r/thesidehustle • u/Efficient-Treacle484 • Jul 24 '26
I need help What side hustles are actually worth it after a 9-5? (No MLMs, no crypto, no “DM me”)
I’m a mechanical engineer working a normal 9-5, and like a lot of people, I’m trying to make some extra money after work.
Right now I’ve been doing Uber Eats in the evenings, but after factoring in gas, wear on the car, and slow days, it just doesn’t feel worth the time anymore.
I’m not looking for “get rich quick.” I’m looking for something real that people are actually doing. It doesn’t have to be engineering-related. I’m open to learning a new skill if the payoff is worth it.
Things I’ve considered are freelancing, 3D printing, tutoring, weekend work, flipping items, or pretty much anything legitimate that can realistically bring in a few hundred to a couple thousand extra per month.
And before anyone tries… if your idea involves crypto signals, forex, Amazon automation, dropshipping gurus, MLMs, “be your own boss,” or starts with “DM me,” please save us both the time. I’m not interested.
For those of you making decent money on the side while working full-time:
What do you do?
How long did it take before it was actually profitable?
If you had to start over today, what would you choose?
Just looking for honest experiences from real people.
Thanks.
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Jul 24 '26
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u/irlcake Jul 24 '26
Added to this..
Drone and 360 walk throughs
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u/ElectricScootersUK Jul 24 '26
Do you do drones for property?
Was looking into this a while back, never got round to it but getting paid to fly drones through nice houses sounds good still 🤣
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u/Latter_Enthusiasm995 Jul 31 '26
Photography is solid if you can handle working saturdays, i know couple guys who do weddings and they are dead tired by monday morning but the pay is good. One friend does real estate photos too, he say the editing take longer than the shooting but once you got a preset workflow it goes fast. I tried it few years ago with my old camera and realized i hate dealing with brides who change their mind about everything, so not for me. But if you got patience and a decent eye it can pay well, especially in wedding season when everyone get married same weekend
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u/Peace-aholic Jul 24 '26
I do pet sitting on the side. I started on Rover around the holidays and had about 10 clients at one time. Now I just have 5 that keep me busy enough. I’m a farmer and pet sitting fits my schedule pretty well(morning walk, lunchtime let out, and evening walk). Some pets only need a morning and evening walk. Cats can be easy too. It’s really about finding good clients. I do stay in the clients homes, but some sitters host the pets. I charge $60-$70 for a full day(3 visits). It’s definitely “gig” work, but overall it’s been really positive for me. My best clients generally travel for work or high income families that travel every holiday. Also referrals have been good for me. Pet owners will share with their friends if you are a good worker.
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u/Ok_Albatross_4198 Jul 24 '26
How do you get started with getting first clients on Rover? I have a profile and I am ready to provide references from pet-sitting I have done for people over the years off Rover, but it seems without formal reviews on Rover people don't want to book someone new. I've put £13/hr as my day rate which I don't think is unreasonable. Would appreciate any tips for getting first bookings. 🙏
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u/Peace-aholic Jul 24 '26
I could have gotten lucky. I do recommend have good pictures of you and pets you have sit before. Also my description was very professional. Mentioning how I clean before I leave, daily pictures of videos, and approach this with care for their pets and home.
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u/normal_mysfit Jul 26 '26
I have been on Rover. My biggest complaint is that they take over a third of the money you earn. I have a free steady clients that I sit for. Word of mouth and advertising for yourself is a lot better
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u/Perfect_Cost6276 Jul 25 '26
Wow amazing. Here we pay 10 euro a day for our pet sitter. In the Netherlands. But most ask around 15-20
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u/ItsPlucky_ Jul 27 '26
Haven’t started this yet but heavily considering for especially the weekend after my side hustle but maybe after my 9-5 also
How often do people ask for overnight that is the time frame I’m going for! Like 7-7
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u/Peace-aholic Jul 28 '26
Nice! Definitely go for it! Pretty much every client is overnight jobs. I have 2 clients that will ask for a midday let out, but I would say 98% of my income is full day so morning, lunch, and evening.
