Find your perfect college degree
Facts and Stats
- In 2022, around 80% of full-time workers* within the 25-to-34-year-old age group held a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of educational attainment.
- As of January 1, 2024, the District of Columbia had the country’s highest minimum wage**, at $17/hour. The next four are Washington, California, Connecticut, and New Jersey which had anywhere between $16.28/hour and $15.13/hour as the state minimum wage.
- Long-term economic benefits are linked to associated with college education. Men and women with graduate degrees earn at least $1 million more in median lifetime*** earnings than high school graduates.
There are plenty of available jobs that you can do four hours a day even when you have a full-time occupation. As long as you still have the energy after finishing your main job, you will be able to manage your responsibilities on your side hustle and ultimately fulfill whatever your reasons for having the extra work.
Why Do People Choose to Have Side Hustles?
There are several reasons why people choose to use their extra four hours a day to do another job instead of taking the time to relax and recuperate after a hard day at their full-time job. Some of the main reasons include:
- To supplement their income, increase their financial stability, pay debts, and build long-term wealth
- To gain new skills, develop old ones, and pursue a passion
- To diversify their sources of income and provide a safety net for unexpected financial challenges
- To explore the possibility of turning the side hustle into a full-fledged business or a new career later on
- To have an outlet to express their creativity or to do something different outside of their main jobs with rigid structure
According to a Bankrate survey conducted earlier this 2023, 39% of U.S. adults have a side hustle, and a third of these individuals say they need the funds for their everyday living costs.
Is It Possible to Have a 4-hour Daily Job That Pays Like Full-Time Work?
Finding jobs that require only four hours of daily work but pay, like full-time work, can be challenging, but it’s always a possibility, considering that some opportunities may offer high pay for part-time hours. Here are some considerations:
- Some knowledge-based or creative roles may allow for higher earnings in shorter time frames.
- Individuals with specialized expertise/skills or with a strong, in-demand skill set often have the chance to command higher hourly rates
- Project-based jobs with competitive compensation can lead to a full-time income with a part-time commitment
- Individuals with high efficiency and productivity levels, especially on output-based or commission-based compensation, can enjoy higher income within a shorter timeframe
- High-demand jobs such as software developers and digital marketing strategists may offer greater compensation packages for shorter work hours
According to the country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average national salary for all occupations is $29.76 per hour. Many of the side hustle jobs we listed further below have average hourly rates that exceed the national average.
4-Hour/Day Side Hustles for Those with a Fulltime Job
Freelance Writer
Writing on a freelance basis is a popular side hustle these days due to the high demand for content creation. In fact, the global market size for digital content creation may increase to $50.2 billion by 2028 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate or CAGR of 13.2% from 2022. This doesn’t just include textual content, though, but also photos, graphics, videos, and audio.
Whether it’s for a YouTube video, infographics, a series of photos for social media posts, or other related content, clients will definitely need a written script, article, or draft at first. Depending on your skills, interests, and other factors, there are several fields of freelance writing you can consider.
General writers or authors can cater to a variety of writing projects, including blogs, web pages, sales copies, landing pages, white pages, and many others. According to the country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for these jobs as of May 2022 was $35.17 per hour.
There are also many freelance writing platforms where you can promote your services, such as Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and Freelancer. Fiverr, another writing platform, estimates that beginner writers can charge around $0.10 per word for quality work, which can roughly translate into $125 for four hours of work.
Technical writers typically require special knowledge to translate complex, technical information into instruction manuals, user guides, and other documents for regular individuals. The median pay for these jobs, according to the country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $38.44 per hour as of May 2022.
Academic writers deal with formal writing and scholarly documents, including essays, projects and reports. If you’re in the academe looking for a side hustle or simply someone who loves to expand your knowledge in other fields while earning, freelance academic writing may be for you.
According to ZipRecruiter, the national average pay for this job is $23 per hour and typically ranges from $11 to $41 per hour. Online platforms for these types of writing jobs include WritingCreek, EssayShark, and Academia Research
Digital Marketing Consultant
Suppose you have a bachelor’s degree with updated knowledge of digital marketing techniques including web content strategy, SEO, and social media marketing. In that case, you might want to become a digital marketing consultant, which you can also do as a four-hour daily side hustle. However, you’ll have to constantly keep yourself informed of the latest updates and best practices, as digital marketing constantly evolves.
A digital marketing consultant job is definitely lucrative because business owners highly value expertise in this field. The growing demand is also attributed to the rising need for an online presence. According to the career expert Zippia, digital marketing consultants earn an average of $34.17 per hour.
