3. Consultant.
  4. YouTuber.
  5. Affiliate marketer.
  6. Tutor.
  7. Caregiver
  8. Pet-sitter
  9. Party planner
  10. House helper
  11. Freelancer
  12. Virtual assistant
  13. Rideshare driver
  14. Delivery assistant
  15. Bookkeeper
  16. Home organizer
  17. Vacation renter

Let’s have a close look at each of these 17 side hustles.

1. Graphic designer

This is one of the most popular and profitable side gig ideas — and no, a degree in graphic art is not mandatory. If you have proficiency and experience in creating eye-pleasing designs, you can consider this path.

Side Jobs Graphic Designer

A few tips:

  • Choose a niche such as healthcare or retail
  • Do a project pro bono (unpaid) for a non-profit or NGO to fill out your portfolio
  • Once you have a paying client who likes your work, ask for a referral

With persistence, you can earn extra money as a part-time graphic designer.

2. Digital marketer

The possibilities of working in the world of digital marketing are endless. Business owners are strapped for time and often need help creating or monitoring their digital presence.

Once you master a skill — content marketing or SEO, for example — you can get a good amount of side income.

Here are a few important areas of digital marketing that you should explore if you are serious about taking it up as a side job:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media marketing and management
  • Content marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Sponsored advertising

Learning a specific internet marketing skill is not enough. To stand ahead of the competitors, you’ll also need a proper work ethic, time management, social skills and updated knowledge of the latest market trends.

3. Consultant

If you already have a full-time job in any sector, sell your knowledge and experience in that sector as a consultant on the side.

For example, if your work field is related to finance, you can become a financial consultant online. Think about what you are good at and what kind of obstacles you have solved so far in your full-time career.

After that, it’s a good idea to build a website and stay active on social media to promote your consulting services, network and find clients. Keep all your socials in one place with a link in bio, you can also add your website, any recent case studies you worked on, articles you wrote, etc.

Note: Be sure to check your full-time contract to see if it includes a non-compete clause that would prohibit you from doing work for the same or similar clients your full-time employer serves.

4. YouTuber

Becoming a YouTuber is another option to choose as a side hustle. It is not an easy task, but a completely doable one if you stay consistent in recording and uploading videos on a regular basis.

Side Jobs Vidya Vox
If you’re ambitious, YouTube is a good way to make money.
Source

There are mainly two types of people who can run successful YouTube channels:

  • Those who make entertaining videos
  • Those who make helpful guide videos for a niche audience

Whether you want to make your channel entertaining or educational, all you need to worry about is the quality of the video content. Once you have generated high-quality content for a period of time, your viewership will increase and you will be able to harness the various monetization options from YouTube.

5. Affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing has become one of the most popular ways to earn extra money. The best thing is you can easily do it as a side job.

Blogging is a great way to make money as an affiliate marketer.

To be successful, you need to pick a niche and attract a sizable following. Some popular and profitable niches are:

  • Software and tools
  • Amazon and eBay products
  • Online courses

Once you have chosen a niche, the next step is to build a website and to apply for becoming an affiliate. You can become a Godaddy affiliate to earn money promoting Godaddy products on your website.

Or you could become an affiliate for a virtual private network (VPN) provider. You should read reviews of different VPNs and watch online tutorials to get an understanding of this option.

6. Tutor

This is a job that you can do online and/or offline. Having a particular number of years of working history is not mandatory to be a tutor.

If you do have some tutoring experience, it’s the icing on the cake.

To line up offline tutoring jobs in the evenings or on weekends, check with the employment office in your area or browse online job portals.

To become an online tutor, register yourself on legitimate websites that connect students to the most suitable tutors through well-made platforms. When you create your profile, be sure to:

  • Specify the subjects or classes you like to teach
  • Mention your experience and qualifications
  • Include your fees

Once your details are checked and validated, there will be an online test or a telephonic interview for the selection process.

7. Caregiver

Eldercare and babysitting are the top side hustle jobs for those who like to be around people. Having a specific degree is not the most important thing you need to be a caregiver. All you need is empathy and compassion for people.

Caregiving as a side gig is ideal if you feel committed to taking care of someone else.

The responsibilities vary widely, but in general, they include:

  • Help with personal hygiene and care
  • Take care of timely meals
  • Manage basic home affairs

You can sign up as a caregiver with some service or choose to work independently. In both cases, you can set your availability as per your preference.

8. Pet-sitter

If you like spending time with pets, pet sitting is an ideal side gig for you. It's good for pets and relieves you of stress too. You can have a full-time job during the day and work as a dog-walker in the evening. This is probably among the best side jobs while working full time.

You can start by asking in your neighborhood itself. Try volunteering for friends and family, and they'll spread the word for you.

Pet-sitting, pet-walking, or pet-grooming might not even feel like a side job. You can befriend pets quickly and spend time playing with them.

9. Party planner

Party planning and event planning are also good options to make money on side jobs. It's your ideal side job if you love to interact and enjoy working with others. From corporate events to weddings and birthday parties, you can plan multiple types of events.

The usual tasks of a planner are:

  • Decide a theme for the party
  • Rent the event venue
  • Work on the food menu
  • Hire caterers and decorators
  • Take care of the invitations

You can start as a planner with a little investment and without any formal training. A plus point is that you can find potential new clients at every event.

Related: 9 startup business ideas within Rs. 10,000

10. House helper

Another way of making money on side jobs is by managing people's tasks and undertaking errands. You can offer different types of services according to your available time.

You can help around the house or pick up groceries, medicines and other deliveries.

You can also offer repairing and building services in your free time. During festivals and events, you can earn even more money by offering to organize homes.

