Best Side Hustles in 2021: How To Earn Some Extra Cash With a Remote Job

In a gig economy, side hustles have become the new norm. But you don’t have to drive Uber or become an Instacart shopper to earn some extra money. Instead, let Virtual Vocations turn your skills and experience into part-time moonlighting. With these jobs, you can boost your cash flow, bolster your resume, and even expand your professional network. So without further ado, here are some of the best side hustles in 2021.

Why You Should Consider a Side Hustle

Side hustles are a sublime way to make money for obligations or fun. In fact, the earnings you make can help you meet your goals in a variety of ways, such as:

Regardless of your reason for starting a side hustle, the experience you gain is well worth your efforts. Plus, your bank account will be a little more pleasing on the eyes.

Tutoring

With the growth of online learning platforms due to the COVID pandemic, tutoring as a side hustle has exploded. Demand has steadily been increasing, causing companies to look for individuals with experience in:

But unlike teaching jobs, tutoring doesn’t require a teaching certificate or a college degree in education. So if you’re an expert on school subjects or you want to enrich the youth of America, tutoring is the perfect job.

Salary Information

Tutors earn a median hourly wage of $18.10 with a range from $10.14 to $40.47.

Education Requirements

Essentially, you need to stay one level ahead of the students you’re teaching. For example, if you want to teach grade school students, you need a high school diploma. If you want to teach high school students, you probably need a college degree. But overall requirements may vary depending on the hiring company.

Tutor Job Titles

Writing and Editing

Do you have a knack for the written word or you fancy yourself a wordsmith? If so, you may have some success with a writing and/or editing side hustle. Don’t have any publishing experience? Don’t worry. Marketing agencies and content companies are always looking for gifted writers and editors to create content for their clients. A typical position often consists of writing and editing these types of documents:

Another great facet of this side hustle is the opportunity to choose a particular subject you’re interested in or passionate about. So if you love cars, write or edit for an automotive blog. The same goes for cooking, fashion, video games, pop culture, and the endless amounts of other special interest sites on the internet.

Salary Information

Note that some writing and editing jobs pay per word or per project instead of an hourly rate. In these situations, the hourly rate is adversely affected and based on efficiency, clarity, researching skills, and speed.

Education Requirements

Depending on the subject matter or amount of expertise necessary to write or edit an article, education requirements vary. In most cases, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required with graduate degrees preferred in some instances.

Job Titles

Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is the 21st-century take on the roles of administrative assistant or secretary. But they just might be the most vital person in the virtual office. Often acting as the first point of contact for customers and in charge of scheduling, travel planning, and more, these professionals are highly prized for their organizational and people skills. If you possess these skills, part-time side hustles as a virtual assistant are popular and widespread. Some other roles may include:

And because the job is a remote side hustle, you may also have the opportunity to set your own schedule—one of the markedly underrated aspects of the gig.

Salary Information

Virtual assistants earn a median hourly wage of $15.93 with a spread ranging from $10.17 to $27.54.

Education Requirements

Typically, employers only require a high school diploma to garner employment consideration. However, executive virtual assistants may need a bachelor’s degree.

Job Titles

Consulting

Consulting has become one of the more popular choices for moonlighting. You can set your own schedule, apply your expertise, and reap the monetary benefits and success stories of your clients. The common misconception is that many people think you need years of executive-level experience to become a consultant.

But in the digital age, consulting is more achievable than ever. Many businesses, especially small businesses, don’t have the resources to tackle every aspect of their operations. That’s where you come in. Whether you know how to streamline the accounting process through updated software or how to manage content on social media, you’re just what certain companies need to accelerate growth and cash flow.

Salary Information

The median hourly salary for consultants is $26.86.

Education Requirements

Another positive upside of consulting is that it doesn’t have any set rule of expected education. Bill Gates doesn’t have a degree (other than an honorary degree), but he’s certainly qualified to become a consultant. You don’t have to possess that level of knowledge, but just know that not having a master’s degree isn’t going to hold you back. It’s all about knowledge, organization, and people skills.

Job Titles

Customer Service

For the last 30-plus years, companies have aimed to cut costs by moving their customer service and call centers overseas. While this indeed reduces costs, it’s also created other problems. Language barriers and a lack of customer service management and hierarchy has caused many obstacles. As a result, some companies are bringing customer service positions back to the U.S. in a virtual capacity. Without a brick-and-mortar location, costs are effectively slashed while also providing a person with a familiar voice that’s loyal and passionate about the company.

But customer service positions aren’t as simple as picking up the phone or conducting an instant message. They require calmness under fire and the ability to resolve problems and remain cordial, even when dealing with frustrated customers. Furthermore, customer service individuals also:

Salary Information

Customer service representatives earn a median hourly wage of $14.35 with a wage range between $10.08 and $19.39.

Education Requirements

A high school diploma or GED are the only educational requirements to become a customer service representative. However, a bachelor’s degree may give the candidate strong consideration for a job as a customer service manager, although these positions are rarely side hustles.

Job Titles

Social Media

Call it a social platform, marketing tool, organizer, or whatever you will. Social media is a transformative technology that allows people to connect and companies to target potential customers. On the latter half of that equation, social media has rapidly expanded into advertising and content, allowing individuals familiar with these platforms the opportunity for some lucrative side hustles. These gigs vary from social media manager to Facebook sales funnel consultants and virtually everything in between. The best part is that experience is the biggest determinant to landing a remote side hustle.

Salary Information

Within the realm of social media, you have many job options. Some of the most popular and their salaries include:

Education Requirements

For entry-level social media positions—also the jobs most likely to apply to side hustlers—a high school diploma or equivalent experience are the only education needed. Management level jobs may require a bachelor’s degree, but they are less likely open to part-time roles.

Job Titles

Side hustles span across nearly every type of industry and job sector, giving you even more opportunities to expand your future job prospects. Perhaps even more intriguing, this isn’t your main gig. So whether you want to maximize your income or do something you simply enjoy, you have the option to choose. So turn on your favorite motivational songs, hop onto Virtual Vocations, and find the perfect side hustle to complement your tastes, experiences, and lifestyle. You just might find that a little extra work doesn’t feel like work at all.

Do you have any remote side hustles that caught your eye? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!