Looking to make more money online? Read on for an overview of the best side hustle jobs from home and how to get started on the best platforms.
Did you know that you can make good money on the internet from the comfort of your own home with these side hustle ideas? Even if you currently have a full-time job, the extra income would never hurt, especially if you can gain it while following your own schedule.
And it doesn’t matter what your current status is because these side jobs require a useful skill set, spare time, and willingness above all else.
In this post, we’ll look at five side hustle jobs from home, what you’ll need to get started, their pros and cons, and the best platforms for each.
Now, let’s dive into the best side hustle jobs from home in greater detail.
A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who assists a business with its day-to-day operations and administrative tasks. That can include anything from handling emails, organizing the company’s calendar, scheduling meetings, managing documents and spreadsheets, and making travel arrangements.
Virtual assistant roles are a favorite among many modern-day online hustlers because it’s a low-barrier field and often financially rewarding. Similarly, it’s a highly sought-after role by many companies, so there’s a fair balance between supply and demand.
Becoming a VA is relatively easy since many companies will be happy enough with a high school diploma, at least for the general roles.
As it’s a practical field, companies will focus more on your skills, including your typing, computer literacy, quick responsiveness, organization, time management, flexibility, multi-tasking, and more.
There are also specialized VA positions that might require a corresponding college degree and skill set, such as marketing or law.
Active social media presence is a must-have for most companies, but many don’t have the resources to do it, so they hire an external manager to handle the goings-on of all their social media accounts.
Social media managers have many roles revolving around promoting their clients’ online pages on all their platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They may be tasked with developing a marketing strategy, content creation (which can be outsourced), following relevant trends, and engaging with customers.
Education requirements vary by company. Some will require a marketing degree, while others won’t mind a high school diploma if you have the relevant skills to work efficiently.
As for skills, you’ll need to know your way around the most popular social media platforms, including keeping up with trends, coming up with catchy captions and headlines, and analyzing performance.
The impact of graphic designers is all over the internet, as any page, brand, or company needs someone to create beautiful and catchy imagery.
As a career path, it’s very practical and skill-oriented, as your potential employers will look at your portfolio and ability to use popular tools before anything else.
To find work as a graphic designer, you need to be fluent in design software first and foremost. And while the specific tools vary based on your potential employer’s needs, the most popular ones include Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Canva, Sketch, and InDesign.
After that, you’ll need a portfolio that showcases your best work, and it should ideally show as much variety as possible. And if you don’t have prior experience to fill your portfolio with, you can make some designs for a hypothetical company in your free time.
As for education, some employers will ask for a college degree, while others won’t care as long as you fulfill the necessary requirements.
Freelance writing is another popular side hustle idea that’s in high demand and opens opportunities for anyone with the necessary skill set. The field itself is massive since it’s crucial for many businesses to have capable writers who can produce content that ranks on search engines, attracts customers through elegant language, and is factually correct.
As a freelance writer, you can make extra money next to your normal day job as long as you can stick to deadlines and deliver quality work consistently.
Prospective freelance writers must have exceptional language skills above all else, whether that’s the English language or another. But proficiency isn’t enough, as they also need to be able to write in an engaging tone while avoiding many of the redundancies of daily speech.
Naturally, writers should also know how to write with correct punctuation and formatting, and should know their way around rich text platforms like Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
Research skills are also crucial for freelance writers since they can find themselves writing about topics they don’t have enough knowledge about.
Education-wise, many potential employers or clients won’t even ask for any kind of degree. However, experience can be very handy in finding a side job, and lacking it will make entry difficult.
You can teach just about anything online as long as you’re proficient enough at it and can attract an audience. One of the most popular options as a side hustle job is teaching English as a second language, but you can do it with any other language if you’re fluent in it.
As for English tutoring, there’s a massive market for it in many huge countries, especially in China. Other popular languages to teach include French, German, Spanish, and Arabic.
Fluency and complete proficiency in a language are must-haves to start teaching it. You’ll also need to verify this with your potential clients or tutoring platforms, either of which sometimes restrict their pools to certain nationalities. For example, some apps only hire American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealander tutors.
Teaching skills, communication, and time management are also important, especially when you consider that many of your students won’t understand you without the right teaching style.
There’s no objective answer here, as the easiest side hustle depends on what your current skills and qualifications are. For example, if you’re proficient in a language, like English, then online teaching or freelance writing can be easy, while design fields aren’t.
Your skill set, experience, and qualifications determine what makes a good side hustle more than anything, and in most cases, they can be very financially lucrative as you progress in the field. However, some tend to pay more than others. For example, graphic designers and programmers tend to make more than virtual assistants.
Side hustle jobs from home are plentiful, and the five opportunities listed above barely scratch the surface, despite being some of the best and most flexible opportunities for most people looking for a side gig.
Some other exciting side hustles include dropshipping, online accounting, voice acting, chat support, and consultancy. But again, some of those may be more niche or require non-general skills. It’s up to you to determine your capabilities and consider the most relevant and suitable field, and that’s how you land side gigs.
What did you think of our best side hustle ideas? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to share the link with your friends.