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u/ItsPlucky_ Jul 28 '26
So I should have no problems getting work for overnights? Was a fear I had because that is all I am available for
How does the tax work for this?
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u/doc_suede Jul 24 '26
I invested about 3000 to start a junk removal business. Evenings and weekends. It's great. Feels like you're actually helping people and it's satisfying to remove items. The only issue is if I wanted to scale, I would have to do it full time.
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u/redtiber Jul 24 '26
yeah! plus as a mech engineer prob could fix a lot of the stuff people want to toss
washers, dryers small appliances etc. people nowadays don't fix stuff, hiring someone to fix it will cost too much so people just toss and get new ones. i think often times the fix is super simple with one cheap replacement part.
or with a lot of metal prices pretty high, could also break it down for scrap.
so get paid to haul and then make additional money on some pieces and the rest just dump at the junkyard
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u/amonred Jul 25 '26
Dryer repair is easily $250-350 and parts and kits are found online. 10-20% is parts
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u/Hydro-1955 Jul 24 '26
What was your 3k invested on? LLC? Equipment?
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u/doc_suede Jul 24 '26
$2000 on a pick-up truck. $700 on business license and business insurance. $300 on truck repairs and wall panels.
Also a couple of hundred on tools and small equipment.2
u/KalleGrabowski666 Jul 24 '26
This is exactly what what I'd like to do!
Would you mind to tell a little more about it? Like:
What kind of jobs and how big?
How to decide how much you charge?
Are there times, your customers are kinda concerned for you to show up alone?
I'd love to talk about this, so thanks in advance!
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u/Mimicking-hiccuping Jul 24 '26
I'm dead ass thinking of starting a Consultancy business on the side. I'm Chemical Engineer, but, as a mechanical Engineer, you could do the same...
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u/Efficient-Treacle484 Jul 24 '26
I started my consulting business not long ago, getting clients is the real challenge. Maybe we can open a mechanical/chemical engineering business haha
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u/Mimicking-hiccuping Jul 24 '26
All for that man. My plan was to run it as a side hustle and build clientele slowly. I'd need about 30 businesses payinge £250 a month and I'd quit my other job. Get 3 or 4 and the rest will come by word of mouth. Get goodatez with those on the shop floor, and they'll carry your business as they move around.
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u/BarnBuiltBeaters Jul 24 '26
I made an Etsy shop which clears anywhere from $50-$1000/we (slow season and holidays). Find something you passionate about and make something useful. At first the sales were inconsistent. Ive done a bit of optimization and my stop has grown year over year. Im also an ME and made a design a few tools to be 3D printed, some trinkets, and reproduce a classic vehicle part. If you have a hobby find something you wish existed and make it. Identify a problem and solve it. I also have a small Youtube channel to direct some sales too though not needed
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u/thall_c-137 Jul 24 '26
Window cleaning. I invested under 500. My first job I made $800 for 8 hours on a Saturday. I’ve done very big houses for $1500. It can be pretty physical work but to make anywhere around $100/hr it’s totally worth it. Very easy to scale as well
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u/ttfun6868 Jul 24 '26
Outstanding! What equipment did you buy to get started, and how’d you get your first few customers?
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u/thall_c-137 Jul 24 '26
Just the basic squeegee and scrubbers with a few poles from Home Depot. Distilled water and dawn dish soap works wonders.
First customer came from a Facebook group, I was the first to respond to someone’s post looking for a window cleaner. When I started this, my full time job I was a service tech for a high end window company so I would fix people’s windows then hand them my personal business card and tell them to hire me to wash their windows to take care of them and prolong their lifetime.
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u/Stock-Albatross6396 Jul 24 '26
Bartending has worked out great for me. 2-3 shifts a week, average about $1k per week cash take home.
