Abby B. It may be hard to fit in time for another side hustle when you’re busy with a day job. But, not all side hustles need a lot of your time!
Take things slow to create something you love, the rewards isn’t always immediate but can be amazing in the long run.
*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!
13 Best Side Hustles For Devops Engineer
1. Do freelance or consultancy on the side
Looking to make use of your devops knowledge and do something that looks good on your resume? You can become a freelancer on sites like Upwork, Fiverr and even Craigslist.
Upwork is more geared towards long term projects, as opposed to Fiverr where you can offer short straightforward services.
There’s a huge chance of burning out when juggling between your day job and taking more workload on the side. So it’s wise to only dedicate about 5-10 hours per week to freelancing and working with 1-2 major clients at most – depending on your existing schedule.
Startups and small companies are the ones needing for your expertise as most don’t have dedicated or specialized IT staffs. It’s possible to get small projects done e.g. fix bugs, run ideas, on weekday nights and weekends (if needed)!
Similarly, you can look into devops consulting on a contract basis for one-off projects. Search for contract or contract for hire positions – highly possible if you have a good network which would also help you increase your hourly rates.
2. Start your own YouTube channel for devops engineers
With a busy schedule, it may be hard to commit to other people e.g. freelance clients. So if you need something that doesn’t require you to work with anyone else and can make you a good amount of money in the long run, becoming a YouTuber is the way!
YouTube allows you to earn from advertisements, affiliate sales, sales of your own product and even subscriptions. Most of the money that’s made on YouTube is passive as in you don’t have to be doing anything.
Of course, it takes time for your channel to get any views, be monetized with YouTube’s Partner Program and make a substantial income – but it’s not impossible if you stay consistent!
As a devops engineer, you can create videos for IT-related topics and even niche down to make content specifically for devops. Alternatively, explore other passions you have like fishing, camping, travelling or even coffee-making.
I find that people love following others’ journeys so it’s okay to start even when you’re not a pro at anything. Just share your insights as you progress!
Interesting YouTube channels for devops or software engineers:
| 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
Want to explore creative side hustles like YouTube but isn’t as difficult as YouTube? You can become a podcaster instead on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Podcasting is much more doable even if you don’t look the best after a long day as it only records audio files. It takes less work to edit and with the right script, you can get an episode ready for upload in less than an hour.
Just like YouTube, you can talk about IT-related topics or explore another passion altogether. Choose between having a solo session or getting a guest onboard for different episodes.
You can make money with podcasting through downloads, brand sponsorships and subscriptions. Premium paid subscriptions is possible on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts where fans are able to pay to get early access to new episodes and bonuses.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 9+ best tech podcasts to listen to
4. Write informational content on your own blog
As an introvert, I personally enjoy blogging the most out of all the ways to become a content creator. There’s no pressure to upload everyday and anyone who sticks with it, isn’t doing it for the metrics (the views or the likes).
That said, you won’t exactly know if anyone is going to read what you’re writing and it’ll take months after publishing an article before you do!
If you have that tenacity to share written content consistently for a year, blogging might work for you. I highly suggest you start on the right foot by taking this beginner blogging course. Alternatively, check out my free step-by-step guide on how to set up a blog.
You can make money in the long term by writing long-form content for any topics in the IT and data field or exploring any other passion you might have. Popular niches for blogs are food, travel, finance, gardening and pets.
Not interested in building a blog from scratch? You can make side income quickly by writing for other blogs and websites instead. Freelance writers can earn beyond the usual rate of $100 per article by specializing in topics they’re good at e.g. devops and software!
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Platform to market your services if freelancing – Passion to write for a specific niche |
5. Create digital products and sell on Etsy for others’ use
As someone that’s really IT-savvy, you have a huge advantage against others. Anything digital and IT-related comes easy to you!
A side hustle I would really recommend to anyone that’s looking to build passive income is to create digital products and selling them online. It’s best to start on Etsy if you don’t have any online audience, but it’s possible to do it on Shopify and on your own website too.
Some popular digital products to sell are Canva templates, PDF plans/guides, Excel spreadsheets and even photo-editing presets. You can check out my full list of digital products to sell on Etsy here!
If you didn’t know, Etsy allows for sale of digital downloads where customers get to download the digital file as soon as they make the purchase. As a seller, you don’t have to make anything extra or ship any orders.
Just make sure you upload the right file when creating the digital product listing on Etsy!
