Ask HN: How are you making money on the side?
Just wondering what are y'all doing for side gigs these days?
48 comments
It's far from a fortune, and its future is uncertain, but I've been earning a bit via donations with my writing/podcasting for almost 20 years now: https://www.damninteresting.com
I'm also working on diversifying, starting with a free daily word game that I hope gets a little traction on Patreon: https://omiword.com
I have a few other projects-in-progress, if I'm lucky, one will earn a dollar or two.
I'm also working on diversifying, starting with a free daily word game that I hope gets a little traction on Patreon: https://omiword.com
I have a few other projects-in-progress, if I'm lucky, one will earn a dollar or two.
Hey DI! I haven't seen that site in years! I remember the audio podcast versions of excellent stories. Very neat, odd stories that aren't taught in history books.
Perhaps post on various podcast-like platforms and do the merch thing? Keith Olbermann posts audio-only episodes to Youtube. Thom Hartmann does Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, SoundCloud and so on.
Perhaps post on various podcast-like platforms and do the merch thing? Keith Olbermann posts audio-only episodes to Youtube. Thom Hartmann does Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, SoundCloud and so on.
I know it's not always noticed, but the little touches (like the menu, when clicked, spinning to become the x to close the menu) make this absolutely delightful. I hadn't heard about omiword and will be giving it a go.
I make Reflect with my partner. I do it on the side, they do it fully. It’s a private, local-first app to track and analyze your own personal data and run N=1 experiments.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...
A couple months ago I made a partnership with a kiosk bar in Copacabana beach/Rio and brought a group of expats there for a party, me and a friend got 10% of the bar consumption.
Some 300 people showed up so it was a good money for a side gig, planning on continuing doing these meetups.
Some 300 people showed up so it was a good money for a side gig, planning on continuing doing these meetups.
I like.
I made a lil web game over the course of 5 years - https://syns.studio/more-ore.
Made around $3X,XXX so the returns aren't too good but it's something i'm passionate in.
Made around $3X,XXX so the returns aren't too good but it's something i'm passionate in.
hey!Found it here and been playing your game since yesterday, quite entertaining! I hope you succeed in growing the fanbase!
I'm actually quite tempted to create a similar game based in my hometown that is related to mining. But 5 years I guess I don't have the capacity for that haha.
I'm actually quite tempted to create a similar game based in my hometown that is related to mining. But 5 years I guess I don't have the capacity for that haha.
I spun off geek-themed speed dating to geek themed singles mixers. They have party games, couch co-op and vs games, karaoke, and get-to-know-you games to encourage strangers to talk to each other. A drink is included with the ticket.
I run an audiophile music recommendation newsletter. It pays peanuts, but it's just past breakeven less than a year in and it's fun.
For the curious: https://SeekHiFi.com
For the curious: https://SeekHiFi.com
> A personal one-on-one Zoom call with me to talk hi-fi and music stuff, 60 minute max, once annually after 3rd month of membership, I will not be drawn into an argument about speaker wire
That last part... legend :)
That last part... legend :)
Neat! Subscribed.
This is great! Subscribed. This is the internet I miss. This is also why I love HN
I sell 3D printed paintball bunkers, useful for game planning before/during a tournament, https://pbminimaps.com.
Why are these called bunkers?
Probably because of this definition from Dictionary.com:
n. a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired.
While they aren't below ground or provide overhead protection. They are made to protect players from getting shot by other players.
n. a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired.
While they aren't below ground or provide overhead protection. They are made to protect players from getting shot by other players.
There's always more niches than one thinks.
Independent consulting (as in, I tell you what to do, not you tell me what to do) for AI integrations (whether and how to add AI to your product/systems, and how to effectively use AI for coding).
There's so much BS in AI that there's value in someone you trust telling you what does and doesn't work. Of course, there's no shortage of people doing exactly that, so the clients come through extended network (word of mouth, purely inbound).
There's so much BS in AI that there's value in someone you trust telling you what does and doesn't work. Of course, there's no shortage of people doing exactly that, so the clients come through extended network (word of mouth, purely inbound).
I run a SaaS to help open-source devs monetize their GPL-licensed SDKs/libs. Going good so far.
Previously I developed crypto-centric web apps and games for clients, which eventually pivoted to security testing and bug bounties (several apps were in a legal grey area and willing to pay higher than average).
These days not doing anything actively making money but slowly working on a Discord trading card game platform that is free and open source but will have a premium version with hosting, additional features, etc.
These days not doing anything actively making money but slowly working on a Discord trading card game platform that is free and open source but will have a premium version with hosting, additional features, etc.
I spend two hours each morning working on my "online laundromat" (an uptime monitoring + status page service: https://onlineornot.com/).
It's been 4.5 years now, could see myself doing this for another 10 years easily.
It's been 4.5 years now, could see myself doing this for another 10 years easily.
Investing most of the post-tax compensation from my main job in VTI, and leaving it there.
I sell handmade busts and sculptures on Etsy: https://jurgenstudio.etsy.com/
Most months the profits can cover my basic living expenses.
Most months the profits can cover my basic living expenses.
My side gig is "reverse".
I work for a higher salary, just part time, so I have more free time, and my salary is sufficient enough to let me do all the things I want to do.
I work for a higher salary, just part time, so I have more free time, and my salary is sufficient enough to let me do all the things I want to do.