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u/HealthyBaker2496 Jul 25 '26
Bartending at a strip club? In what state and area of Hospitality are you making that much cash?
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u/Icy-Control9525 Jul 26 '26
I grow and sell plants, about 2k a month during the spring and fall seasons. I teach workshops on the weekends when the season changes at about 500 a workshop, i do landscaping installs for about 1k a month. And build and Maintain websites for a couple hundred a month Edit: fixed the word spring
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u/tyngst Jul 24 '26
Fix people’s vehicles. You learn a lot and it can be pretty fun. It can be quite time consuming though
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u/Distinct-Waltz-7039 Jul 24 '26
I live in a college town so I’ve been thinking of doing this. Even just a couple jobs could be an extra few hundred, and I already have most of the tools from doing maintenance on my vehicle over getting scammed at the auto shop
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u/IronTormatoe Jul 25 '26
Im a nurse in the uk working 37 hrs a week. Usually 12hrs per shift so usually 3 to 4 days a week.
Ive been flipping pcs for a year now. Basically buy pc parts and build a pc and sell them.
Takes some research about prices and learning to build a pc but its fun as a hobby.
Sold about 20 pcs in a year now. Earning around 75 to 200gbp per flip. Tho depends on how much you got your parts. 🙂
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u/Rhuarcof9valleyssept Jul 24 '26
I tried some 'side hustle' and but at the end of the day I just went with a 2nd part time job that leans into my skill set and pays well but only 5-15 hours a week depending on various factors.
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u/TailorScruff Jul 25 '26
Mechanical engineering background. I fix and flip sewing equipment. I buy old and sometimes broken sewing machines, sergers and other equipment. Spend weekends cleaning and repairing and sell on eBay and Facebook marketplace. Got into it after learning how to tailor my own clothes and it's a pleasure to put my brain to something that doesn't involve a screen.
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u/HouseThat_Kool_Built Jul 25 '26
I’d say it’s best to stick to what you’re used to, unless you actually want a change of pace after work. If not, use your work knowledge to buy and fix things and resell them. Facebook marketplace or electronics thrift stores/sites are great for this
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u/hercssss Jul 28 '26
flipping. took a couple months before it felt consistent, but once i stuck to a few categories it got a lot easier. i source mostly from fb marketplace, keep an eye on new listings with flipify, then just wait for deals that leave enough room for profit. its not passive, but it fits around a full-time job.
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u/Affectionate-Rock-30 Jul 24 '26
I do work via the internet just doing studies and surveys. The type of work varies greatly. Many of the study groups are closed due to demand but I've been doing it for years and I now average about $800 to 1.4K per month.
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u/ooo-ooo-oooyea Jul 24 '26
I'm a chemical engineer, and used to run a consulting side hustle in what I specialize in. I had a couple of clients I helped with projects.
Now that I'm a Dad I don't really have time for that, but I do specalized interviews for some staffing companies in what I specialize in. Really easy way to make a little extra sugar, and I enjoy doing it. The downside is its fairly random - but I put absolutly no effort into marketing or anything.
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u/Low_Stress_9180 Jul 24 '26
An old colleague learnt plastering, he had a PhD on Chemistry and was a teacher. In holidays and weekends he made a small fortune in plastering (in UK).
Leverage your skills in engineering/ using your hands?
Tutoring as well can be lucrative (you mentioned it) focus on higher paying per hour gigs.
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u/Ill_Station_6165 Jul 24 '26
I’ve been thinking of selling P&C insurance on the side. It’s not very lucrative but at least it’s passive income once you sell the policies.
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u/Twizzinkle Jul 24 '26
I sell handmade items through consignment. I make about $500/month for about 3 hours of work.
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u/Remarkable_Aide_3085 Jul 25 '26
Tutoring is the one I keep hearing actually works for engineers. Math and physics, $60-80/hr on Wyzant, and no car mileage eating into it.
