Here’s a relatable situation to kick things off: You want to buy the latest PlayStation, but you don’t have the cash.
Or maybe, for you, this isn’t about a gaming console or even something material—it’s education or personal development that you’re after. You want to learn something new, but you’re limited by the expense and lack of affordable options.
So what can you do?
If you wanna earn some extra cash and simultaneously unlock your full potential, we’ve compiled a list of 17 side hustles you can start doing today.
17 great side hustles for beginners and experts
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the side hustles where you can earn a lot of money and learn to perfect your skills in the process.
1. Delivery
First up, we have a really popular side job—making deliveries. This is a great one for beginners if you have a clean driving record, strong time management, and communication skills.
Compensation can vary greatly, with the average driver making around $16.84 per hour, and some of the highest-paid drivers making $31.40 per hour. Aside from your hourly rate, you can also earn a lot of tips.
Hone your interpersonal skills as you communicate with both your employer and customers when delivering goods. Build problem-solving skills and personal responsibility as you juggle orders and time constraints.
2. YouTube
Here’s another popular one: making videos on YouTube. This can be a popular full-time job as well, but it’s vastly underrated as a side job.
Your channel could be based on vlogging, motivational content, gaming, makeup, or any niche. What’s your passion? What do you love to talk about?
The amount of money you make depends on how many viewers and subscribers you have. If your videos are interesting or funny, you’ll get more attention and vice versa.
3. Driving
Driving is a pretty easy option for those who love it. Thanks to Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing services, this side hustle has become commonplace.
Back in the day you’d have to rent a taxi, but now you can open an account and use your current car to make quick cash.
Speaking of fast money, you’ll make more of it if you’re able to get more rides. Good driving, a friendly and professional demeanor, car cleanliness and punctuality will set you up for good reviews which equal—you guessed it—more rides.
Side benefit? Over time, your driving skills improve, too, after logging all that time behind the wheel.
4. Performing
If you’re a skilled performer, monetizing your talent as a side hustle could be very rewarding—from both a financial and personal standpoint.
You could do standup comedy at a local bar, start a band with your college buddy, or connect with a dance agency to bring in extra cash. Small-time concerts or performances can add up—especially if you develop positive relationships with certain establishments that regularly invite you back.
In the digital age, there are more opportunities than ever to perform in new ways, like Alice Everdeen, who turned her Fiverr side hustle of voiceover work into a career. She made $10,000 last month.
Of course how much money you’ll make depends on your level of talent, the specific industry, and your own initiative and creativity when it comes to pursuing gigs. Regardless of payment, for many starting-out-entertainers, practicing in front of an audience is key—and doing so will help you sharpen your performance skills and build confidence.
5. Copywriting
Writing is a skill that can earn you a lot of money if you can do it well. (And spoiler alert, we’ve got three legit writing gigs on this list.)
According to Copyblogger:
Copywriting is the art and science of strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action.
This skill is in high demand—every company needs skilled copywriters to draw in customers and sell whatever it is that they’re selling.
Moreover, learning and perfecting the skill of persuasion is well worth your time. No matter your career, knowing how to make a hard or soft sell is a key skill. (Because life is sales.)
6. Article Writing
Writing articles for a news outlet or a blog is another viable writing opportunity. Figure out your niche—for example, product reviews or a specific industry. Most often, article writing will require a fair bit of research.
How much you make will depend on your level of experience, level of frequency, and your particular niche. Do you have knowledge of SEO? Can you write about technical topics? How many words per article?
Building research expertise and improving your writing craft will come in handy—whether you’re a student or a professional. If you love to write but are unsure where to begin, there are plenty of online resources to help you get started and develop your skills even further.
7. Ghostwriting
Ghostwriting is writing for a person or company, but not getting credit for it (i.e., another person’s name will appear as “author” on the piece). This writing could be almost anything—people even ghostwrite fictional stories.
Like the other writing side gigs above, you can make good money ghostwriting if you can write well. From blog posts to memoirs, ghostwriters are in demand. Ghostwriting requires knowledge of content creation and basic writing principles—or the willingness to put in the time and effort to learn.
You’ll have the opportunity to research and learn about different topics, depending on the writing project.
8. Graphic Design
Next up is a side hustle that requires some time and effort to learn. If you have an eye for color, aesthetic, and typography, this might be the side hustle for you. Graphic design requires proficiency in some type of design software. For instance, Adobe Creative Cloud includes Photoshop (for photo editing and other effects), Illustrator (to create illustrations or logos), and InDesign (which is a favorite for page layout design).
You can start off doing volunteer projects, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, and/or charging lower rates until you increase your skill level. Freelance work can be found through Fiverr, Upwork, and other talent marketplace sites.
