Abby B. When you’re just starting out with your career, it can feel confusing if you should focus entirely on your day job or spare some time to explore your passions on the side. But there are some benefits to having a side hustle regardless whether you make a lot or a little.
*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!
19 Best Side Hustles For Residents
1. Offer pet-sitting services to other pet owners
On days you’re not working, you can earn side income relaxing at home by pet-sitting for others. Pet-sitting is usually done at the pet owner’s home while home boarding services can be done at your place.
There are a few different services offered on apps like Rover and WagWalking for pet owners to choose from. You can sign up to these sites as a pet caregiver and accept jobs when you’re free to commit.
Rover requires pet owners to specify the size of their dogs (from small to giant) so you shouldn’t worry about not being able to handle large dogs – if you don’t want to.
Depending on how much work you can put in, you can earn at least $200 with 10 visits in a single weekend. This is a simplistic estimation based on the typical pay rate of $15-$20 pet-sitters make per visit – can vary with area and experience!
Have a large number of followers on your social media accounts and wouldn’t mind working on growing them? You can become an influencer in no time!
Influencers generally earn from brand sponsorships and affiliate commissions. Some may even sell their own products or services which would allow them to earn more from their audience.
I would suggest focusing on earning from affiliates as it is a passive source of income that does not require constant work. You can promote affiliate links of products or services you use and make content around them for others to click on.
Once someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase, you’ll earn a commission out of it. It’s best to curate your selection of affiliate programs to your audience type and stay genuine with your recommendations.
Some affiliate marketplaces you can check out are Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. You’ll just need to create an account, get links to suitable products or services based on your audience and start sharing them on your socials.
3. Make videos for your own YouTube channel
If you love making videos and sharing bits of your life, you should consider starting a YouTube channel.
Although it takes time and dedication to make any money with YouTube, it can be really rewarding in the long term. I would highly suggest you starting one if you’re looking to explore something creative and don’t mind not making a quick buck.
You can create content about your daily life as a resident as well as share career tips for others looking to start a similar journey. That’s exactly how Ali Abdaal began his YouTube career!
4. Start a podcast for a passion you have
Not looking to spend hours editing long form videos for YouTube but interested to become an online content creator? You can explore podcasting instead!
Quite similar to YouTube, podcasts allows you to earn from number of downloads you get and paid brand deals. If you’re used to listening to any, you’ll know there’s a brand sponsorship going on when the podcaster gives a shout out to a brand.
Personally, I love listening to podcasts on self-development, financial tips as well as business ideas. But there’s all kinds of podcasts out there so you don’t have to limit yourself to these categories only.
I recommend video-recording your podcasting sessions and uploading them to YouTube as a double content creation strategy. Even if you want to make any changes to your direction later on, you get more from whatever you’re doing today.
5. Build an informational or educational content blog
Another way you can earn money through content creation is to write for your own blog. Compared to the options I’ve listed above, starting a blog would require some technical skills but it’s nothing too difficult.
Assuming you’re young and tech-savvy, you should be able to figure it out – because I did!
As a start, it’s best to choose a niche you’re passionate about and stick to it throughout all your blog’s content. It would also be wise to choose something you’re personally experienced in and make your content educational or informational.
6. Become a stock photographer and sell photos online
Have a side passion for photography? It’s time to reignite your interest and make passive income with it!
As a resident and a future doctor, there’s only so much time you can spend on a side hustle. It can be really tiring to deal with anyone outside your day job so ideally, your side hustle shouldn’t be a demanding one.
If this is your exact thoughts, I recommend learning basic photography and spending your free time taking loads of photos to sell them as stock images online. Your photos can be sold repeatedly and make you sales at any time of day!
To get started, get yourself a good DSLR or mirrorless camera and test out different photography techniques to find what sells best. Content creators and large websites are always looking to purchase stock images and videos for their own marketing strategies.
If you wish to use your medical expertise for content writing, I highly recommend becoming a freelance writer instead. It allows you to be paid immediately (when you submit your work to the client) instead of waiting months for any revenue with a blog.
You can also choose how many articles you want to write per month. Clients would typically give about 3-5 articles on a monthly basis for each writer – assuming they have a few writers they’re working with. Anything more could compromise quality!
Aside from looking for these job postings on sites like Upwork (sample down below), you can also search on LinkedIn or visit health websites directly as they may have a page for you to sign up as a medical writer. There’s also tons of opportunities for manuscript writing requiring medical research background.
It’s best to leverage on your experience as a medical professional when it comes to writing as it allows you to be paid higher. Specialized writers can earn beyond $100 per article with enough experience!
8. Teach school kids online for a subject you’re good at
Always thought of exploring teaching as a career? You can still do it on the side as an online tutor for school kids.
Depending on what you’re comfortable with, you can teach mathematics, language, science and history. It may be a wise move to stick to science subjects as you’re a medical graduate yourself.
People would also be more inclined to hire you to teach their kids thanks to your medical background! Alternatively, you can explore teaching the English language to non-native speakers.
If you’re able to commit at least five hours a week to tutoring, you can make at least $300 in side income – assuming an hourly rate of $60. Since you’re tutoring online and don’t need to commute, there are no real costs to conduct your classes.
9. Earn on Medium with their Partner Program
Torn between writing for your own blog or writing for others? You should consider writing for Medium instead and earn on the side through their Partner Program.
There are some requirements you would need to fulfill aside from being a Medium Member but it’s nothing too difficult. It’s a program that’s only available in certain countries so be sure to check first if you’re eligible.
Writing on Medium can have its own benefits against having your own stand-alone blog or freelance writing. You can be writing for any topics you’re personally passionate about (including medical ones) and not need to wait months for traffic.
You also don’t have to work for any clients and avoid feeling even more drained outside your day job. However, it does take similar consistency to gain readership on Medium so I highly suggest publishing at least an article per week.
Once you’ve built momentum on Medium, you can link it back to your social accounts (including LinkedIn) if that’s your strategy for the long term. It should definitely help you with your professional career!
10. Explore medical transcription as a side job
Want to explore something different that’s related to your professional background but don’t want to be writing in your free time? You can explore side jobs as a medical transcriptionist.
I would recommend trying it out to see if you like it as it differs for everyone. It’s a great side hustle to get into given your medical background but would require some technical skills.
Essentially, you would need good listening skills and the ability to type out what you’re listening correctly without errors. If you want a great headstart, take up a basic transcription course on sites like Transcribe Anywhere.
The job can be done remotely as you only need a computer to work with and a pair of headphones!
Companies look for transcriptionists from relevant medical background due to the use of unique terms and jargons that only medical professionals would know.
| What do I need to start? | – Great listening & typing skills – Good command of the language you wish to transcribe – Attention to details |
Check out: 19+ companies for remote transcription jobs
11. Teach fitness as a personal trainer or a yoga instructor
Are you someone who loves working out and visiting the gym on your off days? You should turn your passion for fitness to a side job!
If you’ve personally tried a work out routine or diet plan that helped you build muscles or lose weight, you can tech others to do the same. Weight loss and body building is a huge industry that anyone can get into as everyone has their personal preferences and differs with others.
To become a professional trainer, you may have to get the right certifications first. However, don’t delay things until you’re ready, test out the idea to see if you like it by helping friends or acquaintances.
I personally prefer yoga over working out as I find it therapeutic so if you feel the same, you can work on becoming a certified yoga instructor to teach yoga on the side. You can also set up a whole YouTube channel to teach yoga for free!
| What do I need to start? | – Yoga or personal trainer certification – Platform to promote your services – The right tools to use for teaching |
12. Create and sell digital products on Etsy
Want to build passive income streams so you no longer have to trade time for money? You should create digital products as they can be sold repeatedly at no extra cost.
If you didn’t know, it’s possible to sell digital products through Etsy by following these eight simple steps when listing digital downloads. You can be selling anything that can be downloaded – including Canva templates, digital planners, printables and photo-editing presets.
You can find my full list of digital products here!
As a seller, you only have to create your product listing once and when a buyer makes a purchase, they’ll immediately get access to the product. You don’t have to ship anything and customers will not have to wait for a parcel.
If you’re looking for a digital product that’s related to your main profession, I would suggest making printable posters for science studies. If you’re open to exploring, there’s so many kinds of digital products you can create to sell!
Here’s a sample of digital products you can make to sell on Etsy.
Other sites you can use to sell digital products:
| What do I need to start? | – A digital product idea – Tools to create your digital product – Platform to sell on |
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!
13. Tutor your juniors in medical school
Another route you can take to explore your passion for teaching is to tutor students in medical school.
Depending on your personal background, you can tutor for USMLE step exams or MCAT. It can be done online for a much higher hourly pay compared to teaching school kids – at about $80 per hour or more.
The hardest part is probably getting your first group of students to tutor and preparing your materials. But once you gain more experience, clients may come in from word of mouth and teaching becomes second nature for you.
Alternatively, you can offer coaching services to medical school graduates looking to ace any interviews and review their resume. It doesn’t pay as much as tutoring but it’s straightforward and takes less time.
If you’ve taken any medical course and got certified to teach others as an instructor, you can also make a good side income from it as it’s usually paid per day or session. Start by listing down your personal achievements and get to work!
| What do I need to start? | – Relevant experience or background to be able to teach – Platform to market your services |
14. Baby-sit for friends and neighbors
In an article, Parents wrote that the national average hourly rate for baby-sitters in the USA is about $20 for one child but this should vary depending on a few things. Similar to my explanation for pet-sitting above, the hourly pay for baby-sitters differ according to location, experience and if you’re needed to care for more than a child at once.
To make things simple, you can offer baby-sitting services to doctors and medical professionals you know that needs a helping hand. If they’re well paid, they wouldn’t mind paying someone they know a higher rate than the national average pay.
Trust goes a long way!
