Side jobs provide us with the additional income that we are looking for without the time constraints and demands that part-time or full-time jobs ask of us. That said, many of the money-earning activities offered online may not give us the income that we are looking for. A good side job should supplement our current earnings considerably (or allow us to break off from our current line of work entirely).

Some of us may find a side job that requires us to use the skills and talents we’ve made thus far to provide information or services to others. Others may find a side job that brings in passive income and requires very little effort on their end.

No matter what may currently be looking for, take a look at the 25 best side job ideas below that will help you earn $1,000 a month or more in 2020.

High-Paying Side job Ideas

1. Become a Pet-Sitter or a Dog-Walker

There are a lot of people in urban cities who simply can’t find the time to walk their dogs or who need someone to stay with their dogs while they are at work or out of town. For those who love pups, this presents an opportunity to spend your time with man’s best friend and make a profit in the process.

Apps like Rover and Wag allow users to connect with those offering their services for dog-walking and pet-sitting. Like most business operations, if you make a good first impression, chances are that they are going to come back to you for their needs. You may even wish to move away from apps and choose to launch your own website if you find that you are making a substantial amount of money through this side job.

Although this doesn’t sound like the most profitable side job, those who actively pursue pet-sitting or dog-walking can make well over $1,000 per month (a walk on Rover can earn you $25 while an overnight stay can earn you $70) and those who choose to pursue it like a full-time business can earn well over $3,000 per month!

If you have some extra room in your schedule and want to have fun while you’re making money, going with either of the activities above is a great way to bring in some extra cash.

2. Leverage Your Passion for Children to Become a Local Babysitter

If you have a rather large family, chances are that you have been paid to babysit in the past. Fortunately, this business model does not disappear when you grow up. Plenty of people need child care services and those who are able to provide that level of care can make a fairly good profit along the way.

The most important thing about babysitting and child care is that it is not the right side job for everyone. While watching your younger sister is easy, those who hire you professionally expect you to have a vehicle, a mobile phone, a clean background check, and even certain certifications such as those in CPR and first aid, all of which can be very helpful in landing you more jobs.

However, if you do meet those qualifications, you can often make anywhere from $17 an hour to $20 an hour, with the higher-paying wages found in jobs closer to major cities. Many new babysitters will turn to websites like Care.com or SitterCity to begin finding jobs, and some may even move off of these platforms if they begin to make well over what they would at their full-time job.

For those who love babies and children and have the skills needed to properly care for them, choosing to care for children in your area can help you make a decent amount of money in very little time.

3. Start Your Own Blog

It seems like everyone has their own blogs, and for good reason. With the right amount of tech-savvy, plenty of content that people will want to consume, and some knowledge about SEO, you can easily start monetizing with ads, sponsorships, partnerships, memberships, digital products, and almost anything else that you can manage to squeeze in there.

The problem? Unlike some of the other side jobs on this list, the earnings offered by this type of activity are more speculative than anything. That shouldn’t stop you if you believe that you can earn money from a blog, however. There are plenty of individuals who have managed to grow their blogs to $1,000 a month, with some of those in the top tier making well over $25,000 each month.

Before you get started with blogging, make sure to do extensive research on getting your website setup, how to properly market and optimize it, and what types of monetization methods may be right for your niche.

4. Become a Virtual Assistant

Most business professionals need help in order to ensure that they are running their businesses effectively. For some, this may mean getting help for marketing and or accounting. Others, however, may need more assistance with the day-to-day administrative tasks. It is the latter situation where people have managed to find a great side job.

A virtual assistant will take care of the day-to-day tasks that business owners need to take care of but may not be able to delegate to employees within their organization. Some responsibilities you may see as a VA include:

• Answering and organizing emails
• Scheduling appointments
• Transcribing documents
• Making arrangements for travel and other needs
• Organizing data and files

Fortunately, you, as a VA, can set your own rates. That in mind, the average hourly salary will be somewhere from $15 to $25, although this will depend entirely upon the type of work that you are doing with your clients. As long as you are highly-organized, very responsive, and can manage your own life as well as you manage the lives of others, you are sure to do well in a VA side job.

