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50 ways to bring in extra cash as a developer šŸ’°

Alicia Sykes on November 20, 2023

Times are tough at the moment (cozzie livs), but as developers we've got a unique set of skills which are in high-demand, if you know where to look...
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codefatale profile image
Coding Fatale • • Edited

Easier said than done. While these are good ideas it does not mention the amount of work put in. Finding clients is not easy and not even counting the time to research and vet a client. The time it takes to do a project can vary.

I spend more time networking and finding leads than the actual job.

There are also ways to make money without coding. A developer can have a side hustle that is not tech related. Being a dev 24/7 is going to lead to burnout.

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lissy93 profile image
Alicia Sykes •

Thanks for your comment Ash :)
And yes, I do agree a lot of this is so much easier said than done. But it's only meant to give you ideas. If you were to pick one idea (from here or elsewhere) and focus soley on that, it's very very much possible to make a success of it.

I do several of these myself (open source, sponsors, bounties, hackathons, engagement-based earnings, non-tracking ads and consulting). And although certainly not enough to quit my day-job, they do provide a very decent amoutn of suplimentry income, plus are quite a lot of fun (which IMO is the most important thing!).

I think the last section is probably the most important - so I've updated the post to include a Skip to Conclusion link ;)

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best_codes profile image
BestCodes •

I agree with you @lissy93. I think all that is very doable, I am a web dev and software dev, social media manager, and more, and I think your post was very helpful.
Thanks!

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kingofcrypto profile image
Fishbelly Republic •

You're speaking sense

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mruus profile image
Mansuur Abdullahi •

There is a quote that says "The only way to make money is by providing value to people who can pay for that value"

so as long as we build valuable we don't worry about getting customers, they will come toward the value.

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel šŸ•µšŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø Fayard • • Edited

Finding clients is not easy
That's THE (good) counter argument from @codefatale from a good article from @lissy93

And I have a counter counter argument.

Building a product technically sound is not what devs struggle with, we can all agree on that.
That's our job.

When developers do open source for developers, they are really good at building good products, and don't need that much external help, we can all agree about that I hope.

If you have a good product that solves the problem of your ideal client, finding them is not that hard.

Like if you have the cure to a specific kind of cancer, selling it to the public is really really easy. They have a huge problem and you sell the fix. Easy busy.

So what's missing here ?

Trigger Warning : Marketing

To build a good product you MUST know really well your ideal clients. In the case of developer tools, developers do it perfectly

The real issue is that to market your product, you need to, but will be skip because you think it's not important, while in fact it is absolutely essential, do your home work to understand your ideal clients.

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tre3iii profile image
tre3iii •

You must have read 0 to 1

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel šŸ•µšŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø Fayard •

Nope, marketing is nothing new.
And I wil never read something from Peter Thiel, I think the guy is a psychopath.

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tre3iii profile image
tre3iii •

Why do you say that?? What’s he done?

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel šŸ•µšŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø Fayard • • Edited

Peter Thiel was instrumental in making Facebook the Facebook we known, both a an early investor and that made him rich.
But also as an ideologue.
Peter Thiel thinks and writes that monopolies are good for socities.
He says they are good for societies because they make people like him rich.
And the reason that's good according to him is that people like him are the best and the brightest.
That's logicial from his sense of ethics but that absolutely clashes with mine.

My sources

shortform.com/blog/peter-thiel-mon...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of...

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tre3iii profile image
tre3iii •

This may be too far on the extreme opposite of Peter Thiel but do you believe people deserve something for nothing?

Also, I feel as if he’s moreso arguing that people should get as much as they put in, innovators (having made something that advanced us humans) getting the most. This isn’t an exact quote but in 0 to 1 he talks about the ideal monopoly being one that provides new opportunities for others, and not just the person who made the innovation.

I’ve only just discovered Peter Thiel though so those sources you provided should be a good read. I’m eager to learn more about what your perspective.

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kumarkalyan profile image
Kumar Kalyan •

Great resource for developers

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glntn101 profile image
Luke •

Great tips, great article, thanks a lot!

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rms profile image
Rodrigo M.S. •

With quine.sh developer can make money by creating open source repos or solving GitHub issues for companies šŸ™‚

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chrdek profile image
chrdek •

I would also include clickworker alongside amazon mech. turk but for EU regions, it provides fast paypal payments and relatively easy manual tasks. (not sure if it still is online though).

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rafikke_lion profile image
Brandon Foster •

Is your education really Youtube? Awesome article!

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xavierdev profile image
Lucille Xavier •

This gave me some great ideas, thanks!

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sunilr profile image
Sunil Rav •

Thank you! This article is an inspiration! I am currently working on my side hustle and this gives me a bunch of ideas.