Alternatively, you can sign up as a baby-sitter on apps that make it easier for you to get started. This includes Bambino, Sittercity and Urban Sitter. Some of these apps have way more services than just baby-sitting.
| What do I need to start? | – Relevant experience in taking care of kids – Platform to market your services |
15. Create your own online courses to sell passively
If you’ve tried any of the things I’ve listed here and had some good experience with it, you probably have skills that can be taught to others – for a fee and through the sale of online courses.
People are always looking for new ways to upskill themselves to make more money and are usually willing to spend on courses to speed up their learning. So if you think you can’t teach anything, think again!
You can create your own online courses for anything you’re experienced in or make modules for medical-related courses. You don’t have to be making complicated ones to get started!
Below is a sample of courses on Udemy that teaches medical writing. If you have any ideas of what you’re able to teach (even as a resident), make a search for it and see what pops up.
Selling pre-recorded online courses allow you to free up your time, set a more reasonable price and reach a wider audience. You can make your lessons cheaper by making it bite-sized instead of bundling everything together.
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
16. Earn with your car through advertisements
If you have a car and wished that you’re able to make money with it, you can do so by installing advertisement wraps on your car. You don’t have to be driving others or delivering packages to be making a side income with it!
Car advertisement companies like Wrapify would require some details of your car to determine how much you’re able to make with ads. Placing ads all over your car’s body would get you a lot more payout compared to if you’re just installing on some sides.
The highest payout estimate is about $450 per month!
You’ll just need to install the app on your mobile phone and go for your normal daily drive. The app will then determine campaigns you’re qualified for and send you relevant offers.
| What do I need to start? | – Your mobile phone – A vehicle you can place advertisements on |
17. Get paid completing online medical surveys
It’s all too common to hear about earning cash for completing online surveys, but medical surveys pays higher and is only available to medical professionals. Most surveys are conducted for pharmaceutical companies to get insights directly from end users.
Typically, the amount you can make from surveys depend on the complexity and time it takes to complete the survey. Longer ones require more time on your end but should pay you more.
Aside from filling up surveys, some apps may even ask for your feedback on the future of healthcare! So whether you’re into active or passive activities, it can be quite fun.
| What do I need to start? | – Your mobile phone – Signing up to online survey platforms |
Check out: 5 websites to complete medical surveys for extra cash
18. Sell things you no longer use for cash
Occasionally, when I feel the need to declutter my space, I would sell things I no longer use for extra cash. I’m a personal believer that if you don’t use it, you might as well sell it and use the money on something you actually need – or save the money for rainy days.
It can also be fun to see your space clear up and make way for new things! If you’re living in a big city, rent can be expensive and so it’s wise to be space-efficient.
You can selling your items on sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Poshmark. Once you’ve sold everything you want to get rid of, you may want to consider a side business in buying second hand items to resell for profit.
Rinse and repeat!
| What do I need to start? | – An eye to spot underpriced goods – Skills and platform to sell online/offline – A budget to purchase your first item |
19. Sell custom merchandise with print on demand
Thought of setting up an ecommerce store to sell things online? You should start a print on demand store – check out my seven reasons why you’ll love POD.
Print on demand works quite like dropshipping as sellers don’t need to buy large volumes of inventory to start selling online. However, instead of selling ready made products, you’ll be designing your own merchandise that will only be printed once there’s a sale.
I recommend working with Printify or Printful as your print provider as they will be the one printing your orders and shipping it out to customers directly for you.
You’ll only need to make the designs using tools like Canva or Kittl then upload it to your preferred merchandise (sample down below).
Don’t have enough time to 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
11 Online Side Hustle Ideas During Residency
- Make informational videos for YouTube
- Become a freelance content writer
- Complete online medical surveys
- Get paid to write for medical content websites
- Become a medical transcriptionist
- Start a podcast for medical students
- Tutor medical students on the side
- Build a blog for your own content
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Design your own merchandise with print on demand
- Promote affiliate links on your social accounts
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustle for residents 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
If you’re too busy to start anything, you’ll need to reevaluate your life’s priorities. What do you want to focus on?
Do you wish to focus on your career or focus on building another income stream to supplement your full-time job? As hard as it sounds, there’s always a choice and sacrifice to be made!
Start with one of the things I’ve recommended above and give yourself time to test it out. I will always recommend building passive income streams to no longer trade time for money.
Here are 19 best side hustles for residents:
- Offer pet-sitting services to other pet owners
- Become an influencer and promote affiliate links on social media
- Make videos for your own YouTube channel
- Start a podcast for a passion you have
- Build an informational or educational content blog
- Become a stock photographer and sell photos online
- Offer freelance writing services for medical-related content
- Teach school kids online for a subject you’re good at
- Earn on Medium with their Partner Program
- Explore medical transcription as a side job
- Teach fitness as a personal trainer or a yoga instructor
- Create and sell digital products on Etsy
- Tutor your juniors in medical school
- Baby-sit for friends and neighbors
- Create your own online courses to sell passively
- Earn with your car through advertisements
- Get paid completing online medical surveys
- Sell things you no longer use for cash
- Sell custom merchandise with print on demand
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – 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 Artem Podrez
