February 12, 2021 9 min read
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The business world is constantly evolving, and one of the more extraordinary developments in recent years is the rise of the side hustle. Seventy million Americans — 45 percent of the workforce — have a side hustle. Whether they’re trying to earn a little more cash or gain a little more experience in a skill they want to improve, many Americans aren’t satisfied with just the one job. With side hustle momentum gaining, now is a great time to learn how to start a side hustle, but if you’re going to do so, you should know what’s worth your time.
We’ve pulled together 20 side hustles that pay at least $20/hour thanks to research from Upwork – one of the most popular platforms for freelancers to find work – and included resources to learn that side hustle. Check them out.
1. Graphic Designer – Pay Range: $15-$150/hour
There are a number of factors that go into graphic designer costs. Seasoned designers have spent a lot of time learning the tools of the trade and streamlining their workflow, and the scope of work is often significant. An entire marketing campaign likely has five or six channels to focus on, after all.
Learn graphic design in The All-in-One Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Certification Course Bundle, now $33.99.
2. Social Media Manager – Pay Range: $14-$35/hour
Social media manager jobs vary widely based on what’s in-demand. When you’ve developed expertise in marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more, though, you can cover more ground and earn a higher salary. You’ll also need to know how to leverage both paid and organic campaigns.
Learn social media management in The 2021 Social Media Marketing Bootcamp Certification Bundle, now $29.99.
3. Photo Retoucher – Pay Range: $12-$25/hour
Photo retouching tends to be less high-touch, so a more basic knowledge of popular programs like Photoshop or Lightroom will go a long way. When you’re just lightly retouching photos, you can process a lot in a limited time. While the hourly rate may be lower, you could also charge per batch.
Learn photo retouching in The Adobe Lightroom Creative Cloud Training Bundle, now $25.
4. Video Editor – Pay Range: $15-$30/hour
Video marketing is booming these days. But, most organizations don’t have a video team in place to really scale their operations, so they’ll outsource to video editors. As such, you can gather a lot of clients while doing relatively light video editing.
Learn video editing in The Adobe Premiere Pro CC Video & Audio Production Course Bundle, now $29.99.
5. Business Consultant – Pay Range: $28-$98/hour
‘Business consultant’ is a fairly nebulous term because consultants can help businesses do quite a lot. That’s why the cost range is so variable. Consultants can advise businesses on all aspects of their operations, or simply be brought in for an individual project that they’re more knowledgeable about. Either way, consulting allows you to use the expertise you already have and leverage it into more income.
Sharpen your business skills in The Ultimate All-Access Business Bundle, now $34.99.
6. Accountant – Pay Range: $12-$32/hour
Every business needs accountants, but very few small businesses keep their own accountants on staff. That means there’s considerable side hustle opportunities for accountants. Things like paying for everyday expenditures, recording forms of income, balancing bank accounts, billing clients, preparing financial statements, and filing taxes are all things accountants can do for businesses, and can impact how much accountants are paid.
Learn accounting skills in The 2021 Accounting Mastery Bootcamp Bundle, now $29.99.
7. Digital Marketer – Pay Range: $15-$45/hour
Digital marketers are similar to social media managers in that they can earn more when they can manage more marketing channels. If you understand social media marketing, as well as email marketing, SEO, and video marketing, you’re in great shape. Everybody could use a little help building their brand online.
Learn how to become a digital marketer in The 2021 Ultimate Digital Marketing Super Bundle, now $34.99.
8. Logo Designer – Pay Range: $15-$30/hour
Whether they’re just starting out or working on scaling, businesses need a great logo to scale. While the work may not be as comprehensive as that of graphic designers, logos could live with businesses for decades, and create a memorable image for consumers to recognize instantly – which is very important work. That’s why most will pay competitive prices for great logo design.
Learn how to design logos in The Complete Logo Design Masterclass in Photoshop Course, now $19.99.
9. Project Manager – Pay Range: $19-$45/hour
Project managers must earn certifications to demonstrate their abilities in different methodologies, which is why they can command such a premium rate. They can also oversee a wide range of projects, from software development to launching a new product. Getting projects done on time and under-budget is crucial for many companies — especially these days — which is why project managers are in-demand.