Graphic Designer
Graphic designers have a set of highly specialized creative and technical skills that are valuable to many companies, and thus, they’re generally offered high compensation packages. According to BLS, the median pay for these jobs is $27.88 per hour (or $57,990 per year), but those at the highest 10% range earn at least $48.52 per hour (or $100,920 annually).
Full-time graphic designers with around four hours to spare can even take on side hustles and accept project-based work outside of their main job. Online freelance platforms specifically made for graphic designers or designers in general include Behance, 99designs and DesignCrowd.
Social Media Manager
Social media managers handle the communication and representation of companies on social media platforms. Their main task is to increase their client’s brand exposure by creating content, engaging with the community and optimizing the company’s pages, among other strategies.
This job is highly popular, considering that in today’s digital era, global and even local companies need a strong social media presence to stand out.
The BLS categorizes social media managers as part of public relations specialists, who earn an average of $32.42 per hour according to the agency’s data as of 2022. According to ZipRecruiter, the national average as of November 2023 is still at $31 per hour.
Meanwhile, Upwork discloses that the cost of hiring social media managers on their freelance platform typically ranges from $14 to $35 per hour.
While some companies have their own social media teams, the job can also be performed on a part-time basis. A few experienced digital marketers often provide basic to advanced training courses to those who aspire to be social media managers.
Some of the best sites to establish yourself as a part-time social media manager include the typical freelance platforms like Hubstaff, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, and Fiverr. You can also promote your services on your Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, or whatever channel you specialize in.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are independent contractors or remote employees who provide a range of administrative services for their clients outside of their client’s offices. Depending on the scope of work, virtual assistants may also offer technical support or creative assistance to their clients.
Virtual assistance services are popular considering that businesses, both big and small, are now outsourcing mundane administrative work to allow business owners to focus on the core aspects of their operations.
While many self-employed individuals are working as virtual assistants on a full-time basis, the job can also be performed part-time or around four hours a day if you prefer.
According to ZipRecruiter, the national average pay for virtual assistants is $34 per hour, with the more experienced ones earning as much as $82 per hour. This pales against the $21.19 per hour median pay of office-based secretaries and administrative assistants, based on the data provided by the BLS website.
Online Tutor
Online tutors offer students academic support and guidance, usually in one-on-one sessions, through the internet. With the high demand for educational support these days, online tutorial services are definitely popular among parents who need to ensure the academic success of their children. Online tutorials are available for a variety of subjects.
Any professional, regardless of whether they’re a teaching or a non-teaching staff, can spend around four hours of their extra time to become online tutors as a side hustle. In fact, some online tutoring platforms typically offer students options to schedule one-hour sessions with their chosen tutors. The qualifications to become a part-time online tutor, though, will depend on the subject you’ll handle.
Some of the online platforms designed specifically for online tutoring services include TutorMe and Tutor.com. You may also find part-time online tutoring jobs on freelance platforms like Upwork. According to Salary.com, the median wage for online tutors across the country is $28 per hour, with the possibility of earning at least $40 per hour with more experience and focused specialization.
Web Developer
Web developers don’t just have the technical expertise to build functioning websites. They also have a working knowledge of design and color theories that will make the pages pleasing to the eyes with a convenient user interface. Web developers and digital designers make $38.81 per hour.
Full-time web developers with around four hours to spare can opt to accept freelance projects, especially for small businesses as well as individuals like influencers, life coaches and bloggers.
There will always be a demand for web developers, considering that there’s a growing need for websites. In fact, the employment for web developers is expected to grow 16% within the 2022-2032 forecast period, which is much faster than the 3% average growth rate for all jobs, according to BLS.
Web developers looking for side hustles can check out freelancing and remote-work platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and PeoplePerHour.
Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketers (or affiliates) promote the products or services of another company through their websites, social media platforms and other channels. They are paid a commission for each click, sale or lead generated through their marketing efforts.
In today’s digital era, many individuals are engaging in affiliate marketing, whether as a full-time activity or as a side hustle. According to ZipRecruiter, freelance affiliate marketers across the country earn an average of $22 per hour, with a range of around $18.75 to $25.72 per hour.
By choosing the right niche with sufficient market demand and enough companies offering affiliate partnerships, one can even earn around $100 a day for affiliate marketing activities as a side hustle. You’ll have to do the hard work at first by setting up your platforms, especially when you’re building a blog site.
After that, you’ll have to spend around two to four hours writing and posting your articles with affiliate links and promoting your works on social media. Once you have enough traction, your affiliate works can serve as your source of massive passive income.
Affiliates can work directly with a company or be a part of an affiliate network such as Amazon, eBay and ClickBank.
Fitness Trainer
Suppose you have certification to conduct health and fitness training. In that case, you can offer your services online or in person outside of your regular job in order to have some extra income. These days, there’s a growing awareness for health and wellness.
