It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the gig economy is growing in importance as millennials and Gen Xers, in particular, look for ways to boost their income. As a result, millions of young adults have turned to side hustles to help pay rent and increase their savings. 

Some side hustles are well-known, like driving for Uber, DoorDashing, freelance writing, and even older but still popular options like dog walking or babysitting. Of course, the best scenario is to turn a hobby into a profitable side hustle, which many photographers try to achieve. 

10. Virtual Assistant

A rising field in the gig economy, virtual assistants can be a very lucrative side hustle if you can find the right person to work for. As part of this job, you’ll be responsible for scheduling, data entry, potentially managing email, and assisting someone with whatever they need. 

Virtual Work, Real Money

Much of your earnings as a virtual assistant will depend on how often you work. Salaries can range from $20 to as much as $100 an hour, depending on the clients. Someone who looks to do virtual assistant work as a part-time or even full-time job can make between $45,000 and $65,000 on average. 

9. Garage Sales

If you enjoy getting out into the world, the garage sale side hustle is a fun way to discover lost and rare items and a super fun hobby. Whether it’s collecting Star Wars toys, retro video game consoles, or old electronics, this hobby is full of discovery. 

Flip Everything

One of the biggest challenges with this side hustle is simply having enough room in a home to store everything. However, it’s not impossible to double or triple your money if you know eBay or Facebook marketplace well. 

8. Focus Group

If you have ever wanted to sit down and be part of a research method to talk about a particular topic like a commercial or specific brand with researchers, a focus group side hustle might be for you. Finding a spot in one of these opportunities is plentiful as brands consistently seek feedback on their work. 

Big Earnings

According to NetCredit, anyone participating in side hustles can make upward of $28 per hour, on average, participating in a focus group, though some can pay as much as $200 for a few hours. According to Business Insider, one individual made an average of $2,845 monthly participating in online focus groups. 

7. Uber

One of the best-known side hustles can also be one of the most lucrative, especially if you are willing to drive on days when you know Uber will have peak times. Driving for Uber is pretty easy as it’s mostly about having a driver’s license, a reliable vehicle, passing a background check, and putting in as many hours as you want. 

Uber Earnings

It’s safe to say that Uber earnings are all over the place, as they’re highly dependent on your area, hours, and whether you drive during peak times. This said, drivers who commit to weekends and maybe a weeknight or two can earn $500 or more on average. It requires a lot of driving, but it’s a great way to earn money while interacting with people. 

6. Affiliate Marketing

It’s important to note that affiliate marketing as a side hustle requires a lot of knowledge and understanding in the field. Far too many people online are trying to sell you courses to make you an affiliate marketer and this isn’t the way to make money, but having your channels is. Of course, you need an audience, but creating one on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram isn’t impossible, it just takes time and hard work. 

Weekend YouTube

Anyone who can write a blog on the side or start a small YouTube channel can use affiliate marketing to bring in substantial revenue as their popularity grows. Many of the biggest YouTubers and Instagram influencers started as side hustles. More importantly, it’s not unrealistic to say that earning as much as $5,000 per month through affiliate marketing of things like tech gadgets isn’t achievable. 

5. Photography

Photography is one of the more skilled side hustles that requires strong word of mouth whether it’s wedding photography on the weekends, engagement shoots, or selling photos to platforms like Shutterstock, where you can earn significant money if you rise to the top of a field. Even a half-day shoot on a Saturday can bring in one to two thousand if you have the right clients. 

Worth The Effort

Putting an exact earnings figure is tough, as there are so many different avenues of side hustle available in the photography space. Teaching a photography workshop will pay less than shooting a wedding, but making as much as $20,000 to $40,000 per year or more isn’t impossible if you come highly recommended. Selling stock photography won’t pay a ton, but it’s also passive income to consider. 

4. Pet Sitting/Walking

Anything involving pets has been a side hustle for as long as many can remember. Well before the words “side hustle” or “gig economy” were part of our everyday language, walking and pet-sitting dogs and pets were an opportunity to make money. 

Good Side Work

It’s hard to say if pet sitting or walking will ever make enough to sustain full-time work, but as a side hustle, people who use a website like Rover have made as much as $50-$70 per hour for pet sitting. One Redditor even said they were making around $1,000 per month, which gives you an idea of the high side of this side gig. 

3. Online Tutoring

Online tutoring can take many forms as you might be hired to help with a specific subject, teach a language, or teach a musical instrument. During the pandemic, online musical tutoring became a lucrative side hustle that continues to this day. 

Among The Highest Paying

If you join a platform like TutorMe or VIPKid, you can find clients for whom you can rely solely on your own marketing and word of mouth. How lucrative online tutoring is entirely dependent on what you charge. However, charging between $50 and $100 per hour isn’t uncommon, and depending on the hours worked, it can turn into a nice little side income. 

2. Etsy Selling

Selling on Etsy is a double-edged sword, as you have to navigate through a lot of noise to make money. However, everything from handmade crafts to digital calendars are very popular products that have become very lucrative for those who know how to market their work well. Etsy Selling has grown in popularity in a big way, which means it’s a more crowded market space than ever. 

Takes Time To Build

According to Customacy, the average Etsy seller can make, on average, around $35,583 per year. In a more freelance capacity, earnings around $500 – $1000 per month are more likely if you just put the bare minimum into the work. 

1. Freelance Writing

One of the most popular and common side hustles, freelance writing includes everything from writing blogs and articles to copy for websites. Finding work in this field can be done on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and even LinkedIn and Slack groups. 

Popular and Lucrative

When it comes to pay in freelance writing, there is no question that it has broad earning potential. Earning anywhere between $25 and $100 per hour isn’t uncommon, while experts in some fields can command much more for long-form articles on which they provide expert opinions. 

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