Engineering Side Hustles: How to Make Money from Your Skills

Introduction

"Why Engineers Need Side Hustles

Engineering in itself is a gratifying and profitable career, but even then most engineers want multiple streams of income for a multitude of reasons such as paying student loans or possibly just wanting a safety net to have just in case times get tough, you could even just want to have extra money to go on that vacation you’ve always wanted to go on or buy that big expensive item you’ve dreamed of having finally without putting yourself at a financial risk. For any reason, I'm here to help you get the money you want with the skills you have, whether you are already in a career or if you’re an engineering student looking to apply your skills and get money because who doesn’t like a bit of extra cash for work you're already doing. In the article I will be sharing some of the best side hustles for engineers to bring some serious extra money to the table.

"Freelancing: Selling Your Engineering Expertise Online

One of the easiest ways to make money from your engineering talents in any field is in the realm of freelancing. Freelancing is essentially a form of sharing and teaching your skills to others in exchange for them paying you to do so. Some ideas for what services or products to sell using your engineering skills are CAD modeling, PCB design, simulations and much much more. Your creativity is endless when it comes to freelancing your ideas or doing a specific job for a client paying you, the money is there and it could be yours by joining these top recommended sites for freelancing that will make your little business take off.

Where to Freelance:

✅ Upwork – Ideal for professionals offering CAD, simulation, and automation work.

✅ Fiverr – Good for smaller engineering gigs like schematic designs or 3D printing projects.

✅ Toptal – Exclusive platform for top-tier engineering freelancers.

✅ PeoplePerHour – Great for short-term, high-paying projects.

Freelance Engineering Jobs in High Demand:

• CAD Modeling & 3D Rendering – Use SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or Fusion 360 to create prototypes and blueprints.

• Electrical & PCB Design – Design circuits with Altium, KiCad, or Eagle.

• Product Development & Prototyping – Assist startups with creating new products.

• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & CFD Simulations – Provide stress analysis or thermal simulations for mechanical designs.

• Machine Learning & AI for Engineers – Implement AI-driven automation for industrial processes.

💡 Pro Tip: Create a strong portfolio showcasing your past projects. Even if you don’t have freelance experience, include university or hobby projects to attract clients.

"Selling 3D Printed & Custom-Made Products

If you have a 3D printer or are looking for a good investment as an engineer for a side hustle and quite frankly any aspect of being an engineer, you could leverage this machine to make you money, who doesn’t want that? Through using a 3D printer you are able to create and produce your designs to people and sell them to people who are interested in them. Have a killer new design for a housing unit, a multiple-parts design for a prototype, or even a fun gadget you can sell all this online to people for good money and possibly make a brand or a business out of it and scale to your liking. You could sell these innovative products created on your 3D printer on places like eBay, create your own Shopify website and sell on there, and even sell on dedicated sites like Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory. The possibilities are endless in regard to using your 3D printer and turning it into a money-making machine.

How to Make Money with 3D Printing:

✅ Sell custom-designed mechanical parts (e.g., drone components, mounts, and adapters).

✅ Offer 3D printing services for local businesses and startups.

✅ Design and sell STL files for popular 3D printing communities.

✅ Work with on-demand printing services like Shapeways or Xometry to manufacture products without owning a printer.

📌 Recommended 3D Printing Tools:

Some of the est 3D printer on the market are the Bambu lab A1 mini or just A1 printer , and the creality ender 3.

"Teaching & Tutoring: Share Your Knowledge for Profit

Another amazing way to make money with your engineering expertise is to simply just share it with other people online. Sharing your talents and skills to teach other aspiring engineers can and will be a great side hustle to produce some extra cash flow and at the same time build communication skills. The demand for tutors and private teaching is something that only grows as technology and things advance, through your knowledge, you can help other people learn the things you know about engineering while at the same time putting money in your pocket. Here are some sites and places to make money.

Where to Teach & Earn Money:

✅ Udemy – Create pre-recorded courses on engineering software and concepts.

✅ Teachable – Start your own online school for niche engineering topics.

✅ Wyzant – One-on-one tutoring for engineering students.

✅ Skillshare – Great for short, engaging video lessons.

Here are some examples of some courses or skills you can teach to people on these sites.

Best Topics for Engineering Courses:

• Python & MATLAB for Engineers – Teach automation, data science, and simulations.

• Microcontrollers & IoT – Tutorials on Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and industrial automation.

• Mechanical & Structural Analysis – Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and materials science.

• Renewable Energy Engineering – Teach solar panel design and sustainability concepts.

"Engineering Blogging & Content Creation

If you like to write, or just enjoy sharing your ideas and creations with people starting a blog on engineering is perfect for you. Like everything on this list, it takes time for this to make you money but when it does you can scale like never before making a lot of extra money in your pocket to do whatever your heart desires. Even if you don't particularly know how to write good content and articles just starting a blog can help you become more skilled in writing and presenting your ideas to people in a more effective manner. You can achieve a good blog by making a website. Some of the best website builders are WIX, Hostinger, and GoDaddy.

A big need for blogs is monitization this is what drives people to your blog which then makes you money. Here are some of the best ways to monitize.

How to Monetize an Engineering Blog:

✅ Affiliate Marketing – Recommend engineering books, courses, and software.

✅ Google AdSense – Earn revenue from display ads.

✅ Sponsored Posts – Get paid by engineering brands to review products.

✅ YouTube Monetization – Earn ad revenue and sponsorships.

"Consulting & Specialized Engineering Services

If you have a specialized field you may want to consider consulting. Many businesses hire consultants who are specialized in a certain field like someone like you, what you will do is just what you do best, help the business optimize or improve a system in which you are specialized. It's that simple. A lot of the time companies will hire part-time consultants because it's cheaper for them to do so, so that’s why this falls under a side hustle job while on the other hand, it could quickly turn into a full job if you do your due diligence. Some examples of highly sought-after fields would be these.

Engineering Consulting Fields:

✅ Renewable Energy & Sustainability – Advise on solar or wind energy projects.

✅ Structural & Civil Engineering – Offer design and safety assessments.

✅ Industrial Automation & IoT – Help businesses optimize manufacturing processes.

How to Get Started:

1️⃣ Create a LinkedIn profile showcasing your expertise.

2️⃣ Build a simple website with testimonials and past projects.

3️⃣ Network with industry professionals and join engineering forums.

Conclusion

"Taking the First Step Toward Your Engineering Side Hustle

You don’t have to quit your full-time job to start earning extra income. Whether it’s freelancing, 3D printing, teaching, blogging, or consulting, you can gradually build a side hustle that fits your schedule.

Quick Recap:

✅ Freelancing – Offer CAD, electrical design, or AI solutions.

✅ 3D Printing – Sell designs and offer custom fabrication.

✅ Teaching & Tutoring – Create online courses or tutor students.

✅ Blogging & Content Creation – Write or make videos about engineering.

✅ Consulting – Provide specialized engineering services.