Is Engineering Your Passion? Then Check Out These Side Jobs for Engineers

Engineers are always in demand, and side jobs for engineers are no exception. If you’re an engineer who is looking for some side work to make a little extra money on the side, then this article will be of interest to you. We’ve compiled a list of six side jobs that can help keep your skills sharp while giving you something different every day!

There are side jobs for engineers that you may not have considered. If you’re looking to make money from side jobs, engineering is a great field to consider! 

What is a good side job for an engineer?

Side jobs for engineers have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. A side job for an engineer could include:

• Data scientist
• Consultant
• Software developer

A side job can be a great way to keep your engineering skills fresh, introduce yourself to new areas of technology that you may not have had experience with before or set up something more interesting and complex.

Engineering is a field that can be difficult to break into. But with the right side job, you might find your way in and then put your engineering skills to good use! Check out these side professions where you could make some extra cash without much commitment.

Side Hustles for Engineers

1. Become an app tester

Becoming an app tester is a side hustle for engineers that doesn’t require any knowledge of complex engineering skills. All you need to do is download the app on your phone and use it as if you’re using it normally. The company will pay you between $15-25/hour, depending on how often they hire testers.

Some companies that hire app testers include :

• Google
• Userlytics
• Applause: side hustles for engineers to do testing in mobile, web and TV applications. The have both in house and remote positions available for engineers.

The downside is the app testers may not have a lot of control over what they are testing. However, with such an easy side job that anyone can take up and make extra money part time.

You get to test out new apps and make sure they work and get paid.

2. Work as a consultant for engineering projects

Becoming a consultant for engineering projects can be a side job for engineers.

If you have the expertise and interest in one area, consulting might not take up too much of your time—especially if it’s something you enjoy doing already! Consulting jobs could include anything from writing reports to overseeing project management on-site at construction sites.

3. Make extra income tutoring

Get involved in the STEM field.

You’re a math whiz and you can’t seem to find people who appreciate your skills? Offer tutoring services. This is an easy side job that pays great! You’ll have the flexibility of setting your own hours so it’s perfect if you want some extra income in addition to a day job or are just looking for a side hustle to stay busy.

4. Freelance writing

You already have the skills and expertise as an engineer. Why not tap into your creative juices and write write about engineering topics. There are a lot of companies that would appreciate a well written engineering article.

You can also become a freelance reporter, have your own column in a publication that focuses on engineering. This is a good side hustle for engineers looking at making money in their free time.

5. Become a Software Engineer

Software development side hustles often require some programming knowledge before you start working on side jobs

Lots of people who want to be software engineers don’t have the time or money to go back and forth from a traditional school. Instead, they can learn online for free with sites like codeacademy.com and coursera.org. Once you have the skills, start looking for opportunities on platforms such as Upwork and start making money on the side.

6. Start a YouTube Channel

While there are millions of YouTube channels out there, you can still curve out a niche for yourself in the engineering sector. Whether you do tutorials, hands-on experiments or reviews of engineering tools and apps, there are plenty of ways for engineers to share their knowledge.

This may not earn you extra cash instantly like the other options. However, if you put in the work and stay consistent, you’ll start to see the results. If you are not camera shy, this is great side hustle.

7. Create Online Courses

If you don’t want to tutor young kids and help them with their math and science homework, but still want to do tutoring on the side, consider creating courses. Choose whatever topic you are good at, create a course and upload it on sites like Udemy, Teacheable or Skillshare. Initially this may be an active income as you are busy creating the courses, but with time you can do it part time and turn it into a passive income idea.

8. Become an Affiliate

Affiliate marketing is a side job for engineers where you earn commissions by selling other people’s products. The best part is that there are loads of affiliate programs out there, so your options are practically endless in terms of what to sell and how much money you can make.

A basic outline of the process:

• Find the product or service on offer.
• Get in touch with the company and sign up to their affiliate program.
• Promote the product or service on your blog, social media accounts and in any other way you can think of.
• Earn commission when somebody buys that particular company’s products through your affiliate links.