Start by checking for potential clients among your neighbors or on social media. Someday, maybe, this occasional gig will grow as your full-time weekend side gig or a business.

11. Freelancer

Person working on a laptop

Freelancing is all the rage currently, and for the right reasons. If you have the in-demand skills and free time, you can go freelance and earn extra cash.

As a freelancer, you can offer a variety of services from as basic as data entry and document conversion to as specialized as business lead generation. Other common services are:

  • Writing
  • Designing
  • Web development

You can sell just about any skill as a freelance service professional.

To start freelancing, you can sign up on popular sites like Upwork and Fiverr. Many industry-specific job boards also promote freelance gigs.

Related: Top freelancing websites in India

12. Virtual assistant

With the rising number of entrepreneurs, virtual assistants are in demand. They're specialized freelancers who help entrepreneurs with administrative tasks.

This is among the side jobs you can do on your own time and earn a handsome amount.

Among the various tasks a virtual assistant can do are:

  • Schedule meetings and manage calendar
  • Create presentation and meeting pitches
  • Research for relevant case studies and statistics
  • Participate in meetings and take notes
  • Reply to emails and customer queries

Virtual assistant tasks are primarily remote part-time side jobs from home. So, make sure that anyone who hires you as an assistant is legitimate. Do your research before signing contracts.

13. Rideshare driver

If you have a car and a smartphone, you can sign up with a rideshare service. It's another of the good side hustle jobs to earn extra money.

Signing up as a rideshare driver enables you to turn your vehicle into a private car service. It's the best gig if you know your way around town.

The more you drive people efficiently, the higher is your earnings on the road.

As a rideshare driver, you can set your availability on the fly. You'll be able to work along with your current schedule smoothly and make money whether it's day or night.

14. Delivery assistant

Another option to make money on the side is to be a delivery assistant. Most opportunities for a delivery person are part-time, in different shifts.

Man with his arms full of packages

You can choose your own time and ride around delivering packages to customers. Sign up with courier delivery, grocery delivery, or food delivery services as per your interest. All you need is consistent access to a vehicle and a smartphone.

While the delivery assistant pay isn't huge, being one is an excellent opportunity to make money in your free time. If the customer is happy, you can even earn tips.

15. Bookkeeper

A bookkeeping side gig would be a great choice if you're a good organizer and good with finance management. You must ensure the records and reports you provide are accurate.

Bookkeepers need to manage many things apart from the basic accounting and bookkeeping tasks. So, it can be tricky at times.

Mostly you can work from home. Thus, being tech-savvy and business-savvy is a plus for a remote bookkeeper. It doesn't matter where you work as long as you follow the basic rules and guidelines.

16. Home organizer

If cleaning and rearranging closets sound fun, a home organizer is probably among the best side hustle jobs for you.

This has been a growing side gig for quite some time now.

As a home organizer, you can help people clear their clutter or help them stay organized. You can help others with:

  • Festive cleaning
  • Moving in or out
  • Complete house makeover

If you're interested in design, you can even offer interior decor services.

Apart from those, loads of families rent their homes for a short-term. They always need a home organizer or housekeeper regularly.

17. Vacation renter

Renting the empty and extra space at home is also a lucrative side business you can start. You don't need any educational degree to list your home as a vacation rental.

Anyone can clear and arrange their spare room or storage space and rent it for tourists.

Renting won't need any active involvement from you most of the time. Delegate the admin tasks and services, and this gig will practically run on auto-pilot mode.

It's among those side jobs that make good money, especially if your home is in a popular vacation area. You can make a significant amount of extra money this way.

Choose a side hustle and just go for it!

These are some side jobs that pay well. However, there are also quite a lot more options out there!

Pretty much any expertise you can think of can be turned into a way to earn extra money.

There is no need to stress yourself out about it. If you have skills and proficiency, you can easily make money on the side. Take your time, find something you have an interest in and eventually, you will get something rewarding that you can continue doing for years.

The information contained in this blog post is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as an endorsement or advice from GoDaddy on any subject matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few frequently asked questions about money-making side jobs answered for you.

What are weekend side jobs to make money?

Below are some weekend side jobs to make more money:

  • Pet sitter
  • Tutor
  • Rideshare driver
  • Babysitter
  • Delivery assistant

What is the best side job?

The best side job for you depends on your skills and interests. For artists, freelance graphic design and home organization and decoration might be the best side gig. For professionals in the finance industry, however, bookkeeping and virtual assistant tasks would be more suitable.

And if you love meeting people, party planning, rideshare driving and caregiving are the best side jobs to make money.

How can I make $1000 on the side?

It takes time and patience to make $1000 on the side. Blogging, creating YouTube videos, and podcasting are some of the best side hustle jobs from home you can do. You can also learn and try writing, designing, or developing websites depending on your interest. With experience, you can easily earn $1000 a week, regularly.

What is the highest paying side job?

Freelancing, bookkeeping, and virtual assistant jobs are high-paying jobs for side money. With in-demand skills and good reviews, you can keep increasing your rates.

What are good side hustle jobs from home?

Some good side jobs to make money from home are:

  • Affiliate marketer
  • Bookkeeper
  • Freelancer
  • Online tutor
  • YouTuber

How can I make extra money while working full time?

Following are the best side money jobs you can undertake while working full time:

  • Caregiver
  • Freelancer
  • Pet-sitter
  • Rideshare driver
  • Vacation renter

How do I find part-time jobs for a side hustle?

You can find part-time side jobs for money in different places like:

  • Job boards
  • Social media
  • Task-specific apps
  • Freelance websites
  • Workplace referrals

UPDATE: This side jobs post was first published on 13 November 2019 and updated on 18 March 2022.

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