As someone who’s been working from home for nine years, I can say without reservation that I love my office. It’s conveniently located just a few steps away from my bed, and I haven’t had to put on uncomfortable work clothes or make small talk with coworkers in years.
If you want to earn some money on the side, and you’d rather not have to drive around making deliveries or report to a job site, a work-from-home (WFH) arrangement could be perfect for you, too.
According to a Robert Half survey, 88% of U.S. employers now offer hybrid or fully remote work options. So for those who want to start a side hustle from the comfort of home, here are a few ways to get started.
Transcribing involves listening to recordings of presentations or conversations and typing out what you hear.
If you want to become a transcriptionist, you have two options to choose from:
General: Able to transcribe general, non-specialized topics.
Specialized: Trained or certified to transcribe audio for specific fields, such as legal, medical, or academic.
According to ZipRecruiter, WFH transcriptionists earn between $9.38 and $30.05 per hour, with $20 per hour being the national average. For medical transcriptionists, median pay was $18.05 per hour in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
You can get started with transcription work by using gig websites such as Fiverr or Upwork, though you may need to pass a typing speed test or obtain a specific certification to be considered for most gigs. Alternatively, you might find an employer who offers on-the-job training.
If you’re a teacher or you have knowledge of a specific subject, you can potentially make money online as a tutor.
Rates for online tutors start as low as $10 an hour, but if you teach in-demand subjects, you might earn anywhere from $50 to $90 per hour. The highest-paying subjects for tutors include:
Business English
STEM subjects (science, tech, engineering, and math)
Standardized test preparation
According to Teachers of Tomorrow, some of the best websites you can use to find online tutoring work include Preply, Magic Ears, and Qkids.
As a social media manager, it’s your job to help companies market themselves by creating, planning, and managing their social media posts.
Social media management is a growing field, and there are a few different ways to get started with this kind of work. To get hired, you usually need a bachelor’s degree, and it can help if you understand marketing concepts. However, there are some other ways to qualify, including:
Building and managing your own online brand
Creating a solid portfolio of work
Obtaining a Social Media Marketing certification or a related certificate
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), median pay for professional managers in this field was $76.76 per hour in 2024.
You don’t have to be a creative writer in order to make money as a writer or editor. In fact, there are a variety of ways to get paid for your words. For example, you might provide one or more of the following services:
Copywriting: Creating written marketing materials, also known as copy. This might include writing things like website content or advertisements.
Content writing: Informational or entertaining writing, such as blog posts, ebooks, or newsletters.
Technical writing: Making highly technical information understandable. This can include case studies or instruction manuals.
Editing: Proofreading or fact-checking writing work and improving the grammar, punctuation, or clarity. This can also include collaborating with writers to help them develop concepts and outlines.
As someone who’s been a freelance writer for nearly a decade (as well as an occasional editor), I can tell you that rates vary a lot in this field, and they’ve been decreasing due to the popularity of AI tools.
Can you still earn money working as a freelance or part-time writer? Yes — it’s just more challenging than it was a few years ago. According to ZipRecruiter, the average pay for a freelance writer is currently $23 per hour. However, you’re likely to earn more if you have training and expertise in a niche topic, such as medical care, insurance, or finance.
Dropshipping is a method of selling products online without having to store any of the inventory yourself. Here’s how dropshipping works:
You sign an agreement with a product supplier.
You list the supplier’s products for sale online.
Someone orders a product through your website.
You place an order for the product with your supplier.
The supplier packs the product and ships it directly to the customer.
It’s not all that hard to get started with dropshipping. According to Wix, you can do it for just $100 by setting up one of their dropshipping websites that has payment processing and integrates with dropshipping suppliers. Alternatively, you can purchase a Professional selling plan from Amazon, which starts at $39.99 a month, and then sell through the Amazon store.
With that said, it takes more than just listing products to make good money as a dropshipper. For full-time beginners, Zendrop estimates you might bring in $1,000 to $2,000 a month. That breaks down to around $6.25 to $12.25 per hour.
If you want to make your side hustle more successful, try choosing products where there’s not a lot of competition from other dropshippers, making sure your site has a user-friendly design and choosing a reputable supplier.
Do you have expertise in a certain profession or vocation? If so, you can offer your guidance to individuals or organizations by working as a consultant. Common areas of consulting include:
How much can you earn as a freelance consultant? The average hourly pay is around $30, but there’s potential to earn up to $150 per hour or more.
Many companies require a consultant to have an advanced degree, such as an MBA. If you don’t have an advanced degree, a combination of relevant experience and professional certifications may suffice.