It’s a side job for engineers with great earning potential and it doesn’t take much time to get started.

9. Create Mobile Apps

You can design and make apps that people use on their phones.

This side jobs for software engineers is a great way to keep your skills up to date with the latest innovations in software engineering, as well as giving you an opportunity to work from anywhere you want. If you have the knowledge but lack resources to create your own mobile app , you can also earn side money by helping other app developers through consulting or beta testing.

10. Part time repairman

Another good side hustle for mechanical engineers is to repair things.

If you are an electrical engineer, just make a side business where you fix televisions or other home appliances.

If you are an automotive engineer, try being a side-gig car mechanic or fixing transmissions for people.

If you are a software engineer, consider fixing people’s computers as a side hustle.

Engineers can be handymen to the world!

11. Part time CAD specialist

Do you have a knack for CAD design? Is it your passion in life? If so, there are plenty of side jobs on the market just waiting to be had! One such side job is as a part time CAD specialist. This position may require you to take on more than one side job at once. There are so many ways to use your CAD skills such as helping in designing someone’s kitchen or garage.

12. Product Design Consultant

Are you an engineer who has the ability to understand how products work? Does figuring out how they function interest you? If so, this side job might be perfect for you! A product design consultant’s primary responsibility is to assess the quality of an item’s design and suggest improvements.

13. Contract Engineer

This side job might not be for you if being onsite with a client all day sounds like too much work! Contract engineers are hired by businesses or government entities when they need expertise in engineering but don’t have it internally, this is one of the best side hustles especially if you love traveling.

14. Sell your Engineering Notes

Going through engineering school and passing your exams is no small fit.

Maybe you didn’t have the notes and hard time preparing for exams as you had to gather the notes yourself. You wished for a magical wand that never happened at the time. Why not be the fairy god mother to someone else by sharing your notes? After all, they are tried and tested already.

If you sell your old engineering textbooks and handouts online or at the local college’s book store, it will help both side of the equation. It will help you get rid of them, and it will also put a major dent in your tuition fees as well!

If side jobs for engineers is what you dream about all the time, this should be on top of your list. You can earn some good side income by selling engineering notes online or at college bookstores.

15. Become an SEO Consultant for Engineering Companies

Engineering companies also want to be found online through searches. If you haven’t, take some Search Engine Optimization courses and marry your skills with your engineering expertise.

This combo will definitely set you apart and give you a competitive edge from your peers. List your services on freelance platforms and start making money.

16. Self Publish a Book

If you’ve mastered a specific topic in engineering and you love writing, consider publishing a book or an eBook.

Publish on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Create Space.

You can also publish through a traditional publishing house, but the royalties will be smaller and you’ll need to get an agent first.

It’s still pretty easy to self-publish your book on Kindle Direct Publishing if you know how to format it.

Many self published authors make a living from their books. For some it’s enough to live on, for others side hustles are needed in conjunction with book sales.

The advantages of being your own boss and earning money through publishing is not limited to writing – there are many other ways creative people can earn an income by self publishing a book .

17. Creating and selling small batch products

If you decide to think outside the box , side jobs for engineers might be a perfect fit. If you enjoy making small-batch products and selling them online, try side hustles like creating boutique products and selling them directly to consumers.

Leverage your skills and if you have a knack for design, you could try 3D printing and check out online shops that let you sell your craft.

Find your next side job as an engineer!

There is a lot of money being left on the table by engineers who aren’t taking advantage of their skills and experience outside of work hours. If you want to make extra income on the side, but don’t have a lot of free time or energy to put into your projects, then this is the blog post is for you!

You might be thinking, “how can I possibly do anything else with my engineering skills?” Well don’t worry because there are actually a number of side hustles for engineers. Think about it like this – you’re already a pretty smart person and have the ability to solve difficult problems that come your way on a daily basis. Couldn’t these same skills translate into another field where you could use those problem-solving abilities in order to make money doing something different? Why not give it some thought!