Engineers are innovators, inventors, and problem solvers. Whether you’re a general engineer, software engineer, or data engineer, you can put those skills to use to earn extra money on the side.
You will be compensated financially for your ability to use your engineering ideas to solve specific technical problems. You can also choose non-engineering side hustles to help you make money away from your usual work.
Either way, you can start to bring in extra money to help you:
- Pay off engineering student loans;
- Save money for an important occasion;
- Start a small business; or simply
- Put money toward your financial freedom goals.
With that said, here are the best side hustles for engineers.
Online Jobs
1. Start An Engineering Blog
As an engineer, you probably follow a lot of engineering blogs. Why not use them as inspiration to start your own? With the knowledge you have, you can easily start a blog and monetize it fairly quickly.
But, your blog doesn’t have to be about engineering. You can choose any topic that appeals to you. For example, if you have a passion for travel, food, fashion, crafts, etc., you can choose any of those topics for your blog.
Where to Find Jobs:
I offer a free online course that teaches you everything you need to know about how to start a successful blog. No previous experience is necessary. Simply sign up and get started building your blog right now.
How Much Money Can You Make?
$500-$5,000+/month
Resource to Learn More:
2. YouTube
Building a YouTube channel around engineering can help you monetize your hard-earned knowledge.
As a YouTuber, you’ll be able to create instructional videos to share your technical expertise with a global audience. As your viewership grows, you can make money off your videos by joining the YouTube Partner Program.
Alternatively, you can monetize your content through brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and merchandise sales.
Where to Find Jobs:
My free YouTube Secrets course will provide you with a simple yet effective strategy to build a personal channel on YouTube.
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
3. Tutor Engineering Students Online
Tutoring is an excellent side hustle for engineers who love to share their knowledge. It’s less intensive than stating a blog or YouTube channel and it works for all types of engineers. For example, if you are a civil engineer, you can tutor engineering students to pass the PE exam.
You can get paid up to $45 per hour to tutor engineering students online on websites like the ones below.
Depending on your engineering expertise, you may be able to charge even more, especially if you teach advanced subjects.
As a tutor, you can set your own schedule, which makes it an ideal side gig option if you’re juggling a busy full-time job as an engineer.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$800/week
Resource to Learn More:
4. Create an Engineering Course
An alternative way to share your engineering knowledge without actively teaching, blogging, or creating YouTube videos is to create an online course.
Online courses are an excellent way to earn passive income as an engineer.
Once you create your course, you can set up automatic systems for marketing and sales. Use online learning platforms like Teachable, Skillshare, or Udemy. You don’t have to stop at one course, either. You can continue to create online courses and watch your passive income stream grow.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$1,500-$3,500/month
Resource to Learn More:
5. Sell Engineering Designs and Crafts
This is one of the best side hustle ideas for civil engineers and mechanical engineers who enjoy creative pursuits like carpentry and woodworking. You can create a range of products to sell online, such as jewelry, art, metal sculptures, and so on.
If you are into design engineering, you can take advantage of your professional background while doing something fun and creative such as creating boutique products. You can sell your creations directly to your customers on websites like Tindie.
Just get creative and come up with unique items that people will want to buy online. When you think outside the box, you’ll find that there’s no limit to what you can do with your engineering skills.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,200/month
Resource to Learn More:
6. Sell Digital Designs Online
Creating and selling digital products is an ideal source of side income. It’s easy to start this type of business and you can scale it as much as you please.
Platforms like Etsy make it easy to set up your own online store, complete with tools to market your products, receive payments, and communicate with your customers.
Anytime you study, research, and develop an idea for a new product and/or the systems used to create it, you can make money by selling those custom designs online. If you love drawing, offer custom graphic designs for paper products or custom logos, etc.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$400/week
Resource to Learn More:
7. Resell Stuff on Amazon
Like most other side hustles on this list, this can be done in your spare time and has the potential to provide you with a healthy source of income.
Search sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist to find products that you can purchase cheaply and then resell them on Amazon for a profit. You can use Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) to get the products to your customers.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
8. Start a Dropshipping Business
Dropshipping is a popular business model that involves very little risk since you only order products from a supplier after you’ve made a sale. The supplier then delivers the product to the customer directly.
You don’t have to maintain any stock or inventory, which means that this side hustle has minimal startup costs. It’s perfect for you if you’re on a tight budget.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$500/week
Resource to Learn More:
9. Sell Aerial Video and Photos
There is a steady demand for stock photos and video footage of all types. But, you can stand out from the crowd and make more from your side hustle by offering aerial videos and photos.
How? Simple. All you need is a drone to capture the footage and you can start earning extra income right away.
