Do you struggle to make ends meet on a single source of income? Wondering how to make extra income while working full-time?
It’s often difficult to escape the cycle of financial stress when working full-time. But for many, the loss of a stable paycheck is terrifying.
But what if you could easily earn money on the side without giving up your day job? Luckily, there are many exciting ways!
If you want to start a lucrative side hustle while keeping your job, here are some ideas to get you started.
Why Should You Consider a Side Gig While Working Full-Time?
Most people are getting creative these days and spending their spare time looking into unique ways to make more money outside of their regular job.
And there are many reasons why you might want to start a side hustle beyond your full-time work, such as:
- Earn extra cash without much experience
- Provides more freedom than a full-time position
- Helps cover other unexpected expenses and save money
- Helps to pay off debt, such as a mortgage, student loan, credit card debt, etc
- Helps bring a sense of fulfillment
- Allows you to follow your passion or hobby
- Opens the door to new opportunities outside your full-time job
What You’ll Need to Make Extra Income?
Some call it work-from-home jobs, while others call it part-time side gigs. Whatever you call them, you’ll need some basic, simple tools to get started before landing your first work-at-home job.
- A computer/laptop and a stable internet connection: There are hundreds of ways to make money online working from home. To get started, you’ll need a good computer or laptop and a stable internet connection.
- A comfortable workspace: Almost all work-from-home jobs require sitting in front of your computer for long periods each day. It’s important to have a comfortable space to work. You should invest in your home office, even if it’s just a comfortable chair and a work table that’s the right height or a cozy spot on your couch.
- A support network: It’s important to communicate your priorities and goals with your family and friends to build a support system. Make sure they understand your commitment to both your regular job and the little side hustle you’re running or planning to work on.
10 Ways to Make Extra Income While Working a Full-Time Job
Here are 10 side jobs that you can consider looking into without sacrificing your regular nine-to-five job:
- Make Money Writing and Transcribing
- Rent Out Your Unused Space
- Become a Rideshare Driver
- Leverage the Power of Amazon
- Start a Blog
- Make Money With Your Coding Skills
- Start a Podcast
- Make Money from Dog Walking
- Take Online Surveys
- Work as a Mystery Shopper
1. Make Money Writing and Transcribing
The opportunities for making money on the side are endless if you enjoy writing.
If you have a knack for writing or storytelling, be ready to make a decent living working as a freelance content writer. You can list your services on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, etc.
You can also make extra money online by transcribing video and audio files for people. Transcriptionists are paid per word.
If your typing is good, you can do more in less time and make more money.
You can find transcription work on freelance sites or platforms that exclusively list transcription jobs.
2. Rent Out Your Unused Space
Renting out your unused space is one of the best ways to create an additional source of income.
This could include renting your house or part of your home on popular sites such as Airbnb and VRBO. The vacation rental business is both profitable and fun.
Becoming an Airbnb host is an excellent vacation rental business and a great way to supplement your income.
You could also rent out storage spaces, parking spaces, or spaces for special events.
From entire homes to spare rooms and storage spaces, you may have something people would love to pay you to rent.
If you love interacting with strangers, you could drive people around town during weekends as an Uber or Lyft driver.
Ridesharing is a cultural phenomenon sweeping across the globe. If you’re friendly and a good driver, you can do well and drive people when it’s most convenient for you.
As a rideshare driver, you can make a lot of extra money if you work hard. For instance, if you need to drive 12 hours to pay off a bill, you can do just that.
You can always work more hours depending on your schedule and preference.
4. Leverage the Power of Amazon
For anyone looking for new ways to generate passive income, Amazon is an easy way to get started.
There are many ways you could leverage the power of Amazon to make significant money online while still keeping your day job.
You could make money writing Amazon reviews or becoming a seller on Amazon, or launch your e-commerce store and start using Amazon FBA to make money.
The Amazon Affiliate program is one of the easiest ways to build a digital marketing portfolio and boost your passive income.
5. Start a Blog
Starting a blog can be a rewarding venture that opens up exciting opportunities to speed up your road to income and allow you to make significant money.
If you love writing and are passionate about sharing your ideas, then blogging is the right side hustle for you.
According to Indeed, bloggers make $51,971 a year on average. There are many ways you can monetize your blogs, such as affiliate links, advertising, sponsored posts, and digital products.
If you want to make quick money, start with a B2B consulting funnel and sell to businesses rather than individuals.
