5 Legitimate Ways to Make Money on the Side

5 Legitimate Ways to Make Money on the Side5 Legitimate Ways to Make Money on the SideLets face it- fruchtwein people wont turn down the opportunity to make a little extra cash on the side. People with a few extra hours to spare a week can stand to make a decent amount of money through side hustles, if they can find the right gig.Luckily were living in a gig society, where freelance, hourly, and part-time work is plentiful.The trick to making the most of a side job is finding something you both enjoy and that stands to be lucrative.Here are a few of the more common legitimate ways to make some money on the side, and what you might be able to make with each one.1. Transcribingzentralwert wages according to PayScale $15.22/hourJob details If youre a whiz at typing, this side job could be right up your alley. Most jobs these days require a ton of typing, so you may have become proficient in this skill without really even thinking about it. As a professional transcriber, youll be trusted to take audio files and transcribe them into the written word for companies to use. How much you stand to make will vary based on your skill level and the type of company youre transcribing for, but wages generally start around $15/hour and go up to $25/hour or more.2.ProofreadingMedian wages according to PayScale $17.82/hourJob details Especially if your regular career involves a lot of editing or proofing, picking up some extra work on the side to spend a couple hours a week doing the same for other companies could prove very fruitful. While the median salary for a proofreader starts around $17.82/hour, skilled professionals could get up to $30/hour or more.3.PhotographyMedian wages according to PayScale $16.21/hourJob details The great thing about having a side hustle as a photographer is that the opportunities for taking photos are so plentiful, you dont even necessarily have to do work for a specific company or organization. By just putting the word out there that youll be tak ing on some photography clients, you might be surprised at the number of friends, family members, and neighbors who jump at the opportunity (assuming you take great photos, of course). Making the most of your side job as a photographer will likely mean having a stellar portfolio to share with potential new clients, though, so if you arent a professional photographer in real life, you might consider at least taking some photography classes and purchasing some good photography and photo editing equipment.4.ConsultingMedian wages according to PayScale Varies by category. For example, information technology consultants can earn an average $36.52/hour, while software developer consultants can make about $37.14/hour.Job details Consulting is such a great potential side gig because this type of job draws on the skills that you already have and are likely proficient at. If you excel at your job- whatever the job may be- there is likely a company out there that would pay you for your time to help consult their own employees. That means youll have to put in less potential time with the startup costs of your side hustle, and you may already have some clients built in from your current job contacts.5.Social MediaMedian wages according to PayScale $17.03/hour for social media marketing coordinator positionsJob details In todays social mediaobsessed world, its likely you already have some savvy social media skills up your sleeve, so why not put them to good use making a little extra cash on the side? Big companies are often looking to contract out the work of managing their social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. If you have experience handling your own personal business accounts or the accounts of your company, tout those skills on social media marketplaces to pick up a couple extra hours of work each week and make some nice cash on the side.For more ideas on good side jobs, check out this piece about 13 ways to make money on the side. If youll be tak ing on a side job, you might also benefit from reading this story about how to hone your time-management skills so that nothing slips through the cracks with your regular job in the meantime.Additionally, if youre retired and potentially looking to bring in some extra cash, check out this piece about four ways a side hustle may help you with retirement.Browse Open Side Jobs