This job can pay well, and you have the potential to offer more specialized services—depending on what you enjoy most and your greatest design strengths. Artistic tendencies, experience, and the extent of training all come into play here. This side hustle could eventually turn into a full-time career or serve as a complementary skill-set that gives you an edge in another (related) profession.
9. Moving
Who doesn’t hate moving? I mean, sure, the experience of living in a new place is exciting, but actually transporting your stuff is a real pain.
That’s why many of us pay other people to do it.
This where you come in. If you’re not interested in adding more screen time to your life (that’s characteristic of most office jobs) and actually enjoy physical labor, why not pick up a side hustle as a mover?
The average base pay is $15.94, plus the bonus of a solid on-the-job workout. 😉
10. Tutoring
Do you enjoy teaching? But don’t necessarily want to make it a career?
Share your knowledge and passion one student at a time by tutoring. Whether you specialize in a single subject or have expertise in multiple areas, this can be a great way to earn money (with a lot of flexibility). Schedule your own hours and work as often or as little as you like.
You could work through a tutoring organization or set up your own website/independent tutoring business. This side gig could even turn into a full-time career over time (if that’s the route you want to go). Credentials, specializations, and experience with kids in a certain age group all impact how much money you can make.
Develop next-level patience, communication, and interpersonal skills—which are valuable in any career.
11. Cleaning
What do busy households do when there’s not enough time for all the day-to-day maintenance that adulting requires?
Outsource.
Many people employ an expensive cleaning service every few weeks.
An alternative to these pricey companies is hiring independent cleaners for a single day—and this is where you can earn money. Maybe you’re known for keeping your own place ultra tidy or perhaps you don’t shy away from physical labor and actually prefer an active job. Depending on your clients’ preferences (and how many households you take on), cleaning jobs can offer a good amount of flexibility and freedom in terms of how many hours and when you work.
12. Cooking
Are you an aspiring chef or just a really good home cook?
Working a side gig as a personal chef might be for you. Whether you cook on a specific day of the week or for a specific number of meals, personal chefs can have a variety of schedules.
This is an excellent income stream for those of you who love cooking but can’t commit to a full-time chef position or the shifting schedules of restaurant life. While not impossible to get started on your own, or with the help of referrals, having credentials will help you sell yourself and make your services more credible. Here’s some other steps you can take to get started.
13. Haircuts and Styling
Ever been told you give a killer haircut? Well, you can put that skill of yours to good use.
Thanks to the internet, you can offer hair services and charge prices way below those of professional hairstylists and parlors. You don’t need to run a barbershop to cut hair.
Even if you’re not charging a lot, the money adds up as you can do multiple haircuts a day. Whether it’s simply word-of-mouth among friends or you create an official website likely depends on how committed you are to seeing your side hustle expand long-term.
14. Painting
Painting is a passion for many, but how do you make it a side hustle?
Talent is a must here, but don’t be quick to (wrongly) assume that your work won’t resonate. There are so many options for artists today, but having an online presence is a must. Brand yourself, build a website, create an Etsy shop, enter a Minted competition, start an Instagram, and/or build a Patreon community. Having a following will help your sales and may inspire you to monetize your art in other ways.
15. Babysitting/Pet Sitting
Do you enjoy spending time with kids? Maybe you have younger siblings or cousins or have coached youth sports. If you’re responsible, empathetic, caring—and maybe a big kid at heart—babysitting could be the perfect side hustle for you.
Parents often need sitters due to work schedules, school breaks, summer vacation, or date nights. Being a reliable once-in-a-while sitter could turn into a more consistent gig. Parents may need help with transportation for kids (to and from school or activities), light housekeeping, or even meal preparation. The more “extras” you’re willing to take on will increase your marketability as a sitter and likely your pay.
Alternatively, if you’re a pet lover, there are plenty of pet-related services people are willing to pay good money for: for example, dog-walking or pet-sitting (during the work day or when pet owners are out of town). There are services like Rover you can sign up with if starting your own business from scratch feels too overwhelming.
16. Reselling
If you have free time and a lot of determination, reselling might be your calling.
Open up an eBay or Amazon account, understand the price of goods by looking at the average price, find deals on products below the market value, and resell them for a profit.
There are so many options for selling stuff these days—Offerup, Poshmark, Tradesy, Mercari. Figure out which one makes the most sense for you.
17. Renting
If you really need the cash but your schedule is packed or you lack necessary skills, then you could rent out a spare room to a friend or even on Airbnb. Put your vehicle to work by renting your car to interested drivers.
Using what you already have available takes a lot of the legwork and time investment out of the side hustle equation. Who doesn’t love passive income?
Get that bread
There you have it—optimize your extra time, cultivate your strengths, and learn new skills. Starting a side hustle can help you reach new goals and make money. Win-win.