5. Sell Homemade Items or Flip Items Online

There are plenty of creative people in the world, but much of that talent isn’t advertised. Fortunately, those who are both creative enough and smart at marketing can take some of their creations and sell them online. For example, making homemade items like candles or other home goods (or even selling printouts for those looking to make their own items) can make you a significant amount of money, especially as your online store grows. Whether you choose to sell on platforms like Etsy or start your own site, this can be a fun and easy way to bring in the monthly cash that you need.

If you find that you may not be as creative as others, you can still make money another way: flipping. Flipping items requires you to know the true value of a product, find it at a much cheaper price, and then flip it online or locally to those who are looking for that specific item. This will often take a bit more hustle, but if you have the means to get great bargains and find the right buyers, you can make good money in your chosen niche of products.

6. Tutor Students Online

As long as there are students struggling with certain subjects, there is going to be an ongoing demand for tutors.

When it comes to this type of side job, there is no shortage of platforms to choose from to get started. With that in mind, the biggest issue is that different tutoring platforms will have different requirements for those wishing to sign up. Some platforms will require very little of their tutors (as long as they can produce results, of course), while others will need proof of your college education as well as your expertise in the field you are going into. The latter tend to pay more as they hold their users to higher standards.

You may also wish to advertise your services locally or see if any schools nearby are currently looking for tutors for their own programs. Tutors, on average, charge around $20 an hour, but can charge more depending on their own experience and whether or not they have an established reputation. Put simply, if you are looking to earn a little money in the afternoons or on the weekends, using your education to help students can be a great and fulfilling side job for you.

7. Advertise Your Editing or Proofreading Services

Writing is the bedrock of almost every activity that we partake in. However, while some of us have an eagle eye for grammar errors or misspellings, others may have an extremely difficult time finding problems in our work.

If you are someone who easily catches onto writing errors, there are plenty of people out there willing to enlist the help of a proofreader that can fix any mistakes in their writing. This type of work can range from college essays to professional business websites. It all depends on the type of work you want to do. Proofreaders also tend to bring in around $22 an hour, which is a nice profit for catching errors.

If you have a bit more experience, you may wish to advertise editing services instead. Whereas proofreading is generally limited to misspellings and grammar errors, editors focus on making sure that written pieces flow, follow whatever prompt or directions exist, and providing feedback to make sure that the final piece is the best possible version. Editors tend to earn more, making at least $25 an hour, which will ultimately depend upon the work you are doing and how large a client’s organization and demand is.

For those who have a way with words, take a look around to see what others are earning and how you can make that a reality for yourself as well.

8. Offer Your Writing Services to Businesses

On the other side of the spectrum, we have those who are able to write well. Much like being able to catch mistakes, being able to write great copy is a skill and one that not all business owners may have.

This is where you come in. If you write well, are able to get a few pieces published for a portfolio, and can pitch yourself like crazy, you will be able to land clients who will pay you for your work. The average hourly rate a freelance writer charges is $20 (you can charge a per word rate as well) and the faster you can write, the more you will earn.

With that in mind, there are additional factors that will contribute to your overall value as a writer. Some of the things you may want to look into include:

• SEO (being able to optimize content for search engines)
• Link building
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Digital marketing as a whole
• Graphic Design

The more skills you can learn and leverage to your client’s advantage, the more earning potential you have over time. Who knows? You may even decide to turn writing into a full-time job!

9. Turn Your Art Skills Into a Graphic Design Side job

The animations and designs you see on social media and on the internet are created by someone, and the good news is that almost every business owner is going to need to turn to the help of that someone in order to create their logo, the designs that make up their website, or even the designs that are featured on their products.

If you find that you are able to easily come up with designs that people need, you can be making at least $27 an hour doing the creative work that you love for others. If you’re looking to make even more, you could choose to supplement this side job by selling your designs on print-on-demand websites like Zazzle or CafePress or even by selling digital art on a platform like DeviantArt.

Creative hobbies can still turn a profit, and using your art skills and digital knowledge can help you break into some of the profitable ideas available to graphic designers and digital artists.

