Last updated: May 2025 | By David Hartshorn, IT Manager, Digital Creator, & Side Hustle Enthusiast with 17+ years of tech industry experience
The Tech Worker’s Dilemma: Time vs. Money
Let’s address the elephant in the room—you’re already making good money. With tech salaries averaging $111,000 a year, why would you even consider a side hustle? I get it. When I first contemplated moonlighting beyond my IT management role, my spouse looked at me like I’d suggested we sell our house and live in a submarine.
But here’s the truth: side hustles for tech workers aren’t just about the money (though the money is nice). They’re about creative fulfillment, skill diversification, and building something that’s entirely yours—no product managers, no JIRA tickets, no “urgent” Slack messages at 4:55 PM on Friday.
After spending my days untangling other people’s technical problems, I discovered that my side projects were actually preserving my sanity. They became the digital playground where I could experiment without a committee’s approval or a quarterly OKR hanging over my head.
Whether you’re looking to pad your investment account, accelerate your path to financial independence, or just exercise different parts of your tech-saturated brain, I’ve compiled the most promising side hustles that leverage the skills you already have—and some you might enjoy developing.
Why Now Is the Perfect Time
The gig economy has matured beyond “drive people around” or “deliver food.” Today’s digital landscape offers unprecedented opportunities for specialized technical talent. According to a 2025 McKinsey report, 68% of companies are now willing to hire remote technical talent on a project basis—a 23% increase from just three years ago.
Meanwhile, AI tools have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for many technical side hustles, handling the grunt work while you focus on high-value creative and strategic elements. It’s like having a tireless intern who never asks for college recommendation letters.
Let’s dive into the side hustles that are actually worth your precious time in 2025.
1. AI Prompt Engineering & Optimization
Remember when knowing Excel formulas made you the office wizard? That’s prompt engineering today—except instead of impressing Debbie from accounting, you’re commanding cutting-edge AI systems to produce exactly what businesses need.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
AI tools have become ubiquitous, but the gap between mediocre and exceptional outputs remains vast. Companies are discovering that effective prompt engineering can be the difference between generic content and transformative results—and they’re willing to pay handsomely for that expertise.
- Voskanyan, Tigran (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 110 Pages - 11/12/2024 (Publication Date) - Independently...
Getting Started
- Master the major platforms: Become proficient with ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, DALL-E, and at least one coding assistant like GitHub Copilot.
- Develop a prompt library: Create a collection of proven prompts for different use cases. Document what works and what doesn’t.
- Specialize by industry: Focus on AI applications for specific sectors like legal, healthcare, or e-commerce, where domain knowledge creates additional value.
- Build a portfolio: Create before-and-after examples showing the difference your optimized prompts make.
Marketplaces like PromptBase let you sell proven prompts, but the real money is in consulting directly with businesses to develop custom prompt strategies. Expect to earn $75-150 per hour once you’ve established your expertise.
Pro tip: The most successful prompt engineers I know don’t just understand AI—they understand the business problems their clients are trying to solve. It’s not about creating the most elegant prompt; it’s about creating the prompt that delivers the most business value.
2. Technical Content Creation
If you’ve ever muttered “this documentation is useless” or “why can’t anyone explain this clearly,” congratulations—you’ve identified a lucrative market opportunity.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
The explosion of new technologies has created an insatiable demand for clear, accurate technical content. From tutorial videos to in-depth guides, companies and individuals are desperate for content that makes complex topics accessible.
Sarah turned her knack for explaining complex AWS architectures into a YouTube channel that now generates $12,000 monthly in ad revenue and sponsorships. She started with just one video per week while working full-time as a solutions architect.
Getting Started
- Choose your medium: Written tutorials, YouTube videos, or interactive courses all have different production requirements and monetization potential.
- Pick a specific niche: “Tech content” is too broad. “Practical security implementations for small business WordPress sites” is a niche with dedicated searchers.
- Create a content calendar: Consistency matters more than volume, especially when starting out.
- Monetization paths: Ad revenue, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and eventually your own products or services.
What separates successful technical content creators from the rest is their ability to anticipate and answer the questions their audience doesn’t even know to ask yet. When explaining a process, don’t just show what to do—explain why it works and what common pitfalls to avoid.