Companies like Getty, Shutterstock, and Pond5 pay royalties for high-quality drone footage in a variety of niches, such as travel, sports, lifestyle, animals, and food. You can even sell your footage to multiple websites at once to boost your chances of making money.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$400/project
Resource to Learn More:
10. Offer Consulting Services on Engineering Projects
An engineering consultant gets paid to provide expertise and guidance to businesses and individuals working on engineering projects. Financially speaking, this is one of the best side hustles for architectural engineers.
If you are interested in this type of side hustle, and if you have the specialized skills required, you’ll earn money by coming up with effective engineering concepts and advising your clients on how best to achieve their design and construction objectives.
Offer consulting for building technology design, troubleshooting, and so on. The better you are at helping clients bridge the gap between expectation and implementation, the more you will get paid in your engineering consultancy side hustle.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$800-$2,500/project
Resource to Learn More:
Freelance Side Hustles for Engineers
Skilled engineers are always in demand. If you have the right skills to offer, there are many freelance marketplaces out there where you can find engineering side hustles.
However, when it comes to finding well-paying gigs that are suited to your skills, it’s probably best to opt for platforms that cater specifically to engineers rather than general freelancing websites.
This way, you won’t have to waste a lot of time sifting through job listings that are not relevant to your expertise.
With that said, here are some of the best freelancing side hustles for engineers.
11. Take On Freelance Engineering Projects
Taking on freelancing engineering projects is the most obvious side hustle idea for an experienced engineer. You can use your skills to complete projects on engineering-focused platforms like Cad Crowd. Simply sign up for free, create a profile, and start pitching clients. You’ll be able to take on minor engineering jobs that you can complete while keeping your own hours.
This is a great way to leverage your proficiency as an engineering professional to make extra spending money.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$1,500/project
Resource to Learn More:
12. Do CAD Work
If you have CAD skills, you can leverage them to earn money online. Computer-Aided Design is the process of using software to create, analyze, and optimize designs. This is a skill that will always be in demand because any company that has to manufacture anything must first use CAD.
This can be a lucrative side hustle for a mechanical engineer, but it’s also a viable side gig for other types of engineers as well. You might even consider CAD training where you offer your skills to companies that need someone to train or instruct their teams.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$20-$25/hour
Resource to Learn More:
13. Become a Freelance Web Developer
If you are a data engineer with web development skills, you can offer your coding services to web agencies.
There are many platforms online that link freelance engineers in different fields, such as mechanical engineering, 3D modeling, reverse engineering, electrical engineering, and finite element analysis.
Depending on which engineering field your skills lie, you can create a profile on sites like the ones below, list your qualifications, and apply to any projects that appeal to you.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$2,000/week
Resource to Learn More:
14. Become a Freelance App Designer
If you have extensive knowledge of coding and computers, then you can earn extra money by contracting out your skills as a engineer.
Mobile app development is an exploding industry and tech-based businesses will pay you to create special functions for their customers.
This is a well-paying side hustle for engineers. Your job will involve designing and testing software to help business operations run more smoothly and make the lives of customers easier.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$1,500-$3,500/project
Resource to Learn More:
15. Make Money with Data Analysis
Another way to monetize your engineering skills is to become a data analyst. This job involves organizing information for businesses that want to streamline operations.
You’ll get paid to complete tasks such as data cleaning, data analysis, and data visualization.
You can start by advertising your services on freelance marketplaces and job boards to find clients and data science projects. As your portfolio grows stronger, you will start to attract more and higher-paying clients.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,500/project
Resource to Learn More:
16. Offer Freelance Technical Writing Services
Freelance writing is a lucrative side hustle for engineers with good writing skills and technical expertise. It’s a great way to earn money in your free time by writing technical content, such as instruction manuals, user guides, technical copywriting, technical communication, and so on.
There are many websites online that need experienced writers, and as a freelance writer, you can take on as much work as you’re comfortable completing each week.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$400/article
Resource to Learn More:
17. Perform Remote Data Entry
Data entry is a relatively simple way to earn money as an engineer. Companies rely on huge amounts of data to run their businesses and they often need professionals like you to perform data entry tasks.
The job typically involves analyzing large sets of information and then inputting it into a central database. If you love playing around with numbers and are good at typing fast, then this is a fun side hustle you can do in your spare time.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$25/hour
Resource to Learn More:
18. Work As a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant’s job is to perform specific tasks to assist in the day-to-day management of a business. This includes data entry, inbox management, content management, and whatever else is required.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$800-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
19. Become a Technical Support Engineer
Put your STEM skills to use by working part-time as a tech support engineer. Your job will involve answering emails and phone calls from customers and helping them fix any technical issues they may have.