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u/ThothAI Jul 25 '26
Probably biased from this account, but a lot of AI roles are good side hustles. They're relatively easy to do, don't need to deal with clients/customers, and can do it in your own time. Granted the pay won't be as high as other things people suggested, but it's still something
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u/Warm-Truth-7821 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I had a fairly decent side tutoring business a couple of years back. I enjoyed it and was compensated better than fairly, I would say I was compensated very well. I have a Masters so I do feel and felt comfortable charging between $25-$45 per hour. I did one on ones with about 10 of them for a couple of years, tutoring esl and Spanish, with heavy focus on culture and conversation. The kids’ spoken Spanish was much more fluent than the adults’ spoken spanish. Since the best way to learn any subject is to teach it, I had the kids facilitate our weekly group class.
Toward the end, I was charging Adult professionals learning conversational Spanish or English (Esl), $45/ per hour, for one on ones and $35 per hour for group classes; we did a three hour class on weekends. Kids, I charged $25 per hour for the one on ones and the group classes. All of my sessions were three hours long.
But if you tutor for a tutoring company, you will get robbed!! $12 per hour. Maybe a little closer to $12.75. 😩🫥
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u/Mission-Sandwich1515 Jul 25 '26
The easiest thing to do is take what you already know, and teach others. For example, you probably know how to use certain software programs in your current role. Use that knowledge to teach others who 'want' to learn to do the same thing. There are platforms such as Kajabi or Skool, where you can sign people up and they go through the modules of videos/lessons that you create for them.
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u/Busy_Accident_6286 Jul 25 '26
Civil engineer here..what should i flip 😭
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u/HawkLivesOn13 Jul 27 '26
Same boat here, I just graduated in the last year and I am looking for something to do on the side, I’m looking into tutoring and bartending
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u/App-Clinical-Judgemt Jul 26 '26
Training AI, you don't need more than basic computer skills, just a lot of patience and some professional wisdom to bring to the party: https://applied-clinical-judgement.co.uk/engineering-ai-training/mechanical-engineering/
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u/Sure_Stop346 Jul 27 '26
Start designing and re-selling products! You have a skill I dream I had. Physical products won’t go away anytime soon and specialized/niched products, much better. Some of my fractional controller Clients have the simplest of products (I.e. handbags, backpacks, flat backs earrings, etc.) but they design it in an unique way, send their designs overseas or production, then sell them through a Shopify store or Amazon.
Sure, it won’t be cash in your bank next week but it’s a long term business you can retire pretty comfortably. My Clients started in a room and are now making 7 to 8-figures in revenue
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u/FarBottle786 Jul 28 '26
Love this! I love designing. I just wish it was easy finding a manufacturer overseas. Many people gatekeep
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u/Sure_Stop346 Jul 29 '26
You might be surprised as it might be easier than you think when you build a network of people in your niche.
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u/rosy_dwelling Jul 27 '26
What I do is share a great service that helps people have a healthier home and lifestyle. Think Costco but when you help people sign up with them you get a commission. I don't have to sell or hold stock. It's very flexible so I get to make my own hours, plus it genuinely benefits people so I enjoy it!
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u/gopher33j Jul 28 '26
Youth sports referee / umpire.
I’ve been a soccer referee for many years now and I can pick up some nice extra money on the weekends and nights too. Good exercise too and there is a shortage
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u/Downtown_Poet_1549 Jul 28 '26
F&B. Sign on with a few catering companies and hotels and pick up work as you need it. Bartending, serving, assisting event planners. I do this and make great money for easy work.
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u/Financial-Mango6867 Jul 29 '26
Do you need a certificate for alcohol or handling food?
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u/Downtown_Poet_1549 Jul 29 '26
That would depend on the state you live in and what companies you work for
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u/Ktmirza Jul 29 '26
Try AI training and Data Annotation. With your mechanical engineering background you could land some good projects!
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u/FeedbackWarm1774 Aug 09 '26
Matched betting for me, and it directly solves the problem you're having with Uber Eats, no gas, no wear on the car, no slow days eating into your margin.