Reality check: This isn’t an overnight success story. My first technical blog post got exactly 17 views in its first month (and I’m pretty sure 15 of those were me checking if it was still online). But quality content compounds over time, and the authority you build can lead to speaking engagements, consulting opportunities, and product deals.
3. Specialized Web Development
Despite what those “build a website in 5 minutes” commercials suggest, there’s still enormous demand for custom web development—especially in specialized niches.
The proliferation of no-code tools hasn’t eliminated the need for developers; it’s just changed what clients need. Today’s opportunities lie in creating custom solutions that go beyond what templates can offer, particularly in:
Why It’s Hot in 2025
- Performance optimization
- Custom integrations between platforms
- Specialized e-commerce functionality
- Accessibility compliance
- Interactive data visualizations
- SUPERCHARGED BY M4 — The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 chip gives...
- CHAMPION CHIP — The M4 chip brings spectacular speed and...
- BUILT FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE—Apple Intelligence is the personal...
I stumbled into this accidentally when I started my first blog, Surviving Adventures.
Getting Started
- Identify an underserved niche: Look for industries with specific technical needs that aren’t well-addressed by generic solutions.
- Build a demonstration project: Create something that showcases your understanding of the niche’s specific challenges.
- Develop a standardized process: Create templates, workflows, and code snippets that let you work efficiently.
- Price by value, not time: Charge based on the business impact of your solution, not just your development hours.
The most successful developers I know in this space aren’t necessarily the most technically advanced—they’re the ones who best understand their clients’ business needs and communicate effectively throughout the process.
Earning potential: Specialized web development can easily command $75-150 per hour, with many projects ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on complexity and business value.
4. Technical Course Creation
If you’ve mastered a technical skill that others want to learn, packaging that knowledge into a course can generate income long after the initial work is done.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
The half-life of technical skills continues to shrink, creating constant demand for up-to-date training. Meanwhile, employers are increasingly shifting the burden of skill development onto employees, who are turning to independent courses rather than traditional education.
Matt created a course on implementing zero-trust security models that has generated over $200,000 in two years, all while working full-time as a security architect. The key to his success? He focused on practical implementation rather than just theory, giving students actionable templates they could immediately apply.
Getting Started
- Validate your course idea: Before creating anything, confirm there’s demand by looking at search volume, forum discussions, and perhaps pre-selling to a small audience.
- Structure for outcomes: Design your course around what students will be able to do, not just what they’ll know.
- Create high-quality materials: Poor audio or disorganized content will kill even the most valuable course.
- Choose your platform: Self-hosting gives you more control and higher margins, while platforms like Udemy provide a built-in audience at the cost of lower pricing power.
- Easily record quick videos of your screen and camera that offer...
- Draw on your screen as you record video with customizable arrows,...
- Provide clear feedback and explain complex concepts with...
The most successful course creators continually update their material and provide genuine support to students. This not only improves satisfaction and reviews but also gives you insight into creating future courses based on student questions and needs.
Time investment reality: Creating a comprehensive technical course typically requires 80-120 hours for the initial version, plus ongoing updates and student support. The payoff comes in the scalability—once created, the same course can be sold thousands of times.
5. Fractional CTO/Technical Advisory
Not every company needs (or can afford) a full-time technical executive, creating perfect opportunities for experienced tech professionals to provide part-time strategic guidance.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
The startup ecosystem continues to expand, with record numbers of non-technical founders building tech-enabled businesses. These founders need technical guidance but often can’t justify a full-time CTO salary in the early stages.
Getting Started
- Package your services clearly: Define what you offer, whether it’s technical strategy, architecture reviews, hiring assistance, or vendor selection.
- Build your authority: Publish thought leadership content demonstrating your expertise and approach to technical challenges.
- Network strategically: Connect with startup accelerators, incubators, and angel investor groups where early-stage companies congregate.
- Create systems and templates: Develop frameworks that let you efficiently assess and address common challenges across clients.
The most successful fractional CTOs don’t just provide technical advice—they help translate business goals into technical strategy and vice versa, bridging the gap that often exists in early-stage companies.
Earning potential: Fractional CTO arrangements typically range from $2,000-$10,000 monthly, depending on the company stage, your involvement level, and your expertise. Most arrangements involve 5-20 hours per week.
6. Automated Digital Product Creation
Creating digital products that sell while you sleep is the holy grail of side hustles—and it’s more accessible than ever for tech workers.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
The tools for creating, distributing, and marketing digital products have become increasingly sophisticated, while consumer comfort with purchasing digital solutions has reached an all-time high.
After getting frustrated with my own project management process, I created a specialized template system for managing the Solutions Development Framework (SDF) for projects.
Getting Started
- Identify a specific problem: The more targeted your solution, the easier it is to market and the less competition you’ll face.
- Choose your product type: Templates, plugins, scripts, data sets, or software tools all have different development and marketing requirements.
- Build once, sell repeatedly: Focus on creating something that requires minimal ongoing maintenance.
- Set up automated delivery: Use platforms like Gumroad or SendOwl to handle payment processing and product delivery.
The most successful digital product creators I know are constantly gathering feedback and iterating on their offerings. They also create complementary products that can be cross-sold to their existing customer base.
Reality check: Not every digital product will be a hit. I’ve created three that didn’t cover their hosting costs. The key is to fail quickly, learn, and apply those insights to your next creation.
7. Technical Due Diligence Consulting
As tech acquisitions and investments continue at a breakneck pace, there’s growing demand for technical experts who can evaluate the quality and sustainability of a company’s technology stack.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
Investment firms and acquiring companies often lack the in-house expertise to thoroughly evaluate technical assets, creating opportunities for specialists who can assess code quality, architecture decisions, technical debt, and team capabilities.
A former colleague now performs technical due diligence for venture capital firms, charging $10,000-$15,000 per assessment. Each project typically requires 20-30 hours of work spread over two weeks—perfectly manageable alongside a full-time role.
Getting Started
- Develop an assessment framework: Create a systematic approach to evaluating technical assets and teams.
- Build relationships with investment firms: Connect with venture capital firms, private equity groups, and M&A advisors who regularly need these services.
- Create a compelling deliverable format: Your reports need to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders who are making multi-million dollar decisions.
- Specialize by technology or industry: Focusing on specific tech stacks or industry verticals can help you stand out and command premium rates.
The most valuable technical due diligence consultants don’t just identify problems—they provide context about the severity, potential solutions, and implications for the business’s future.
Barrier to entry: This side hustle requires significant experience and credibility. It’s ideal for senior engineers, architects, and technical leaders with at least 8-10 years of experience and a track record of successful projects.
8. Code Review as a Service
As development teams grow increasingly distributed and asynchronous, there’s a rising demand for independent code review expertise, especially for teams without senior technical leadership.
Why It’s Hot in 2025
Code quality directly impacts business outcomes through reliability, security, and maintainability. Yet many teams lack the expertise or bandwidth for thorough reviews, creating an opportunity for external specialists.
Some offer code reviews to a former employer who had lost several senior engineers. What began as a one-off favor evolved into a regular arrangement with three companies, generating about $4,000 monthly for work they can do evenings and weekends.
Getting Started
- Define your specialization: Focus on specific languages, frameworks, or types of applications where you have deep expertise.
- Create a standardized review process: Develop templates and checklists that ensure consistent, thorough reviews.
- Offer tiered services: From automated analysis to comprehensive manual reviews with refactoring recommendations.
- Build relationships with development agencies: These organizations often need external review capacity during busy periods.
The most successful code reviewers don’t just identify problems—they provide education and context that helps teams improve over time. This consultative approach leads to longer-term relationships and higher-value engagements.
Pro tip: Tools like SonarQube can handle the basic analysis, freeing you to focus on architectural issues, security vulnerabilities, and performance optimizations that automated tools might miss.
Finding Time: The Tech Worker’s Guide to Side Hustle Sanity
Let’s be honest—the biggest challenge for most tech workers isn’t finding a profitable side hustle; it’s finding the time and energy to pursue it without burning out. After debugging production issues all day, the last thing you might want is more screen time.
Here’s how I’ve made it work, and how other successful tech side-hustlers manage the balance:
1. Time Blocking with Buffers
Dedicated side hustle time blocks (with buffer periods before and after) are essential. I reserve Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus Saturday and Sunday mornings, exclusively for side projects. Having these times pre-committed in my calendar prevents the “I’ll get to it when I have time” syndrome that kills most side hustles.
- Pre-set Time: 5,15,30,60 minutes
- Clock & timer: Multi-functional timer with clock and timer in...
- Various colors and time combinations: The timer comes in 5 colors...
2. The Power of Productive Procrastination
Sometimes I’m too mentally drained from my day job to work on my most challenging side hustle tasks. Instead of forcing it, I keep a list of lower-energy tasks (like responding to comments, updating documentation, or light administrative work) that still move the needle forward.
3. Leverage Your Employer’s Downtime
Many tech roles have natural ebbs and flows in workload. I’ve found that January, July, and August typically have fewer critical projects at my day job, making them perfect for ramping up side hustle activity.
4. Automate Ruthlessly
Use your technical skills to automate every possible aspect of your side hustle. I’ve built AI-assisted workflow automation and soon Agents that handle everything from social media posting to client follow-ups, saving hours each week.
5. The 90-Minute Rule
Research suggests that 90 minutes is the optimal period for focused work before needing a significant break. Rather than trying to dedicate entire evenings, I aim for one or two focused 90-minute sessions on weekdays, saving longer periods for weekends. This is difficult with ADHD, and the hyperfocus kicks in, I spend all day only getting up to go to the bathroom and eat (when I remember to eat).
The Tax Talk: What Tech Workers Need to Know
Before you dive into side hustle waters, let’s talk about the tax implications, because nothing ruins the thrill of extra income like an unexpected tax bill.
Business Structure Considerations
Most side hustlers start as sole proprietors, but depending on your income level and liability concerns, an LLC or S-Corp might make sense. Operate as a sole proprietor until your side income exceeds $30,000 annually, then form an LLC for liability protection and potential tax benefits.
Deduction Opportunities
The home office deduction, equipment purchases, software subscriptions, and professional development expenses can all potentially reduce your taxable income. I was surprised to learn that my home internet, cell phone (percentage of business use), and even certain travel expenses could qualify as deductions.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes
Once your side hustle generates significant income, you’ll likely need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid penalties. Use a separate savings account where you automatically transfer 30% of all side hustle income to ensure you are covered when tax time comes.
Disclaimer: I’m not a tax professional, just a fellow side hustler sharing experience. Consult with a qualified tax advisor about your specific situation.
The Long Game: From Side Hustle to Main Gig?
Many side hustles have the potential to grow into full-time businesses—if that’s your goal. But even if it isn’t, approaching your side hustle with a long-term mindset can dramatically increase its value and sustainability.
Building Assets, Not Just Income
The most successful tech side hustles create assets that appreciate over time: audience, content libraries, code repositories, or client relationships. I focus on creating systems and products that continue generating value with decreasing input from me.
The One-Year Rule
Give any new side hustle at least one year before judging its success. Persistence through the initial growth phase is often what separates successful side hustlers from the rest.
Exit Strategies Matter
Even if you love your side hustle, consider how you might eventually sell or automate it. Building with an exit in mind forces you to create better documentation, systems, and processes, which ironically often makes the business more enjoyable to run yourself.
Your Next Steps: From Reading to Revenue
If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly serious about turning your technical skills into additional income streams. Here’s how to move from contemplation to action:
- Assess your skills and interests: Which of these side hustles aligns best with your current expertise and what you actually enjoy doing?
- Start small but start now: Commit to spending just 5 hours next week on your chosen side hustle. Taking that first step is often the hardest part.
- Find your first client or create your first product: Nothing accelerates learning like having real skin in the game.
- Connect with others on the same path: Join communities like Indie Hackers, relevant subreddits, or Twitter circles where other tech side hustlers share their journeys.
Remember, the perfect time to start was yesterday, but the second-best time is today. Your future self will thank you for planting these seeds now, even if they take time to grow.
Have you tried any of these side hustles? Are there others that have worked well for you? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for new opportunities to explore!
About the Author: David Hartshorn is an IT Manager by day and digital creator by night. With over a decade of experience in the tech industry, he’s passionate about helping technical professionals build fulfilling and profitable projects outside their day jobs.
Last update on 2025-05-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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