Remote IT is an excellent side hustle for all engineers, but it’s particularly well-suited to data engineers with extensive knowledge in computing.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$22/hour
Resource to Learn More:
Low-Effort Side Hustles for Engineers
20. Become an App Tester
This is one of the easiest side hustles for anyone with technical skills. It doesn’t require any complicated programming skills since you’ll be testing applications as a typical user.
You can sign up on app testing platforms to start testing apps for tech companies like Google, Applause, and Userlytics. As a part-time Tester, you’ll earn between $15 and $25 per hour.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$120/test
Resource to Learn More:
21. Sign Up for Market Research
Market research groups are paid to share their experiences and opinions. Their job is to gather information that can help brands make better business decisions.
No special skills are required. All you have to do is sign up on a few apps, fill in your profile, and you’ll start receiving offers for any relevant studies.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$50-$150/study
Resource to Learn More:
22. Sports Betting
Ever since online betting was legalized, many people have turned to this as a way to make money online.
The sports betting side hustle can be quite lucrative indeed. BUT, I only recommend it if you are willing to lose some money in the process.
Remember, it’s a probabilities game. You’re not going to be right and win all the time. But, if you’re able to build a quantitative method to predict the outcomes of your chosen sporting events, then you stand a good chance of ending up with a profit over time.
Although this is a higher risk than most other options here, it’s a potentially lucrative side hustle for engineers that are skilled in analytical models and can increase the odds of winning by mapping out major sports and then placing bets on them.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$200+/day
Resource to Learn More:
Driver Jobs
23. Become a Rideshare Driver
If you own a car and love to drive, you can join a ridesharing app. This is yet another easy side hustle for engineers to earn supplemental income.
You can set your own schedule and take on passengers whenever you want. To get started as a rideshare driver, sign up on any rideshare app and follow the instructions to become certified.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$800-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
24. Deliver Items
If you’d rather not have to deal with passengers, another way to earn money on the side is to deliver food, groceries, packages, and other items.
Sign up on food delivery apps or package delivery services like the ones below to start earning right away.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,200/month
Resource to Learn More:
25. Start a Pet Sitting Business
Starting a pet-sitting business entails virtually no upfront investment, and can be done on your own schedule. This is a great side hustle for busy engineers who love animals and want to find a more relaxing way to earn a side income.
You can even boost your income by offering additional services such as walking, home boarding, grooming, and sleepovers (or night care).
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$20-$30/hour
Resource to Learn More:
26. Rent Out Your Spare Room
If you have a spare room, you can start an Airbnb business. Becoming a host on Airbnb can be a relatively easy way to earn extra income, particularly if you are an engineer who’s always traveling.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
27. Take on Electrical Repair Jobs in Your Area
This is among the best side hustles for electrical engineers. Hands-on electrical work is always in demand in areas where there is a housing boom.
You’ll find a constant flow of side gigs for electrical specialists to install electrical systems or inspect them. You can even consult on large projects that involve extensive electrical systems.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$500-2,000/week
Resource to Learn More:
28. Fix and Sell iPhones For a Profit
Did you know that you can make a healthy side income with an iPhone fixing side hustle? As an engineer, you’re probably among the few people well-suited to fixing broken iPhones.
You likely understand the device’s inner workings, or at the very least, you have the foundational knowledge to get started in the side hustle. Everything else you need to learn, you can probably find on YouTube.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$1,000/week
Resource to Learn More:
29. Start A Home Business
There are many side hustle businesses you can start from home. They don’t have to involve engineering, but it can be a good idea to draw on the knowledge and skills you already possess.
For example, if you are a chemical engineer, you might consider creating handmade natural soaps, bath bombs, and scents to sell online.
You can create your own website to showcase your products or services to prospective clients. Each of the website builders below offers a free trial or free plan which means you can get started for free.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
30. Sell Real Estate
Selling real estate is by no means an easy side hustle, but it can grow into a very profitable one that might even replace your full-time engineering income.
Check out the resource below to help you learn how you can become a licensed real estate agent and start making money by assisting clients to buy, sell, or rent properties.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$3,000-$5,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
31. Invest in the Stock Market
Stock market investing has massive earning income potential. There are many people who secured themselves for life financially by making good trades in the right stocks, at the right time.
If this is something that interests you, check out the resource below to learn how you can get started as an investor and earn passive income.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$1,000-$4,000+/month
Resource to Learn More:
This article has outlined dozens of the best side hustles for engineers to make extra money.
Whether you are an engineering student, a freelance engineer, or a busy professional with a full-time job, you can use your knowledge and skills to bring in extra income from any of the side hustles listed here.
All that’s left is for you to pick one that appeals to you and get started earning extra cash right away.