Other online platforms to sell your digital downloads:
| What do I need to start? | – A digital product niche to specialize in – Tools to create digital product – Consistent uploading to Etsy |
6. Tutor or teach others online in your free time
Interested in teaching? You can become a part-time online tutor for your favorite subjects! This includes English, mathematics, science and even history.
As a part-time tutor, you get to choose how many hours you want to dedicate to teaching. Conducting your classes online via Zoom allows for better time management as you don’t have to be commuting to your tutee’s location.
It’s also a way to negotiate a better rate than what you can get by just teaching in your area!
Although you can find your tutees or students on your own, it’s easier to find clients on online tutoring platforms when you’re just starting out. Tutoring can’t make you a ton of money but if fulfilling work is what you’re after, it can be extremely rewarding – with enough patience.
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 |
7. Take professional photos to sell on stock websites
Love photography and want to make money from it? You don’t always have to be taking photos at events or weddings to be called a photographer.
Stock photographers generally take photos to sell them on stock websites or share it online for free for others’ use. There are websites catering to both paid and free stock photos but in order make money, you have to focus on the paid ones!
Just like digital products, stock photos can be sold repeatedly at no extra production cost. You’ll upload the photo once and probably need to pay a small fee to the platform for every sale made.
However, to get the right amount of exposure and sales, you’ll need to take a lot of photos and build a good portfolio. More pictures mean your profile gets seen more often!
Stock websites you can join to start:
| What do I need to start? | – Build an audience that trusts you – The right platform to market your services |
8. Monetize your knowledge by creating paid online courses
Interested in teaching but unsure if you can dedicate your evenings and weekends to other people? You can explore a passive way of teaching through selling pre-recorded online courses.
Of course, there are plenty of free video resources on YouTube to learn from but people generally do not provide a lot of value when things are free. Users may also prefer a more structured way of learning instead of going through multiple searches for different topics.
So the best solution is self-paced online courses!
There’s surprisingly a lot of online courses for devops on Udemy with thousands of reviews (each of them!) so there’s definitely demand. It’s best to build an audience first for your lessons on either YouTube, Twitter or TikTok – provide free value then direct them to paid ones.
The common price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67.
Aside from online courses, you can host a two or three-hour physical workshop in your area to teach an IT-related skill. Make it even more valuable by limiting the number of participants and increasing your rates. Quality instead of quantity!
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!
9. Become a pet caregiver in your area
Want to do something that lets you relax on weekends at home or in your neighborhood? You can sign up as a pet caregiver on sites like Rover or WagWalking.
You can offer your pet-sitting services on your own without using any apps but it may be harder to get any customers in the beginning – unless they’re people you personally know. So it’s best to build up your reviews using well-known services first!
Pet-sitting is a side hustle that people go into as they love pets (dogs & cats) and don’t want to be thinking too much to make money in their free time.
You can make at least $200 in a single weekend by charging the average rate of $15-20 per visit and making just 10 short 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 |
10. Sell low to medium content books on Amazon KDP
Want more streams of passive income where you can make sale at any time of day and sell a product repeatedly? You can create and sell your own e-book!
As a professional, you might want to capture all your knowledge and experiences into a well-written product for others to read. It can help build your exposure and improve recognition in the industry – if that’s what you’re looking for.
Aside from making your knowledge e-book, you can also be selling planners, notebooks and activity books on Amazon KDP. These books generally do not have much content so they’re better known as low to medium content books. They’re usually priced cheaply under $15 which makes it easy for customers to purchase!
You’ll only need to design the product using tools like Canva and upload the digital file to Amazon. Once a customer makes a purchase, Amazon will print the physical copy and ship it directly to customers for you.
There’s no cost involved and you’ll earn a royalty upon every sale!
Sample of notebooks for coders on Amazon:
| What do I need to start? | – Tools to design your book – Product idea that’s in demand |
11. Get paid for promoting brands as an influencer
If you have a good number of followers on social media, there are two ways you can get paid by promoting brands.
Firstly, it’s through securing brand deals where you get paid to create/upload a number of pictures or videos promoting products. A friend of mine makes at least $2,000 for a single Instagram post!
For this purpose, Instagram and TikTok works wonders so you’ll need to focus on building your audience there – nowhere else. It’s good to have a mixture of product review videos right from the beginning even if it’s unpaid so brands know what to expect if they work with you.
The second way is through promoting affiliate links which is more passive and does not require a brand to reach out to you first. All you need to do is add links to your profile bio, stories and posts (if applicable).
