7 Side Hustles For IT Professionals [Reviewed by a Sysadmin]
Last Updated on March 31, 2023 by John Cirelly
As someone who’s escaped the trenches of helpdesk hell, I feel especially excited (and qualified) to share this list of the best side hustles for IT professionals. From teaching to tech writing, there are tons of ways IT pros can earn some extra cash on the side.
7 Side Hustles For IT Professionals
1. Freelance Work
Many skills IT professionals have skills that can be applied to the freelance market. If you’re not looking to escape the tech world, you can leverage your skills on freelance platforms where you set your own rate and hours.
Even if you’re a generalist sysadmin, you can still leverage your knowledge in a targeted way. For example, you can offer exchange migrations or troubleshooting as your service after discovering it’s a commonly purchased service.
Freelance marketplaces like Upwork are fantastic for IT pros that want to earn some side income. While work might not be as consistent as a FTJ, freelancers can charge significantly more than what they earn in a salary job per hour/project.
Some common services you could provide include:
- Programming
- App Development
- Tech Support
- Web Design/Development
- Server Migrations/Optimizations
- Cybersecurity Auditing
2. Teaching Others
Your knowledge is power, and likely something you’re taking for granted. (even if you think you’re just a glorified Googler).
There are tons of people willing to pay to learn what you know. Students looking to pass tech classes and certifications often seek out a tailored guide or expert on that particular subject. For example, if you’ve passed your CCNA you could offer to help others pass, given your experience.
The beauty is this doesn’t have to be done one-on-one. You can create video courses and group chats to maximize your time and increase your reach with your students. Since taking these tests cost money, spending a bit of money for a guide isn’t as uncommon as you might think.
3. Starting a Tech Newsletter
There’s a lot of noise out there, and nerds like to hear directly from other nerds. Newsletters are a great way to grow a niche tech audience and deliver helpful tips, tricks, and humor to their inbox every week.
For instance, you can start a newsletter around your role in tech, like sysadmin or dev ops. Share helpful insights, relevant news, and funny stories that only other nerds of your caliber would appreciate. As your audience grows, you can choose to make it a paid newsletter, or monetize it through sponsored posts and affiliate products.
4. Tech Blogging
Tech blogging is very similar to the newsletter strategy, but takes a different approach to generate traffic. Every day billions of searches are done across the web, and with a little SEO magic, you can position your blog to rank for those terms.
Leverage your personal experience to answer questions in your blog around a particular topic. Tech blogs are a big business, with tons of money to be made through ads and affiliate sales. Just make sure you give yourself 2-5 years to grow your site, as this is more of a long-term play.
5. Tech Writing
If you love tech but want to escape the stress and end-users, tech writing might be the solution. Personally, I started tech writing alongside my full-time IT job, and eventually quit to write full-time and start other ventures.
Instead of starting your own tech blog, you can find other blogs and write from them. Google wants to see expert author bios on these big tech sites, meaning your knowledge and certifications are in high demand.
You don’t have to be the next Hemmingway to get started. You can use platforms like Problogger and Upwork to find relevant opportunities. If you want to give freelance writing a go, I wrote an entire guide on how to get started with freelance writing.
6. Mobile App Testing
Developers want their apps and sites tested by real people, and are willing to pay to ensure everything runs smoothly before launch. If you’re looking for a more casual tech side hustle, app testing might be for you.
Sites like UserTesting and TesterWork pair you with developers looking to test their apps for usability. On the flipside, if you can bring some technical experience to the table, you can make even more money running stress tests and more in-depth audits.
7. Consulting
Last but certainly not least, we have tech consulting. Similar to teaching, tech consulting aims to help businesses solve very specific tech challenges and help guide them in terms of strategy and high-level planning.
If you find that you’re an expert in a particular platform, technology, or given industry, you can offer consulting for several hundred dollars an hour. While it takes time to get your name out there, offering consulting in conjunction with any other of these seven side hustles is a great strategy to grow your income.
Wrap Up
That about does it for this list of side hustles for IT professionals. How do you earn extra cash as an IT pro? Do you have any suggestions for this list? Let me know in the comments below.