Thus, people will always find ways to ensure they’re fit, especially with guidance from qualified trainers, whether it’s for yoga, meditation, physical exercises, aerobics and many others. This is also perfect even for those with a full-time job, considering that this side hustle offers flexible hours.
According to the BLS, exercise trainers, and group fitness instructors earn an average of $24.12 per hour, with the novice ones earning around $11.50 per hour and the more experienced ones earning at least $38.62 per hour. The job outlook for these occupations is also promising, with the employment growth rate expected to rise 14% within the 2022-2032 forecasted period.
Check out your nearest gym and fitness establishment for potential part-time employment.
Youtube Content Creator
If you are passionate about something that you want to share with the world, consider using your spare time to become a content creator on YouTube. According to Business Insider, the pay from the platform is around $1.61 to $29.30 per 1,000 views. You’ll initially have to set up your account and meet the minimum qualifications to become a part of the YouTube Partner program.
You can spend four extra hours a day generating video content about the topic of your choice. Monetization through YouTube is generally through Google ads, in which content creators receive 55% of the revenue.
There are more ways to earn through YouTube, though, including Brand Sponsorship, wherein companies relevant to your topic will contact you to promote their products. This is the main reason why you should focus your YouTube side hustle around something you’re passionate about.
Photographer
If you have a genuine interest in photography, you can use it as your side hustle and earn extra income. In general, clients are willing to hire part-timers for photography jobs and projects. There are so many fields of photography that you can focus on for this side hustle, e.g., weddings and events, portraits and landscapes.
According to BLS, photographers across the country generally earn an average of around $19.31 per hour, with the more experienced ones earning at least $39.64 per hour and the novice ones earning around $12.98 per hour. According to ZipRecruiter, however, freelance photographers in the country earn an average of around $22 per hour. These freelancers are perfect to hire for capturing precious moments at events and parties.
Another way to spend your extra hours a day is to become a stock photographer. In this job, you’ll basically take photographs and license them for commercial use, such as in magazines, pamphlets, and digital works. According to ZipRecruiter, stock photographers typically earn an average of $17 per hour, and the range is between $5 and $29 per hour.
You can approach your nearest photography shop or contact a professional photographer for possible part-time, four-hour jobs. Also, you can showcase your work and host your portfolio on a variety of online platforms for photographers, such as 500px, Flickr and Zenfolio. Meanwhile, stock photographers can explore the features of Shutterstock, iStock and Pexels.
Software Developer and Engineer
With the dynamic evolution of technology today, it’s no wonder that software development is currently in high demand. In fact, the employment for software developers (as well as quality assurance analysts and testers) is expected to increase by 25% within the 2022-2032 forecast period, which is significantly ahead of the 3% growth rate for all jobs in the country.
New apps for Android, iOS, and computer operating systems are launched on a regular basis. Many of these apps, especially those for mobile devices, are developed by freelancers. Software developers earn a median of $63.91 per hour, which can eventually increase to $95.24 with experience.
So, if you have around four hours to spare and you’re adept (or interested) in software development, there are several side hustles you can consider, including mobile app development, e-commerce website development, website template or plug-in development, and many others.
If you already have a set of software development skills or have experience in a certain field, you could also consider taking project-based work that you can complete in your spare time.
Online Course Instructor/Coach
If there’s a particular knowledge or skill that you’re passionate about, then consider earning from it by offering online courses. Your topic can be anything, e.g., your favorite arts and crafts hobby from basic to advanced skills, development of a simple mobile game, and even the meditative process of cleaning the house and letting go of things that don’t work for you any longer.
There are online platforms where you need to record your video tutorials into several modular clips. You can initially spend four hours a day recording these videos and arranging your course outline.
After all the courses are uploaded, you’ll have to spend your extra time daily promoting your courses on social media and other platforms and, when necessary, engaging with your students on the comment or feedback sections.
There are several platforms where you can host your online courses, and each one offers a different payment arrangement.
For example, Udemy pays its instructors 37% of the revenue if the student enrolls in the course without an instructor’s referral coupon. On the other hand, the instructor gets 97% of the revenue if the course is purchased with a coupon.
Other platforms to host your online courses include LinkedIn Learning, Coursera and Khan Academy. Online learning platforms specifically for teaching creative skills include Skillshare, Domestika and Creativebug.
Pet Sitter
If you love pets and you have a few hours to spare outside of your full-time job, then perhaps being a pet sitter is a satisfying side hustle for you.
A basic pet sitting service includes walking, feeding, and playing with the pets, while the more experienced sitters can train, groom, and bathe the pets. According to BLS, the median pay for animal care and service workers, including pet sitters, is $14.32 per hour.