You can sign up to any affiliate programs that you think your audience will benefit from. The best ones are Amazon Associates, Rakuten Advertising, CJ Affiliates and Share-a-sale.
Best platforms for affiliates are Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Works as long as you have an engaged audience!
| What do I need to start? | – Smart phone to record and share content – Video editing app e.g. CapCut – Photo editing app |
12. Rent out your property on Airbnb
We all know, devops engineers are well paid for the stressful work! If you’re not one of them, it’s a sign to take action today to build new income streams.
If you’ve been investing your hard-earned money into real estate and own more than one property, it’s time to make your asset work for you.
You can rent out the property for long term rentals or become an Airbnb host with short term stays. If your property is near to where you’re currently living at, I highly suggest going with the second option!
There’s a lot more income to be made with short term rentals i.e. over a weekend. It is also much more straightforward and easier to manage, there’s less chances of your property being damaged.
You’ll just have to make the place look good with furniture and make it a pleasant stay for customers. On a tight budget? Second hand furniture does the job!
| What do I need to start? | – A vacant room or property – Home deco make the place rentable – Platform to market the space |
Check out: Your beginner guide to start hosting on Airbnb
13. Sell your own merchandise with print on demand
Thought of selling something physical online but unsure how to start and where to source your products? I highly suggest giving print on demand a try first especially if you have zero experience with ecommerce – check out my seven reasons why.
POD works pretty much the same as dropshipping as you don’t need to hold any inventory or spend any money until you’ve made a sale.
You’ll just need to create your designs with either Kittl or Canva then upload it to merchandise on POD supplier platforms like Printify or Printful.
Once you make a sale through your Etsy store, your chosen POD supplier will print the product and ship it directly to customers – even if it’s just a single item!
There’s an assortment of products you can design which includes t-shirts, leggings, phone cases and even mouse pads (more down below).
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 Side Hustles For Computer Science Students
Here’s 9 ideas on side hustles for computer science students:
- Become a website or application tester
- Start a YouTube channel for coding tutorials
- Get paid to write for IT blogs and websites
- Earn affiliate income from promoting computer science courses
- Create digital products for coding purposes
- Sell your original photos on stock websites
- Design merchandise with print on demand
- Tutor your juniors or help with projects
- Work part-time as a tech support
11 Ideas Side Hustles For Software Engineers
Here’s 11 ways software engineers can start a side hustle:
- Create free game applications to earn with ads
- Write on Medium and earn through Partner Program
- Teach school kids how to code
- Sell online courses on learning platforms
- Create digital products for other software engineers
- Start a podcast for IT topics
- Become a blogger to share educational content
- Offer consultancy services for small businesses
- Sell monthly subscriptions for a SaaS you designed
- Pet-sit in your free time
- Create video tutorials on YouTube
How To Earn More As A Devops Engineer
Here’s some ideas on how you can make more money as a devops engineer:
- Decide what type of product or service you want to sell
- Search for similar products or services in the market to analyze demand
- Choose a single project to start with
- Allocate time to create the product or upgrade your skills (if needed)
- Choose a platform to market your finished product or your freelance service
- Start with a low selling price to collect reviews and/or build a portfolio
- Increase your price or hourly rate as you progress
- Set up social media e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to promote yourself
- Include a link on how to contact in bio of social account
- Post daily on your social media to look active and up-to-date
- Mix professional and personal experiences to build trust online
- Allow engagement and ask customers to direct message if they need IT-related help
- Repeat!
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustle for devops engineer 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’s tough to figure out what you’re able to sell when others don’t even understand what your primary job or profession entails. So imagine that you’re the ideal customer or audience for your business and answer “what would I need to solve?”.
Working things backwards have been life-changing for me! I would imagine the results I want and then figure out how to achieve it – never the other way around.
If you’re confused on which side hustle you should go for, I will always recommend building passive income streams to no longer trade time for money!
Here are 13 best side hustles for devops engineer:
- Do freelance or consultancy on the side
- Start your own YouTube channel for devops engineers
- Become a podcaster for IT-related topics
- Write informational content on your own blog
- Create digital products and sell on Etsy for others’ use
- Tutor or teach others online in your free time
- Take professional photos to sell on stock websites
- Monetize your knowledge by creating paid online courses
- Become a pet caregiver in your area
- Sell low to medium content books on Amazon KDP
- Get paid for promoting brands as an influencer
- Rent out your property on Airbnb
- Sell your own merchandise with print on demand
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 Lukas