10. Use Your Coding Knowledge to Get Paid for Web Design and Development

Being able to code opens up a whole lot of doors for those who want to make money. Additionally, the more coding skills you have, the more projects you can take on for different clients. But what kind of work may you find yourself doing if you are a developer or programmer? Some common jobs to find include:

• Front-end web development
• Back-end web development
• Full-stack development
• Cybersecurity support
• UI/UX design
• Computer programming

No matter what job above catches your eye, take some time to dive deeper into programming languages to learn more about which languages are most relevant for your desired side job.

11. See If There Are Any Gig Economy Apps That Work for You

There are side jobs that are heavily involved and require a great deal of work on your end. Then, there are side jobs that allow you to pick up whenever you want without the added stress of having to set most everything up on your own.

The gig economy is massive, and there are countless apps out there that will allow you to pick up the kind of work you want whenever you want to. Some examples of gigs you can incorporate into your day-to-day schedule include.

• Delivering food with apps like Postmates, DoorDash, and Uber Eats
• Driving people to their destination with Uber or Lyft
• Taking on odd jobs via apps like TaskRabbit
• Delivering groceries with Instacart or Shipt
• Taking on housecleaning or handyman jobs with Handy

Side jobs don’t have to be demanding and hard on your schedule. If you want to make money on your own time, use one of the many gig economy apps available on your phone’s app store when you want to bring in some extra cash throughout the day.

12. Look Into Domain and Website Flipping

Turn on the TV and its likely that you’ll find a popular program centered around property flipping. What very few people know is that physical real estate isn’t the only type of property that people are looking for. Choosing to pursue a side job where you flip digital real estate.

One way to do this is to buy up popular domains and listing them for sale. While many people make a decent amount of money using this method, it is important to remember that it will take a considerable amount of effort before you are able to see returns advertised by those who are making six figures doing this.

Another option you may wish to pursue is building your own websites and selling them or taking existing websites for sale, improving them, and then selling them to others. Again, this process can be time-consuming, but if you master it, you can bring in a significant amount of money finding the right buyers.

Some side jobs are great for the moment, but others are lucrative ones that we can work on developing over time. Flipping domains and websites is one of those technical side jobs that you should definitely consider pursuing if you have the necessary skillset!

13. Launch Your Own Online Course

Most people are always looking to learn new skills, whether it be for their personal or professional lives. Because of this, there are thousands upon thousands of online courses out there that you can take right at this very moment.

There are plenty of online course creators who are currently bringing in anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 a month, and those who have perfected their brand and marketing strategy are regularly earning tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The biggest thing to remember, however, is that you’re going up against a ton of other content creators. Whether you choose to launch an online course on your website or use a platform like Teachable or Skillshare, it is important that you have something valuable to offer that deviates from the average product, can demonstrate why you consider yourself enough of an expert to teach others about this topic, and are able to show others that you have provided results for students who have taken your course in the past.

Once you have one course up, you can continue making more related courses, expanding your reach and increasing the likelihood of finding buyers. Even though this may take some time, those who have valuable skills people are looking to learn and the ability to teach that knowledge can make a great chunk of change doing just that.

14. Train Others With a Consulting Business

Of course, if you feel that you have more to offer than can be summarized in an online course, you may want to choose to launch your own consulting side job instead.

Aptly named, a consultant is someone that is hired by a company in order to help them move in the direction that they wish to go. Consultants have extensive experience operating businesses, giving them the insight needed to help others streamline their current operations, make improvements where needed, and develop a plan of action that will help the business move forward more successfully.

The average hourly earnings of a consultant span anywhere from $26 to $30, meaning that you can bring in a great deal of money through your side job, especially if you have a great track record in business and provide excellent value for your clients.

15. Start Your Own Dropshipping Side job

Dropshipping is arguably one of the biggest online side jobs being promoted today. However, when you look at the business model, it is no wonder why it has attracted the strong following that we see now.

