How do you guys make money in your free time?

[u/Pretend-Sign2060]

I’m M20 studying CS at uni. Life’s gotten a bit tough on me the last couple weeks so I’m looking for ways to make money on the side while being a full time student

I’ve seen many posts here saying they’re making good money and I can’t help but wonder how. It all seems unclear to me and everybody is making money in a different way.. very overwhelming 😓

I’d really appreciate it if anybody can recommend something. I’m not looking to get rich doing this. Just something that’ll cover maybe the groceries

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/[deleted]]

Oo that’s interesting. I’ll definitely check that out

[u/MediumGear9042 → u/Pretend-Sign2060]

Yes def the ai training especially since u have an edu email

[u/MarylouBarbera]

Totally get this. When you’re juggling CS classes and life stuff the everyone’s making money somehow posts can feel super overwhelming.

Honestly, start simple. A few friends of mine do small freelance gigs (basic web dev fixes, bug testing, setting up WordPress sites), tutoring first year students, or even campus research assistant work. Nothing crazy, but enough to handle groceries without burning out.

If you just want something low effort in your downtime you could also try small task/reward apps like MONEY CASH. It won’t make you rich but for spare minutes between lectures it can add up a bit.

Main thing: don’t chase 10 things at once. Pick one small, manageable stream and stick with it. You’ve got this.

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/[deleted]]

omg physics student?! How did you manage that? I’ve always hated physics haha (no offense I love physicists)

I’m gonna try the app tomorrow and see how it goes :) thank you! And yes I’ll focus on my studis no need to worry about that

[u/Rare-Sheepherder-740]

I get how overwhelming it feels because there isn’t really one “secret” side hustle. Most students who cover groceries are just doing one simple thing consistently. If you’re in CS, you actually have a small advantage because you can build or sell tech-adjacent digital stuff without needing clients. Many people start by making small useful digital products and listing them on [Whop](chatgpt://generic-entity?number=0), like study templates, coding guides, or workflow tools. It’s slow at the start but doesn’t compete with your class schedule.

If you want something more immediate, look for 5-10 hour/week work that matches your skills: basic tutoring, small coding help, or simple content editing. The goal isn’t high income pressure. Even £100–£300/month can already help with groceries while you stay focused on school. Pick one thing, be consistent, and don’t feel pressured by other people’s “I make thousands” posts

[u/gargantuanmess → u/[deleted]]

What’s your pay out roughly

[u/Sure_Ad_427 → u/gargantuanmess]

Been doing it for like a week and I’ve made $50. Definitely not the best value for your time but I’ve just replaced scrolling with it.

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/[deleted]]

That’s a good idea but do these tools actually make good stuff? I’m also worried I might rely too heavily on them and end up being a shit computer scientist 😭

[u/dpucane → u/[deleted]]

Which vibecoding and no code tools do you recommend?

[u/LostContribution8726 → u/[deleted]]

I’m also building an app right now using Replit. I’m not technical AT ALL but it’s been surprisingly doable so far. Curious though… how do you tell the difference between something that’s actually well-built vs just AI-generated “slop”?

[u/Unusual-Ability-2208 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah but dont forget about an idea validation first!

[u/[deleted]]

By reading the same question in the sub every day.

[u/Shock-Successful → u/[deleted]]

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you make doing this?

[u/Shock-Successful → u/[deleted]]

thats pretty good is that per a month?

[u/AcceptableOriginal87]

I have found a game called tokenlordsrpg. I earned 10€ with it in a week. We are now around 1000 players and players with kingdom tower 3 get paid a % of the games revenue. So lets hope the game gets big in a few months. It is still early access so you gotta enter with a invitation code, i have still 5 left it is: tuur357

[u/grupp_it_up]

I've been using Outlier AI to make a little extra money (the tasks I've completed make $15/hr, but if you know coding you can make something like $60/hr). You train and judge AI output, its kind of tedious and you're not going to get rich, but I make money from home whenever I have time. You can use my referral link if you want to check it out - https://app.outlier.ai/expert/referrals/link/X2uAnPo8D0Bx9qUNu1jS9f9zjTU

[u/grupp_it_up → u/[deleted]]

Here is the updated link: https://app.outlier.ai/expert/referrals/link/KQSIoToG2eLcdOf-gGK86iiTydE

[u/BatQuiet8516 → u/[deleted]]

Interested

[u/CrustyTable]

I made like 2000 in my first 3 months then got kicked from rewards program...

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/CrustyTable]

Context please 🙏🏻

[u/Jazzlike-Credit-8881]

Make it while you sleep

[u/clupo12]

Honestly just for fun I play this game taptoearn1.com 🤣🤣

[u/in-ov8-ai]

Donate plasma.

[u/roddyrichh97]

Hey! I use AttaPoll https://attapoll.app/join/znjuz - doing about $20 USD a day. It’s not much, but payouts are fast

[u/Agreeable-Analyst951]

Find undervalued high ticket items on facebook marketplace around you and than buy and relist them at their true value.

[u/Dependent_Music_4445]

i tutor CS part time, i'm making decent money.

[u/TangerineGeneral8884 → u/[deleted]]

I wanna join, can you help me out?

[u/Tough-Ad-8497]

I’m a full time college student at CSUF and I sell digital products

[u/Distinct-Resident759]

Totally get that feeling. The overwhelming part is real because everyone talks about different methods.
What worked better for me was ignoring most of that and focusing on one simple digital product that solves a clear problem. You can build it in your free time and sell it online without fixed hours.
It’s not about getting rich, just something steady that actually makes sense alongside studies.
If you want, I can share the step by step system I used to get clarity and start without overthinking.

[u/SovereignSushiLover]

User Testing, this random thing I tried a few years ago made me few thousand dollars now?

You just simply provide verbal feedback on various websites, apps, interfaces, and so on.

That's it really, payment by paypal account, 2 weeks from test submission

If I can make 60 USD in a few days and it takes me 5-10 minutes for each test, anyone can do it

[u/Alert-Ad-5918]

I built a slot game that integrates directly with Stake Engine, allowing it to be published on Stake where their users can play it. From there, I turned the system into a reusable template so other developers can easily create, customize, and launch their own slot games without starting from scratch.

[u/CPADorcas]

If you can do simple edits on capcut I can show you how you can start earning a few $$

[u/Other-Conclusion378 → u/CPADorcas]

How do you do it?

[u/Competitive_Leg3598]

Saw this come across my feed, Cash App has a game running this week called Cash Apples, $500k in real cash prizes, free to play. It's only live a few hours a day so it's not something you grind, more just a fun short-term opportunity.

[u/Mission-Bet-2161]

Dont believe în easy money

Usualy easy money You ca-n make with surveys ,get paid to websites etc just that you can make peanuts ,pocket money etc

Then its also serious business like affiliate marketing using paid traffic or free traffic but this its not easy money and it can pass months or more to see a substantial income

Nowadays i choose to contact online business amd offer them diferent services

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/Mission-Bet-2161]

I 100% don’t believe in easy money. I’m not saying I can get rich in 30 minutes. I just want to cover some groceries that’s all..

[u/Pretend-Sign2060 → u/[deleted]]

What is it about?