With more than 86.9 million households in the country (or 66% of U.S. households) owning a pet, according to the American Pet Products Association’s 2023-2024 national survey, pet sitting is definitely an in-demand service. Some of the popular platforms where you can register as a pet sitter are Wag!, Rover, and PetBacker.
Rideshare Driver
Rideshare drivers are freelance workers who use their vehicles to provide transportation services to passengers, typically through a ride-sharing app. Uber and Lyft are two of the widely recognized ride-sharing platforms in the USA, but there are also a few local or regional alternatives, such as Via and Curb.
According to ZipRecruiter, Uber drivers across the country earn $18 per hour om average, with a range between $8.65 and $28.61 per hour. Meanwhile, Lyft drivers earn an average of $16 per hour, with a range from $9.13 to $18.27 per hour.
If you’re thinking of a side hustle to spend your extra time after your full-time work and you drive your vehicle, consider being a rideshare driver.
The future is bright for this job, considering that the ride-sharing market size is expected to skyrocket to $231.62 billion in 2027 from $95 billion in 2022, according to The Business Research Company. This means that this job is stable, as well as increased demand for the services and potential for higher earnings.
Delivery Driver
If you have your own vehicle to use for your after-work side hustle but taking passengers is not an option, then you can consider being a freelance delivery driver for packages or food through app platforms.
Apps such as UberEATS and DoorDash connect individuals with delivery drivers so that they can have the foods they ordered delivered from local restaurants to their doorsteps. Meanwhile, delivery companies such as FedEx, Amazon Flex, and UPS hire freelancers to bring packages from the distribution centers to the customers’ doorsteps.
The earnings from being a food or package delivery driver depend on the demand for the service, the location, and the platform used. According to Indeed, DoorDash delivery drivers in the U.S. earn an average of $15.38 per hour, while UberEATS drivers earn an average of $19 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter.
Insurance Sales Agent
If you’re comfortable with sales jobs and you’re looking for one that you can do around four hours a day outside of your full-time job, being an insurance sales agent is one of your options. It’s a lucrative side hustle, considering there are a variety of insurance products available, including life, health and car, among others.
Many insurance companies hire sales agents on a part-time basis and even for remote assignments. The job only requires that you have proven sales abilities, but in some cases, a Bachelor’s degree may be required.
Insurance sales agents are paid commissions, giving them a huge potential to earn with a solid client base and an effective selling strategy. In fact, the job can offer an unlimited earning potential. According to Salary.com, the national average salary for insurance agents is $26 per hour.
Real Estate Agent/Salesperson
Real estate agent is another part-time sales job that you can consider. The job generally involves helping individuals find the homes they want to purchase. This can be a lucrative occupation, considering that the global real estate market size is expected to increase by $1.03 trillion, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.04%, from 2022 to 2027.
Take note, though, that being a real estate agent requires a state license. If you don’t have the qualifications to sit for a licensing exam, though, you can consider working as a salesperson or assistant under a licensed real estate agent.
Whether you’re licensed or not, and depending on the arrangement, you can earn a commission (or a referral fee) for every deal that your referred client closes.
Real estate agents across the country earn an average of $42 per hour, with the more experienced ones earning at least $70 per hour. Meanwhile, entry-level real estate assistants earn an average of $24 per hour.
Data Entry Specialist
Data entry jobs are popular side hustles, as many organizations and businesses are looking to outsource these mundane administrative tasks to freelancers as an efficient and cost-effective way to manage data-related projects.
The tasks of data entry specialists typically involve inputting, updating, and managing information into databases and other systems. The job generally allows for working remotely with greater flexibility in schedule, which makes it a perfect side hustle even for those with full-time jobs.
Data entry specialists across the country generally earn an average of $24 per hour, with the more experienced ones able to earn at least $39 per hour. The online platforms for registering as a data entry specialist include Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, and Fiverr.
Appointment Setter
Appointment setter is essentially a virtual assistant job that focuses on the arranging of meetings or calls on behalf of professionals or businesses. It’s a perfect side hustle for those who have good communication and conversation skills.
The roles and responsibilities of appointment setters include the following:
- Understanding the requirements of your clients and aligning their goals with the individuals and businesses to contact
- Reaching out to potential clients, partners, and leads to schedule an appointment
- Confirming the details of the meeting and all the parties involved
- Managing the calendar and coordinating the schedules to avoid conflicts with the appointments
- Following up with clients and leads by sending reminders and addressing any concerns
ZipRecruiter says the national average salary for appointment setters is $23 per hour, with entry-level workers earning around $9 per hour and the more experienced ones earning at least $58 per hour. Appointment setters can find potential employment at various freelancing platforms, including Upwork, PeoplePerHour and Fiverr.
Additional Information: