Abby B. It’s super helpful to have a side business or side hustle even if you have a good paying day job. Times are tough and it can be stressful to depend on a single income when you have a family depending on you.
The best thing you can gift yourself is a peace of mind and a backup plan!
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
11 Best Side Hustles For Database Administrators
1. Become a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr
If you have a full-time job and looking to make side income with your existing skills, it’s practical to start freelancing and offering your services on the side.
Of course, just like having another part-time job, this will consume your free time and it can be challenging for some to find the right balance between a day job and your clients’ projects.
There are tons of database administration projects you can apply to on Upwork and services you can post on Fiverr. Although it’s tough to get a good pay with these platforms at first, it helps to build exposure and you should be able to increase your rates after collecting enough good reviews.
Other than finding jobs via online platforms, you can also ask if anyone you know is looking to hire a freelance database administrator for after working hours. Aside from being able to negotiate a higher rate (beyond $20/hour), you also get to build connections in the field which is far more beneficial if you’re looking to do this long term.
You can reach out to developers, system admins and even data engineers as they may need help on SQL. After hours jobs you can look for are maintenance checks, system upgrades and migrations – or go into ad-hoc consultancy. People need recommendations on best practices and most of the time, reporting!
2. Create your own personal YouTube channel
Looking for something that gives you the freedom of time later on? Starting your own YouTube channel can be rewarding!
Compared to social media apps like Instagram or TikTok, YouTube’s algorithm is much more relaxed and does not require you to upload on a daily basis.
You can start a YouTube channel to educate others on topics of IT and database administration or explore another passion you might have. This is possible for any hobbies you might have like fishing, camping, working out or just eating out.
Highly suggest going into content creation for educational purposes on YouTube if you’re not looking for a quick fix and able to make content outside your working hours for the long term!
It’s free to start a YouTube channel – once you have enough views and subscribers, you’re able to get into their YouTube Partner Program which gets you paid based on advertisements viewed.
Interesting YouTube channels in the IT niche:
| What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
Interested in creating useful content but unsure if you have the time to create and edit videos for YouTube? You can become a podcaster instead.
Generally, podcasters record audio files of conversations – whether they carry it out alone or with someone else i.e. guests. It can be as short as 10 minutes and as long as 3 hours – just make sure it’s giving enough useful info for the length!
As podcast episodes are in audio files instead of video, it’s much easier to edit and should take less time. If you feel like you’re missing out on the YouTube bandwagon, you can always video-record yourself doing the podcast and upload it to your YouTube channel.
Win-win! You can always explore something different later on, the key is to just start and stay consistent.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 15+ IT podcasts for tech professionals like you
Starting a podcast or a YouTube channel would require you to invest in some equipment e.g. microphone, camera and/or headsets. But if a computer is all you have at the moment, you can also become a content creator through blogging – on your own website!
Personally, I still find great value in reading articles online. They’re usually much more detailed and easier to consume compared to watching videos or scrolling social media apps for info.
You can write articles on data-related topics or any niche that interests you. Educational or informational sites do really well as they’re easier to be searched on Google or Bing.
Setting up a website should not be difficult for you thanks to your IT experience. Even with my basic skills, I’ve managed to set up my own blog as well as one for a friend – just from watching tutorials on YouTube!
Just like YouTube, blogs let you earn from advertisements being viewed and through affiliate sales. It still takes quite awhile before you can start earning with your blog!
I’d recommend starting with this beginner blogging course to not get confused or check out my FREE guide on how to set up a blog.
If you’re not into setting up your own blog and need extra cash now, you can apply to freelance writing jobs on Upwork for IT-related topics. You can charge a higher rate by specializing for IT or data-only content!
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Platform to market your services if freelancing – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Check out: How to start freelance writing and make money (the ultimate resource)
5. Tutor school kids online on a subject you’re good at
Sometimes you don’t have to be doing what you’re already doing to be making extra money. You may be looking for something less stressful but still make use of any knowledge you’ve acquired throughout your adult or teenage years.
One of the things you can do on the side that is pretty fulfilling is to teach others! Teaching can come in all sorts of form but the simplest one is tutoring school kids online.
This is possible for subjects like mathematics, language, history, science or even IT. As a database administrator, you probably have a good grasped of some of these subjects – enough to be teaching school kids for it!
Aside from tutoring young kids or highschoolers, you can also help college students that are taking database administration courses through teaching at local colleges. This helps you refresh your knowledge and build connections in the field.
Alternatively, if you decide to offer services online, college students might need your help on their homework or assignments and would even pay you $30-$50 to get it done!
Some sites you can promote your online tutoring services on:
| What do I need to start? | – Patience to teach – Relevant module depending on subject you’re teaching – Platform to promote your tutoring service |
6. Create and sell digital products for Excel on Etsy
If you’re looking to build a passive side income stream, the best easiest way to do so is by selling digital products. This can be anything from Canva templates, PDF files, e-books and even Excel spreadsheets – read my full list of digital products to sell here.
Make use of your Excel skills by creating data-centric dashboards like the samples I’ve attached below.
Instead of selling physical products where you need to create and ship, digital products or digital downloads take the chunk of the workload off.
You’ll only need to design the product once, upload it to Etsy as a digital product listing and wait for sales. Once a customer makes a purchase, they’ll instantly be able to download the file – and you don’t need to do anything.
No packing or shipping needed!
Of course, with any kind of passive income, you’ll need to put the work in first and take your time to create a good product for sales.
| What do I need to start? | – A digital product niche to specialize in – Tools to create digital product – Consistent uploading to Etsy |
7. Offer pet-sitting services in your neighborhood
Looking for a side hustle that really does not use any of your brain’s energy? You can become a pet caregiver and still make a good side income from pet-sitting.