Put simply, dropshipping is a business in which you set up an online store and link to products provided directly by your supplier. When one of your customers makes an order, that supplier then ships out the product directly. This eliminates the need for you to deal with packaging, shipping, storage, and all of the other difficulties that come with operating a physical business. All you have to do is make sure that you have a great digital storefront setup and that you properly market your business to get the customers flowing in.

While it may take some time for you to properly set up your store and make sure that it is bringing in your desired customer base, this can be a great way to earn a bit more money on the side without having to deal with the hassle of running a business where you’re in control of the physical products.

16. Manage Social Media Accounts for Individuals and Brands

If you want your business to succeed, you need to have an online presence. However, the average business owner may not know exactly what it takes to develop a social media channel that generates leads and helps draw people to the products or services they are selling.

Those who understand how social media works and how to get the most out of each platform that people are currently using can turn their knowledge into money by starting a side job as a social media manager. Fortunately, social media management is easy, with tools like Hootsuite or Later allowing you to schedule posts ahead of time. Most social media managers can make anywhere from $17 to $24 per hour, which can add up quickly if you manage multiple accounts at a time.

Take the talent you use to run your own accounts for free to earn money doing it for others!

17. Write Your Own E-Book

Unless you own a tablet and regularly read your own e-books, many people forget that these digital products not only exist but that people are able to make money off of them.

When it comes to creating your own e-book, there are a million different directions that you could go in. If you are someone who loves writing their own stories (and has already developed a following), you could write your own fiction book or series to publish on marketplaces like Amazon Kindle Publishing.

If, on the other hand, you have non-fiction topics you wish to write about like business or self-help, you can also publish on platforms such as the above or even publish directly to your readers so that you retain all of your earnings. Because of the variation of this type of side job and the need to have a readership that will actively purchase the items you produce, income will vary widely.

The more high-quality books you can publish, the more you can earn!

18. Make Additional Income Cleaning Houses

House cleaning, while frequently mentioned, is not often discussed when the topic of side jobs is brought up. Although there is a certain stigma associated with house cleaning, there is almost always work available and the pay for cleaning can be quite good.

Even on the lower end of the price range, cleaners can earn anywhere from $25 to $100 per hour, with multiple cleaners raising the price. Additionally, choosing to pursue your own house cleaning project gives you a lot of freedom over your schedule, as you can choose to work whenever best suits you and your clients.

Granted, you generally need to pay for your own cleaning products and other aspects of running your side job like marketing and transportation. However, when all is said and done, being able to make anywhere from $25 to $100 per hour for cleaning a house is a great way to bring in more money and maintain the side job security you need moving forward.

19. Advertise Personal Trainer Services

Summer may be coming to an end, but the desire to have a better physique and a healthier lifestyle is something that continues year-round. The fitness industry is massive, and while there are a number of businesses or jobs one could start, one excellent side job to look into is becoming a personal trainer.

A personal trainer is someone who helps others reach their fitness goals by creating personalized fitness regimens and showing their clients how to effectively engage in those exercises, acting as their motivator as they work out. Additionally, personal trainers can provide their clients with personalized meal plans and other information and products needed to get to their peak fitness level.

If you start this side job at a gym, you will most likely make around $15 an hour until you begin to build the clientele needed to start your own separate side job. However, you could also start your own digital business, offering online services and information to interested users, meeting with them in person for training. This will allow you to significantly increase your income as you bring on new clients. If fitness is your passion, offer your products and services to others who are looking to make fitness their passion as well!

20. Teach Your Music Skills to Others

Learning how to play music is difficult. Even though there are a host of online classes available, some people simply learn better when they are learning with another person rather than with a program. This gives them the guidance and support they need to ensure that they are playing their instrument properly and are making the progress that they are looking for.

Being able to play any instrument well (along with being able to read music) is a talent. If you are able to play an instrument that people are looking to learn, you should consider offering your services to nearby students, whether you do this independently or with the support of a business like a music shop.

Even with beginner lessons, teaching music can be quite lucrative as these basic lessons will run anywhere from $15 to $30 per 30-minute lesson. If you are teaching more advanced lessons, you can charge anywhere from $30 to $75 per lesson. If you are able to find enough clients, you are well on your way to earning an impressive amount of money alongside your full-time source of income.

