6 Side Hustle Ideas for Programmers
Knowing how to program is a valuable skill that can be put to good use if you are looking to add to your income outside of your day job.
If you want to learn how to commercialize your skills and make more money from your programming skills, read this article.
Side Hustles For Programmers
Programmers can earn extra cash by selling their code, bug bounty hunting, selling courses or tutorials, designing with Figma, becoming consultants, and writing tech content.
1. Selling Your Code
If you have a little extra time on your hands, developing and selling code is one of the primary ways that programmers make extra income.
Many people require specific types of code but may not be willing to pay the full price for professional services.
As a result, they are often willing to purchase code from programmers at a lower cost.
Some popular examples of code that you can sell include WordPress and Shopify themes and full websites.
There is also a strong market for code like mobile application templates, functions, plugins, and interfaces.
All you need to do is develop code for something that people have a demand for and put it up on a website like CodeCanyon or Codester.
2. Bug Bounty Hunting
An interesting niche that you can explore as a programmer is becoming a bug bounty hunter.
Companies rely on programming professionals to discover bugs and identify vulnerabilities in their code.
As a bug bounty hunter, you are paid for each bug you find, with the payment amount varying based on the company and project.
The biggest downside to this side hustle is that you're competing with other bug bounty hunters, and you have to work as quickly as possible to find a bug before they do.
If you're unable to find anything, then you don't get paid.
3. Selling Courses or Tutorials
If you have an affinity for explaining the minutiae of your programming language to people, then you can look into selling courses and tutorials.
There's a lot of demand for courses from people looking to break into the field of software engineering and technology or from people who are looking to level up their programming abilities.
You can create courses and publish them on YouTube or sell them on platforms like Coursera and Udemy.
4. Designing with Figma
Programmers can explore UX/UI design as a lucrative side hustle.
Collaborative design tools like Figma facilitate a smooth transition into the design aspect of development.
As you gain experience and expertise, you can provide these services to clients for a fee.
5. Becoming a Consultant
For programmers with plenty of experience in a specific language or niche under their belts, becoming a consultant is a strong and lucrative option to consider.
External consultants are contracted by companies that are in need of an expert to help with a project that they're working on.
As a consultant, you're expected to provide assistance on the project and help address any client questions.
Some consultants are hired on a retainer basis.
This means that the company negotiates a set rate with the consultant ahead of time to secure their services, and the consultant must be available to help out whenever they're needed.
Other consultants are contracted on an hourly basis, where they are paid only for the time that they provide their services.
6. Writing Tech Content
Use your programming knowledge to write a book, leveraging your strong communication skills.
While entering the writing world may present challenges, positioning yourself as an authority on tech-related topics can significantly enhance your earning potential.
Transform your eBook into a passive income stream by publishing it on platforms like Amazon Kindle or offering it for sale on your personal website.
Successfully Managing Your Day Job and Side Hustle
While your side hustle can help you earn more money, you must learn how to manage your time and energy effectively so that both your primary job and your side hustle receive the attention they deserve.
After considering what you hope to achieve with them, create a realistic schedule that allows you to allot enough time for both your primary work and your side hustle.
This allows you to ensure that neither suffers from a lack of quality attention or effort.
Remember to take breaks so you don't burn out from all of your extra work.
Profitable Programmer Side Hustles: Coding Beyond 9 to 5
As a programmer, you will never be short of side hustle opportunities.
Here are six of the most popular side hustles to consider:
Selling your code: You can sell template and function code to website and app developers.
Bug bounty hunting: Companies hire programmers who can spot code flaws. Finding bugs earns you money, but you're competing with other programmers and may not get paid.
Selling courses or tutorials: Coursera, Udemy, and YouTube allow you to sell programming courses.
Designing with Figma: Use Figma to design UI/UX using your programming skills.
Become a consultant: Use your programming skills to consult for companies.
Writing tech content: You can write tech eBooks and sell them on Amazon Kindle or your website.
Remember to manage your time and energy so that both your main job and side hustle don't suffer from a lack of attention or effort.