Learn project management in The Project Manager’s Essential Certification Bundle, now $49.99.
10. SEO Expert – Pay Range: $15-$35/hour
Search engine optimization (SEO) is often a budget-friendly way for businesses to generate new leads and increase brand recognition. But implementing solid SEO requires expert tinkering on both technical and content levels. The better you understand Google’s algorithms and how SEO works, the more money you can make.
Learn SEO in The Pro Google SEO & SERP Certification Bundle, now $29.
11. Excel Expert – Pay Range: $12-$30/hour
You can do an exponential amount of things with Excel, so it makes sense that the pay range for Excel experts is quite variable. If you’re just managing data entry, you’ll make less. If you’re using Excel to perform complicated data analysis and save someone’s time by automating workflows for them, you’ll make a lot more.
Become an Excel expert in The Complete 2021 Microsoft Excel Expert Bundle, now $29.99.
12. Google Analytics Expert – Pay Range: $15-$40/hour
Google Analytics is an extremely valuable tool for any business operating online. While it’s relatively easy to use, the casual user will not glean as much information from GA’s charts and graphs than an expert will. After all, analytics are crucial to helping businesses grow, which is why they’ll pay to get the help they need.
Become a Google Analytics expert in The Google Analytics Master Class Bundle, now $29.99.
13. Bookkeeper – Pay Range: $11-$25/hour
Every business needs bookkeeping services to avoid going insane at tax season. Bookkeeping is also one of the easiest things to outsource. So, if you manage a couple of clients, you could make some real money, quickly – especially if you know how to use some of the leading programs like QuickBooks.
Learn bookkeeping in Bookkeeping & QuickBooks Made Simple Bundle, now $19.99.
14. Copywriter – Pay Range: $19-$45/hour
Copywriters cast a very wide net with the types and levels of services they can provide. Just think about all of the emails and articles flying around the Internet — they all came from copywriters. You don’t have to be a great writer to be a great copywriter, you just need to know some tricks of the trade.
Learn copywriting in The 2021 Complete Digital Copywriting Master Class Bundle, now $38.99.
15. Email Marketer – Pay Range: $15-$40/hour
Email marketers are not quite the same as copywriters since they may not actually write anything. Instead, email marketers will help steer email marketing campaigns, manage a content calendar, and much more. Email is still king, so email marketers are in near-constant demand.
Learn email marketing in The Complete Email Marketing Bootcamp, now $29.99.
16. HTML Developer – Pay Range: $15-$30/hour
HTML is one of the most important programming languages on the web because it dictates how text elements will appear on web pages. Any business with a website needs HTML help to make their sites more responsive and easier to navigate.
Learn HTML development in Responsive Web Design Essentials, now $19.99.
17. Front-End Developer – Pay Range: $15-$35/hour
Front-end development encompasses a lot, which is why front-end developers can make more than HTML developers. Front-end development refers to everything on a website that the visitor sees and interacts with. That means front-end developers need to know HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and some other responsive programming languages.
Learn front-end development in the Complete Front-End Developer Course, now $41.
18. QuickBooks Consultant – Pay Range: $15-$30/hour
This time of year, QuickBooks consultants are in extremely high demand. Why? It’s tax season! QuickBooks is the leading accounting software on the planet, making it especially easy to file your taxes.
Learn QuickBooks in The QuickBooks 2021 Essentials Bundle, now $30.
19. Business Plan Writer – Pay Range: $25-$75/hour
When they’re just starting out, many entrepreneurs don’t know how to write a business plan. Chances are, you’ve already run a business, so you know a little something about writing a business plan. People will pay a pretty penny for experienced experts who can help them outline their business and create a clear mission statement that will help them earn funding, launch products, and more.
Learn how to write business plans in The 2021 Complete Business Plan In One Course, now $14.
20. UI Designer – Pay Range: $20-$40/hour
UI/UX stands for User Interface and User Experience, two fundamental web design elements. UI and UX combine to make websites more (or less) usable. Naturally, businesses want usable websites so they’ll happily pay experienced designers to increase how usable their sites are.
Learn how to become a UI designer in The Prestige Adobe Suite UI/UX Certification Bundle, now $49.99.
Prices subject to change.
