I am an automation engineer, and I live in Mexico. Living in countries like Mexico sometimes means you are not getting paid enough.
If that is the case, the second option is to start a side hustle. In this post, I will share 17 side hustles for engineers.
17 side hustles for engineers
Each engineer has a different set of skills. Some side hustles might resonate with you, and others might not.
I recommend picking just one side hustle and investing your time and skills to grow it and make extra income.
Create online courses.
This is one of the easiest side hustles you can start. You already know your field. All you need to do is create a course, share your experience, and sell it.
Depending on your engineering specialization, you can design a series of online lectures or instructional videos that help students learn.
Also, you can create a course directed to newly graduated engineers, explaining what they can expect in their new roles and how to deal with any issues they might face.
You can sell your courses on platforms like Udimi and Clickbank, which specialize in selling digital products.
Become a part-time tutor.
This is what I did when I just graduated. I used to post in Facebook groups looking for people who needed help with Mathematics and Physics ( most people have problems with these subjects).
I used to charge them to explain concepts and help students with their homework. This is great if you have extra time, especially evenings or weekends.
Another side hustle that I still do is teaching at a local university where I go every Saturday, teaching subjects like control theory and practical English. Depending on your time and skills, this can be a great side hustle.
3. Work as a repairperson
My friend and I started a computer repair workshop a few years ago. We used to make money by changing computer operating systems, cleaning them, installing programs and applications, etc.
If this is something that you can do, it can be a great side hustle for you. You can start fixing and repairing things in your neighborhood and charge people for them.
Take on contractor jobs.
Some companies need something fixed but can not afford to pay someone full-time.
If it is something you can do, you can help them fix the issues in the short term.
I am a certified solar energy system designer. To this day, I take jobs where I help small companies perform sizing and electrical calculations, and I get paid depending on the project.
Create products and sell them online.
If you can build something people can use, you can sell it online and make a profit.
This could be a gadget, a computer program, a game, or anything. Create it and start talking about it online; people will buy from you.
Offer consulting services
This is one of the lucrative side hustles for engineers. If you have credentials and know you can fix things, offering to consult is a way to go.
Small companies might be unable to hire full-time consultants, so they often rely on private contractors to help address technical issues.
If a company has a technical issue you’re qualified to solve, working as a consultant is an effective way to earn money during your free time.
Start a blog
This is what I am doing right now. You know most people want to learn. You can start a blog about anything and publish your content online.
You can start a blog about your field, health, hobbies, etc.
The good thing about starting a blog is that you need a domain name, which will cost you about $10 per year, and hosting will cost you less than $5 monthly.
If you publish quality content and put the effort in, this can be an excellent way to earn side income.
You can learn how to start a blog here.
Work as a freelance technical writer
Forget about AI. Technical writers are still in demand. You can join sites like freelancer.com and Fiverr.com and offer your services.
Most people can pay you good money for an excellent technical writer.
You can start charging small when you get good testimonials and gradually increase the amount you charge.
I have a friend who makes $200 per hour writing technical articles on freelancer.com
Become an app tester.
Many companies that create apps need people who can test them, and who is the better tester than an engineer?
You can go to Amazon Mechanical Turk and look for those jobs. They do not pay that much, but you can easily make some extra cash.
Perform remote data entry.
Companies that rely on large amounts of data to run their business often need professionals to perform data entry tasks.
If you think you can do that, go to Upwork and find many gigs about data entry.
https://www.upwork.com/freelance-jobs/data-entry/
Become a substitute teacher.
Most schools lack enough people to teach science, physics, and mathematics, so when one of their main teachers is unavailable, they will need someone to fill that role temporarily.
If you enjoy teaching or working with children, consider becoming a certified substitute teacher.
Some countries will want you to be certified to do this. I was lucky enough to do it without certification. The only thing I had to show them was my engineering degree.
You can get certified if you think this can be your long-time gig.
Join a ride-sharing app.
If you own a car, you can use it as another source of income. You can start offering rides after work using apps like Uber, Didi, etc.
The good news about this side hustle is that you can turn those apps on whenever you feel like doing extra work and turn them off when you do not feel it.
Perform freelance CAD work.
If you’re an engineer familiar with computer-aided design (CAD), you can probably find some freelance work on the side.
If you know how to use software like Autocad and Solidworks, you can find a side hustle that can help you to make extra cash.
Create your app
For those who can code, this is a great side hustle. You can build your app, sell it, give it away for free, including the inbuilt purchases, or add Google AdSense and make money from it.
Build websites.
I used to do this side hustle back in the day. I used to build websites for my customers for free and sell them hosting.
For me, it was great. I gave away a service that people pay a lot of money for free. The only condition I gave them was to get a hosting plan using my affiliate link.
I would get paid by the affiliate company $100, doing work in less than 30 minutes. It was a win-win for everyone.
You do not have to do it the way I did. Depending on where you are located, you can charge people accordingly and make some extra cash.
Start a YouTube channel.
You can start a YouTube channel explaining concepts about your field. I have seen a lot of engineers who make a lot of money having tech YouTube channels, from presenting different models of PCs or cell phones, video games, airplanes, etc.
You do not need a fancy video recorder to start your YouTube channel. You can use a regular phone or computer ( if you can read this, you have everything to start your YouTube channel).
Use your phone to record things and put them on YouTube. People will find them and will start to follow you and your channel.
You can check out my YouTube channel here
Start a newsletter
You are an engineer. You know, things that few people have. You can share that knowledge with people on the internet and then ask them to subscribe to your newsletter for exclusive content.
You can charge people to be in your newsletter or do it for free.
If you charge for it, that is how you will make money, but if you let people join your newsletter for free, you can offer them mentorship and guidance.
Also, you can recommend gadgets you use. Remember to use your affiliate link; you will get paid if they buy.
7 Simple Side Hustles That you can use to Make at least $100…starting TODAY
Final words
That is it; those are the 17 side hustles for engineers. If you want to make extra cash, you can pick one or combine a few and earn that extra income. Your bank account and family will thank you.