Just sign up to sites like Rover or WagWalking as it makes your work a lot easier. Customers get to book a session directly and specify important details like the size of their dogs.
Pet owners get to choose between pet-sitting, home boarding, dog walking or drop-in visits. Depending on the service you’re offering, you can make at least $15-$20 per visit and about $200 in a single weekend by making 10 visits.
Services you can include with pet sitting:
- Walking
- Home boarding
- Sleepovers and night care
- Training
- Bring to vet
- Basic grooming & care
- Travel trips
| What do I need to start? | – Good skills with pets e.g. dogs, cats – Tools for the service you want to offer – Socializing to get clients |
8. Resell vintage items for profit
A personal favorite way of mine to make extra cash on the weekends is to sell things I no longer use. This includes clothing, furniture and even my electronic gadgets i.e. old phones.
Sometimes you get so caught up in the day to day aspect of life that you overlook just how much treasure or junk you’ve accumulated. So take one weekend off and just go through your wardrobe or house store – you might just find something to sell!
If you love the idea of reselling things for sustainable use, consider turning it into a side business. You can source second hand goods or vintage items from local flea markets or online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, then resell them for profit.
Some in-demand items to resell are furniture, antiques, jackets, car accessories and tech stuffs. You’ll need a good eye and taste to spot items that are underpriced and easily resold for profit.
| What do I need to start? | – An eye to spot underpriced valued goods – Skills and platform to sell online or offline – A small budget to purchase your first second hand item |
Check out: A guide to start reselling things as a side hustle
9. Sell low to medium content books on Amazon KDP
Working professionals in all kinds of industries have looked into monetizing their knowledge by writing their own e-book and selling on platforms like Amazon KDP, Lulu or Book Baby. As a database administrator, you can create a study or revision e-book and basic guides to pass professional DBA certifications!
Other than putting your database administration or IT knowledge to good use in the form of books, you can also sell low to medium content books that requires no sharing of knowledge at all.
Some examples of low content books are blank notebooks, to-do lists and even journals. Coloring books are higher in content (needs more work) hence called medium content. These books are priced cheaply under $15 which makes it easy for customers on Amazon to purchase.
Just like digital downloads, you’ll just need to prepare the digital file using tools like Canva and upload them to Amazon KDP. Once a customer makes a purchase, Amazon will print it out for you in the form of a physical product, ship it directly to the customer and pay you a commission.
If you love children and want a more creative hobby that makes you money, this is the side hustle for you!
| What do I need to start? | – Tools to design your book – Product idea that’s in demand |
10. Teach others via paid online courses
Any career that is heavily related to data is going to grow fast in the coming years. My partner have been spending a chunk of money on courses to pursue a career as a data analyst.
If you’ve been spending any money at all on the side after graduating to pick up new knowledge in the IT world, you know just how much people can make from selling online courses.
A simple $67 course may not sound as much but if you can make 30-50 sales in a month, that’s already about $2,010-$3,350 in extra income. Unlike a full-time job, sales revenue can fluctuate!
Online courses are a form of digital product and can be sold repeatedly at no extra production cost. Compared to physical workshops/classes, online courses allows you to earn passively without trading your time.
You’ll just need to upload your videos on a learning platform (list below) and answer questions your students might have after sales – don’t leave them alone else, you’ll get bad reviews.
Some sites you can host online courses on:
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses is too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
11. Start a print on demand side business
Thought about going into ecommerce and selling things online? You may want to try out print on demand – here’s seven reasons why it’s perfect for beginners.
POD is quite similar to dropshipping as you don’t need to hold any stock or spend any money before making a sale. You just have to make designs and place them on merchandise like phone cases, bags and hoodies!
You can be selling your designed merchandise on all kinds of platforms but I highly suggest starting with Etsy as it’s the easiest. Once you make a sale on Etsy, your chosen POD supplier will print the product and ship it directly to your customer.
Best POD fulfillments/suppliers I’d recommend are Printify and Printful as they connect seamlessly with multiple selling platforms including Etsy, Shopify, Amazon and eBay.
Even if you can’t make your own designs, you can buy ready ones on creative marketplaces like Creative Fabrica or Envato Elements.
| What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
9 Online Jobs For Database Administrators
Here are 9 jobs you can build for yourself online:
- YouTuber
- Blogger
- Freelance content writer
- Website tester
- Podcaster
- E-book writer
- E-commerce seller
- Stock photographer
- Course creator
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustle for database administrator you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which side hustle is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
It may seem like there isn’t a lot of side hustles you can explore with a narrowed down profession. But, not all side hustles are built from our professional working experience.
Surely, we all have knowledge in different areas that we can make use of and explore when it comes to building a side income.
You just need to choose one to focus on and give yourself time to go all in! You’ll only know if it doesn’t work out when it does.
I will always recommend building passive income streams to no longer trade time for money.
Here are 11 best side hustles for database administrator:
- Become a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr
- Create your own personal YouTube channel
- Start a podcast for IT or data-related topics
- Share educational content on your own blog
- Tutor school kids online on a subject you’re good at
- Create and sell digital products for Excel on Etsy
- Offer pet-sitting services in your neighborhood
- Resell vintage items for profit
- Sell low to medium content books on Amazon KDP
- Teach others via paid online courses
- Start a print on demand side business
If you’re into sharing educational content, start a blog. It has changed my life – I’ve been able to earn an income passively while travelling in Europe for a month! Just like everything, it’s not an overnight success and needs pure hard work – but to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by panumas nikhomkhai