21. Put Your Resume Skills to Good Use for Working Professionals

Whenever you apply for a job, your resume is what gets you in the door. Some organizations may still read through each one physically, but many companies use software that is designed to scan through digital applications and catch buzzwords that indicate a candidate is suitable for the position.

Both types of situations can be hard to produce a resume for, which is why many turn to resume writing services to produce the perfect professional overview for their needs. Although this is a competitive field, having the knowledge of what makes a great resume and how to tailor it for certain positions and industries makes you a viable competitor against other resume writers already in operation.

With the right portfolio and plenty of happy customer testimonials, you can be bringing in at least $110 to $130 per entry-level resume, and an extra $100 more as the level of the role rises. This means that you can comfortably tackle a few resumes a week, meet your $1,000 quota, and find other ways to supplement your current income!

22. Help Businesses With Their Accounting Needs

All businesses and individuals need to keep track of their finances. Some may do this using popular accounting software or even balancing their books on their own. The problem? Tracking your finances is often far harder than it sounds, and many lack the financial know-how needed to analyze data, spot trends, and plan for the future.

This has opened up an entire market for those who do have the proper financial training. For example, those who want to offer bookkeeping services to businesses or individuals can charge anywhere from $20 to $30 an hour. If you have more financial experience and are looking to work with much larger organizations, you can be charging $150 to $400 or more per hour. This money is so good that people often transition from a side job to a full-time business doing this type of work.

If this is something that interests you, make sure to look into what the average accountant makes, how they charge, what services they provide, and what other factors may contribute to your own side job model.

23. Transcribe Audio for Extra Money

Before we dive into this side job recommendation, it is extremely important to note that we do not recommend using most transcription platforms available today. Many of these platforms are notorious for paying very low rates per audio hour (the amount of time it takes you to transcribe a piece of work) and will not earn you a comfortable side income.

Rather, experienced transcriptionists who offer their own services and seek out those in need make the real money. On the lower end of the spectrum, transcriptionists may make $15 per hour, with the more experienced professionals earning between $25 to $30 per hour. These types of rates apply to general transcription services, but if you are able to work your way into medical transcription or law transcription, you are looking at an additional cash infusion.

This type of job isn’t for everyone. However, if you already have the tools and the experience needed to take off running, you may very well want to begin transcribing audio files during your spare time.

24. Repair Cell Phones and Computers for Others

No matter how well we treat our electronics, accidents and random issues are bound to happen. When these events strike, finding the proper help to get our electronics back up and running can be difficult. Most nearby repair shops don’t look like the most reliable places to go to. So, where do you turn?

If you are knowledgable about popular pieces of tech and know how to take them apart, identify any issues, and put them back together again, you can make a decent living on the side doing this alone. For example, the average computer repair technician will charge $65 an hour for the above services and related tech services that most people need at some point during owning their electronics. Cell phone repairs often pay much lower (around minimum wage) but can be great to offer in addition to your computer tech services.

25. Share Your Love of Food With the World

Making great food is an art form, and the reality is that there are plenty of side jobs out there that will allow you to put this skill to good use. Some of the side job options that you can pursue if you are excellent at cooking or baking include:

• Starting your own catering service
• Opening up a food truck
• Sharing your own recipes and cooking tips via a blog or vlog
• Becoming a personal chef for locals
• Selling kitchen good and related items

Not every food-related job is one that requires you to be in the kitchen from 9 to 5. If you love food and want to share that love with the world while bringing in some extra cash, consider one of the flexible business models listed above.

Launching Your Own Side job

No matter what your talents or skillsets may be, there are numerous ways to make extra money online and offline without having to grab another part-time or full-time job that only adds extra stress to your schedule.

The 25 ideas listed in this guide will serve to introduce you to the many ways creative individuals are making an extra $1,000 a month or more doing the things they know and love. As long as you do your due diligence, understand how each side job functions and how it will apply to your own efforts, and do the work necessary to reap the benefits provided, you too can become another side job success story!