Ask HN: How are you making money on the side?
Just wondering what are y'all doing for side gigs these days?
I'm also working on diversifying, starting with a free daily word game that I hope gets a little traction on Patreon: https://omiword.com
I have a few other projects-in-progress, if I'm lucky, one will earn a dollar or two.
Perhaps post on various podcast-like platforms and do the merch thing? Keith Olbermann posts audio-only episodes to Youtube. Thom Hartmann does Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, SoundCloud and so on.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...
Some 300 people showed up so it was a good money for a side gig, planning on continuing doing these meetups.
Made around $3X,XXX so the returns aren't too good but it's something i'm passionate in.
I'm actually quite tempted to create a similar game based in my hometown that is related to mining. But 5 years I guess I don't have the capacity for that haha.
For the curious: https://SeekHiFi.com
That last part... legend :)
n. a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired.
While they aren't below ground or provide overhead protection. They are made to protect players from getting shot by other players.
There's so much BS in AI that there's value in someone you trust telling you what does and doesn't work. Of course, there's no shortage of people doing exactly that, so the clients come through extended network (word of mouth, purely inbound).
These days not doing anything actively making money but slowly working on a Discord trading card game platform that is free and open source but will have a premium version with hosting, additional features, etc.
It's been 4.5 years now, could see myself doing this for another 10 years easily.
It is a rationalization of my GAS, gives me an excuse to take things apart, provides the satisfactions of repair, creates an opportunity to learn new skills, and makes a little money.
Most months the profits can cover my basic living expenses.
I work for a higher salary, just part time, so I have more free time, and my salary is sufficient enough to let me do all the things I want to do.
There are indeed other reasons for side gigs, but the parent question here does seem to be focused on the financial side of things.
I would agree that work-related progress is likely to be more profitable in the long run. IF (and it's a big IF) there is a route at work to more compensation then that is likely the best use of your time.
Of course not all jobs offer that path, and in some organizations it can take a bit of detective work to find out where things pay better, or where more value can be recognized.
I don't know what you mean by 'moderately rich', but I know multiple people who have saved millions of dollars (including myself), some of which who were able to retire early by working for 'someone else' - also none of which are union shops.
Do you really not know that many people have gotten quite rich working for FAANG companies? Do you also not know these people are much richer than union workers?
If you happen to find yourself in that gap you can become moderately rich over a period of several decades by living frugally and investing in index funds with excess cash.
Or don’t do that and don’t become moderately rich. That is fine, too! It’s not impossible but you must prioritize the goal of becoming moderately rich over other goals.
I feel like buying VTI is much less added work than continually getting a better job?
There's what, half a million or more engineers at these companies? You think there are just as many software consultants or entrepreneurs making it rich? I think both cases are not widely-applicable strategies.
If you can get rich being an entrepreneur, congrats, that's great. Making ~40k a month doing tech consulting is fantastic, good for you.
But saying "you'll never get rich working for someone else" when many of us have half a million to a million unvested shares (or many more, if at Meta or Nvidia) we are waiting on is just false.
I did some work for a civil engineer who did ASME boiler and pressure vessel code consulting who made $60k (2000 dollars) for 1-2 hours worth of work. He did between 30 and 50 of them a year.
Top talent turning a side-hustle into a sellable business can easily double one's lifetime income.
I think you're just stuck that your way is "right" and cannot accept contrary data.