6. Make Money With Your Coding Skills
There are countless ways to make money writing codes as a part-time coder without losing your day job.
Coding skills are incredibly valuable in today’s digital world, and there are plenty of opportunities available for any freelance developer looking for the perfect side gig.
The demand for skilled programmers continues to skyrocket as technologies such as AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) transform the future.
Whether you have skills or are self-taught, you can start coding apps in your spare time and make money.
7. Start a Podcast
The joy of podcasting is that you can start your podcast and discuss topics that are interesting to you.
The best part about podcasting is that it can be anything you want it to be: a hobby, a part-time gig, or a lucrative business.
You can launch your podcast, build an audience, and monetize your podcast with ads and sponsorships.
Do it right, and you can make serious money talking about your favorite topics.
No wonder media companies like Apple and Spotify are investing so much money in the podcasting space.
8. Make Money from Dog Walking
During the COVID pandemic, many people around the world have turned to their favorite pets to ease their troubles.
According to an ASPCA survey in 2021, one in five households in the U.S. got a new pet dog during the pandemic. This makes pet sitting or dog walking a lucrative side hustle for many.
Become a dog walker and turn your puppy love into a money-making gig. It’s fun and can be profitable if your schedule allows for the most needed walking times.
Some of the popular dog-walking apps to make money are Wag!, Rover, Fetch!, and PetBacker.
9. Take Online Surveys
There are hundreds of sites or online platforms where you can participate in paid surveys to make money and influence the type of products or services that are on the market.
Although surveys don’t pay much, you can take as many survey sites as you want to boost your earnings.
There’s no background or skills needed; you can start right away and get paid to take surveys.
Some of the best sites to take online surveys are Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, Toluna, and Get Reviewed.
10. Work as a Mystery Shopper
Becoming a mystery shopper is a flexible way to make extra money without replacing your nine-to-five job.
It’s a fun way to get paid to shop and share your experience. You have to pose as a customer and report back on the quality of the product or service received.
The best part: you get paid to shop in your favorite stores, eat in your favorite restaurants, and more. Being a secret shopper can be exciting and fun, and it’s easy money.
However, there are many scam sites out there, so be careful when looking for mystery shopper jobs.
Steps to Starting Your First Side Hustle
Fortunately, the gig economy offers plenty of opportunities for people looking for lucrative part-time jobs.
If you want to land your first side gig and earn money, here are a few steps to get started:
Step 1: Determine Your Skills, Expertise, and Experience
First, take time to determine your interests or hobbies that you enjoy doing in your spare time.
Identify your strengths, skills, and experience to create a list of activities that match your passions, areas of interest, and expertise.
For example, if you love watching movies, you could write movie reviews, or if you’re into coding, you could be a freelance web developer.
Your hobbies and interests will help determine your options.
Step 2: Assess Your Available Bandwidth
Determine the amount of time and resources you could allocate to your side gig to keep yourself organized and on task.
While freedom and flexibility can be excellent qualities in a job, these benefits may come at a cost. Weigh in the pros and cons of working part-time before making the move.
Do you plan to dedicate all of your free time to your other part-time gig? Do you plan on working weekends too?
Answers to these will help you take control of your schedule and avoid burnout, especially if you’re doing a regular job.
Step 3: Sign Up On Freelance Job Boards
The competition for remote positions is high. For every job position, there may be hundreds or thousands of applicants.
Create profiles on popular freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr, Upwork, FlexJobs, RemoteHub, or LinkedIn to market yourself.
There are so many companies that hire remote workers. You can find plenty of opportunities on these job boards.
Explore potential projects or jobs to find the side hustle that best matches your skills and interests.
Step 4: Start With Small Projects to Test the Waters
Many people are afraid of taking risks, and it’s natural to think about what you really want and whether it’s right for you.
After all, making money online is about starting out at the bottom and making your way up. This goes for anyone looking to make extra money on the side.
Start taking small projects to test the waters and assess your ability and skills. This way, you’ll at least have some idea whether or not this works for you or if this is what you want to do going forward.
This is a great way to test an idea before committing to it.
Wrapping Up
No matter your experience level or background, there are plenty of part-time remote job opportunities out there.
If you have the right skills and mindset, you can get started with a high-paying side hustle alongside your full-time job.
We’ve provided some interesting and easy ways to make money online without leaving your day job.
So if you liked our article, share it with others who might be interested in making extra money. And if you have any questions, leave us a comment!