I run a small YouTube channel - brings in enough to fund my hobby.
https://youtube.com/@atomic14
https://youtube.com/@atomic14
Hackathons. Not a huge amount, only around $3000 so far, but it's a good excuse to push certain technology to their limits.
Nothing lately. But some time ago - teaching folks coding, selling online courses
I've thought about donating plasma. Might do it this Friday or something.
"If I draw, you lose, Iron. We donating plasma!"
Side gigs aren't worth it. If you're at a decent company, my boss feeling slightly more enthusiastic at my potential could mean tens of thousands of dollars more in bonus/stock at the end of the year. I'd rather work harder on work.
It's a good practice to question the premise of the question when writing an answer. (In this case interpreting the question as "how do I make money on the side.")
There are indeed other reasons for side gigs, but the parent question here does seem to be focused on the financial side of things.
I would agree that work-related progress is likely to be more profitable in the long run. IF (and it's a big IF) there is a route at work to more compensation then that is likely the best use of your time.
Of course not all jobs offer that path, and in some organizations it can take a bit of detective work to find out where things pay better, or where more value can be recognized.
There are indeed other reasons for side gigs, but the parent question here does seem to be focused on the financial side of things.
I would agree that work-related progress is likely to be more profitable in the long run. IF (and it's a big IF) there is a route at work to more compensation then that is likely the best use of your time.
Of course not all jobs offer that path, and in some organizations it can take a bit of detective work to find out where things pay better, or where more value can be recognized.
A sidegig can bring you happiness that a few thousands of bonus won't tho. Also, the current market sucks.
You're never going to get moderately rich working for someone else, especially at a corporation without a union.
>You're never going to get moderately rich working for someone else, especially at a corporation without a union
I don't know what you mean by 'moderately rich', but I know multiple people who have saved millions of dollars (including myself), some of which who were able to retire early by working for 'someone else' - also none of which are union shops.
Do you really not know that many people have gotten quite rich working for FAANG companies? Do you also not know these people are much richer than union workers?
I don't know what you mean by 'moderately rich', but I know multiple people who have saved millions of dollars (including myself), some of which who were able to retire early by working for 'someone else' - also none of which are union shops.
Do you really not know that many people have gotten quite rich working for FAANG companies? Do you also not know these people are much richer than union workers?
MS+MAANG only. That's a survivor-biased anecdotal example, not a widely-applicable strategy. Most people outside of the supersized corporations make around $60-100k, not $250k-1m+ TC at MS+MAANG. Founders exiting make much more, usually/hopefully several million per (successful) exit. I was making $10k/week doing tech consulting 10 years ago. Ordinary people, in specialized fields like contingent tax credit audit accounting, make much more on their own rather than working for someone else. This type of worker is, by far, more numerous in the real world™ of America than software engineers on HN.
There is quite a big gap between $100k and $250k.
If you happen to find yourself in that gap you can become moderately rich over a period of several decades by living frugally and investing in index funds with excess cash.
Or don’t do that and don’t become moderately rich. That is fine, too! It’s not impossible but you must prioritize the goal of becoming moderately rich over other goals.
If you happen to find yourself in that gap you can become moderately rich over a period of several decades by living frugally and investing in index funds with excess cash.
Or don’t do that and don’t become moderately rich. That is fine, too! It’s not impossible but you must prioritize the goal of becoming moderately rich over other goals.
That's a lot of added work and extremely limiting constraints when you can just get a better job continually rather than getting complacent and grow one or more side-hustles.
I don’t understand what the added work and extremely limiting constraints are?
I feel like buying VTI is much less added work than continually getting a better job?
I feel like buying VTI is much less added work than continually getting a better job?
>That's a survivor-biased anecdotal example, not a widely-applicable strategy
There's what, half a million or more engineers at these companies? You think there are just as many software consultants or entrepreneurs making it rich? I think both cases are not widely-applicable strategies.
If you can get rich being an entrepreneur, congrats, that's great. Making ~40k a month doing tech consulting is fantastic, good for you.
But saying "you'll never get rich working for someone else" when many of us have half a million to a million unvested shares (or many more, if at Meta or Nvidia) we are waiting on is just false.
There's what, half a million or more engineers at these companies? You think there are just as many software consultants or entrepreneurs making it rich? I think both cases are not widely-applicable strategies.
If you can get rich being an entrepreneur, congrats, that's great. Making ~40k a month doing tech consulting is fantastic, good for you.
But saying "you'll never get rich working for someone else" when many of us have half a million to a million unvested shares (or many more, if at Meta or Nvidia) we are waiting on is just false.
But not all in the US. 300k tops. 1.3M SWEs in the US. That's 1M SWEs and a few million more other kinds of engineers and knowledge workers who don't have the luxury of being in MS+MAANG.
I did some work for a civil engineer who did ASME boiler and pressure vessel code consulting who made $60k (2000 dollars) for 1-2 hours worth of work. He did between 30 and 50 of them a year.
Top talent turning a side-hustle into a sellable business can easily double one's lifetime income.
I think you're just stuck that your way is "right" and cannot accept contrary data.
I did some work for a civil engineer who did ASME boiler and pressure vessel code consulting who made $60k (2000 dollars) for 1-2 hours worth of work. He did between 30 and 50 of them a year.
Top talent turning a side-hustle into a sellable business can easily double one's lifetime income.
I think you're just stuck that your way is "right" and cannot accept contrary data.
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I'm not.