19 High-Paying Side Jobs You Can Do in Your Spare Time

Call it a side job, a side hustle, a side gig, or a part-time job — there are many names for working a job during your spare time. It’s a great way to earn extra income, build new skills, or pursue a passion outside your main job. 

And if you’re doing it, you’re in good company. More than 44 million Americans have a side job, making it a common and valuable way to supplement income and expand career opportunities.

Below, we've listed 19 high-paying side jobs great for building experience and working around your busy schedule, whether remote, freelance, or part-time.

19 High-Paying Side Jobs That Offer Flexibility 

Take a look at these side gigs to make money and find one that works for you. All hourly pay data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Bookkeeper

Pay: $22.81/hour

Bookkeepers typically perform bank reconciliations, year-end closing duties, payroll, and financial reports. Many employers require knowledge of QuickBooks.

Career coach

Pay: $29.67/hour

Working with clients over the phone or online, career coaches help clients write resumes, prepare for interviews, and determine their skills. The ability to understand many industries and provide constructive feedback is necessary.

Consultant

Pay: $47.80/hour

With expertise in a particular area, consultants typically work with an organization to provide guidance, review processes, and improve performance. Of high-paying side jobs in the consulting field, IT often offers the most pay.

Copy editor

Pay: $36.07/hour

If you have a strong eye for detail and grammar mistakes, a copy editor position could be an ideal way to make money in your free time. Editors typically review others’ work to ensure it is error-free. These side jobs are commonly remote.

Curriculum writer

Pay: $35.87/hour

Curriculum writers are needed to develop curricula and teaching guides used within a classroom. These remote side jobs sometimes require previous teaching experience.

Education training specialist

Pay: $30.94/hour

This position is responsible for conducting and/or teaching workshops, seminars and/or courses, evaluating participants, and developing and implementing curricula.

Executive assistant

Pay: $35.42/hour

Executive assistants with years of experience can find high-paying, remote, part-time side jobs. Duties include coordinating meetings, editing and updating documents, writing email responses, and tracking appointments.

Graphic designer

Pay: $28.32/hour

Graphic designers create visual concepts for various mediums: websites, print materials, social media, ads, logos, and more. This common side job requires experience with design software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Lead generation specialist

Pay: $75.28/hour

Lead generation specialists typically prospect, qualify, and generate appointments and leads for various companies and business development teams.

NetSuite administrator

Pay: $70/hour

Some common duties for this IT job include creating safe searches, custom fields, and customer reports, developing workflows, creating and customizing KPIs, and designing and implementing NetSuite solutions.

Project manager

Pay: $47.39/hour

Project managers can find part-time or freelance jobs where their skills are used to oversee timelines, track budgets, coordinate team members, and more.

Market researcher

Pay: $35.90/hour

Market researchers gather information on inventory, pricing, promotions, and/or traffic. Some on-site work is needed, with the rest performed remotely.

Recruiter

Pay: $32.53/hour

Recruiters typically screen and source candidates, perform interviews, conduct background checks, and relay benefits information. These high-paying side jobs can sometimes be fully remote.

Senior accountant

Pay: $38.41/hour

Senior accountants often need over five years of experience. Typical duties include preparing audits, documenting transactions, and performing end-of-month tasks.

Sign language interpreter

Pay: $27.45/hour

Sign language interpreters with a proper license and excellent communication skills can find part-time jobs assisting those with hearing impairments and facilitating communication through sign language.

Social media marketing manager

Pay: $75.28/hour

Social media marketing managers may create marketing campaigns, develop social media strategies, and write marketing and social media content.

Software developer

Pay: $62.58/hour

Software developers can find jobs related to maintaining and updating applications, testing automation design, troubleshooting issues, updating documentation, and more.

Web designer

Pay: $44.59/hour

Web designers are needed to help with the design end of websites. Jobs will require knowledge of various programs, such as CSS, WordPress, and jQuery.

WordPress developer

Pay: $44.59/hour

This common side job requires strong experience with the WordPress content management system, including the ability to create and edit themes, set up and utilize plugins, and write code.