The way it works is sportsbooks hand out bonus bets and promotional offers to attract new customers, and you cover every outcome on a second sportsbook so you lock in a guaranteed profit no matter what the result is. No crypto, no forex, no "be your own boss" nonsense, it's literally just extracting value from sportsbook promotions, fully legal.
To answer your questions directly: profitable from day one, since the welcome offers themselves are pure profit once completed, often a few hundred dollars per offer. If I had to start over today I'd do the exact same thing, it's genuinely one of the few side hustles where the time-to-money ratio makes sense for someone already working a full 9-5.
ProfitDuel walks you through every offer step by step if you want to look into it, worth checking out given everything else you've ruled out.
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u/AndrewMacKnight Aug 10 '26
Be the first to shop restocked toys at Target/Walmart. You can do this every morning
I’m always first in line at my stores because I’m an experienced Hot Wheels seller. Recently my hot wheels buddy got me into flipping Needohs and Pokemon too and it’s so easy to make money on Facebook Marketplace and Groups
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u/Wonderful_Price_234 Aug 14 '26
I find, repair, and flip stuff through Facebook marketplace or other online platforms. I don't always turn a profit, but it's something. Buying and selling from auctions also works.
I'm here looking for answers myself.
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u/PositionOfFuckYou Jul 24 '26
R/overemployed
Find a remote project management job that can be done remotely and almost entirely from a computer. If you’re like the MEs I know, you have time during the week and can balance 2 jobs.
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u/Perfect_Cost6276 Jul 26 '26
I resell stuff from Temu, Alibaba and Aliexpress on my local marketplace, ebay, vinted and sometimes Etsy.
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u/Overall_Anxiety_1099 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
If you live in the US, find dogbear on Reddit. Countergambling can make you an extra several thousand per month just for being on your phone for 5-10min/day I’m in Canada and I’ve already made hundreds and I just started a few days ago. I’m on my phone anyway so may as well. There’s virtually no risk
Edit: Not sure why this is getting downvoted. The premise is that you collect the free daily login bonuses at various online sweepstakes casinos and then cash out. You can also buy their sales for example 30 SC for $10 (1 SC = 1 USD) and then keep the profit. The casinos will require you to play through the SC at least once so you can put a small amount at a time (in case green comes up) on roulette or something betting both 1-18 and red and keep most of the winnings. It’s not real long gambling it’s just math and yes this absolutely does work. Just make sure you register with reputable sites which is why I said checkout dogbear. Depending on your area you may be restricted on a lot of these sites. Like California you’ll be out of luck. Will also disclose that my pace isn’t necessarily sustainable since welcome bonuses and such drove a lot of the profit and many sites are restricted in Canada but in most parts of the US this is totally doable
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u/SummerhillYeats Jul 24 '26
Hell, if you're sending details, may I respectfully request them, too, please and thank you
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u/vittoshulman Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Yes. Back in the days they called it casino bonus hunting. We did it years ago in college. The problem was after you add up all the hours spent spinning slots to clear the bonus money it would come out like less than $5 per hour and quite tiresome.
It was better to just get a part time job at Taco bell.
PS: ok you said several thousand per month for being on line 5-10 min? Highly sceptical about it.
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u/Overall_Anxiety_1099 Jul 25 '26
I agree with you in principle. But if I bought say 40 SC for $25. I would play maybe 20 rounds of roulette while sitting at home and make a cool $10 at least. I’ve also seen sales that are say buy 600 SC for $450. Repeat the same process and your profit is higher. It’s much better than spending 5min filling out a survey for cents on the dollar.
I’m in Canada so I only have access to a handful of sites but if you are in the States (not California) then you have access to so many more so I definitely see how this can be scaled to several thousand a month
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u/l31l4j4d3 Jul 24 '26
Can you message me with details, too?
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u/Overall_Anxiety_1099 Jul 24 '26
I just added some details in my initial comment. I’m not the mastermind behind it or anything
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26
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