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Michael Kochell •

What about #48? 😢

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proteusiq profile image
Prayson Wilfred Daniel •

It would be awesome to see memoir of a developer documenting what ways they have done, the time and money spent and the yield income.

These are brilliant ideas but I fear the work behind might might be bigger than imagined

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lissy93 profile image
Alicia Sykes •

I've added comments (in quote) section for each one I've done.
I've done open soruce, sponsorships, non-tracking ads, engagement-based earnings, and consulting.

Happy to share feedback on how much time/effort each took, compared to the return they yeilded.


Generally, I do hundreds of housrs of coding, and make barley more than pennies in return. But that's because coding is my hobby, and I'd do it even if I made nothing.

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proteusiq profile image
Prayson Wilfred Daniel •

You are awesome šŸ‘

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srtffr profile image
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fokamox •

Certainly! Here are 50 ways for developers to bring in extra cash, and with dedication and effort, you can potentially see results within 90 days from now:

Freelance Web Development: Offer your services on platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.
Mobile App Development: Create and sell your apps on platforms like Google Play or the App Store.
Website Design: Specialize in designing websites for businesses or individuals.
Online Tutoring: Share your coding expertise with others through tutoring platforms.
Coding Bootcamp Instructor: Teach coding skills in a bootcamp setting.
Open Source Contributions: Contribute to open-source projects and earn recognition.
Technical Blogging: Start a blog to share your knowledge and monetize through ads or sponsorships.
Online Courses: Create and sell coding courses on platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
Freelance Writing: Write technical articles for websites or magazines.
Affiliate Marketing: Promote products related to development and earn commissions.
Remote Consulting: Offer remote consulting services for businesses.
Custom WordPress Themes: Design and sell custom WordPress themes.
Bug Bounty Programs: Participate in bug bounty programs and get paid for finding vulnerabilities.
Podcasting: Start a podcast on tech-related topics and monetize through sponsorships.
Ebook Authoring: Write and sell ebooks on programming or development tips.
Participate in Hackathons: Win cash prizes by participating in hackathons.
Create and Sell Plugins: Develop plugins for platforms like WordPress and sell them.
Social Media Consulting: Offer expertise in social media integration for businesses.
Remote Debugging Services: Provide remote debugging assistance.
Build and Sell Templates: Create website or app templates and sell them online.
Custom Software Development: Offer tailored solutions for businesses.
Game Development: Create and sell games or collaborate on indie game projects.
API Development: Build and sell custom APIs for businesses.
Graphic Design for Developers: Offer graphic design services for development-related projects.
YouTube Tutorials: Create video tutorials on programming and monetize through ads.
Sell Code Snippets: Sell useful code snippets on platforms like GitHub or Gumroad.
Virtual Assistance: Offer virtual assistance services with a focus on technical tasks.
Freelance Testing: Offer testing services for websites or applications.
Coding Challenges: Create and monetize coding challenges for other developers.
Tech Support: Provide tech support services for individuals or small businesses.
Blockchain Development: Explore opportunities in blockchain development.
AI/ML Consulting: Offer consultation services in AI and machine learning.
Cybersecurity Consulting: Provide cybersecurity advice to businesses.
Remote Database Management: Offer remote database management services.
IT Project Management: Take on project management roles for tech projects.
Language Localization: Offer coding language translation services.
IT Recruitment: Connect developers with job opportunities and earn a commission.
Custom Blog Development: Create and sell custom blog setups for businesses.
Content Management System (CMS) Development: Build custom CMS solutions.
E-commerce Integration: Offer services to integrate e-commerce platforms for businesses.
Remote Networking Services: Provide remote networking assistance.
Software Licensing: License your software or tools for commercial use.
Virtual Reality (VR) Development: Explore opportunities in VR development.
Software Automation: Offer services in automating repetitive tasks for businesses.
Data Analytics Consulting: Provide insights through data analytics for businesses.
Remote DevOps Services: Offer remote DevOps support.
Technical Recruiting: Connect tech talent with companies seeking skilled professionals.
Technical Translation Services: Translate technical documents or content.
Accessibility Consulting: Offer services to make websites and applications more accessible.
Create a SaaS Product: Develop and sell a Software as a Service (SaaS) product.
Remember, success in these endeavors may vary, and consistency is key. By actively pursuing these opportunities, you may see positive results within the next 90 days.

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osalumense profile image
Stephen Akugbe •

Not to be pessimistic, but there are tons of developers who'll save this post and never do anything because we're too busy working on other things...
That doesn't mean I won't join the long list of those that'll save this post for later.

Thank you for this compilation @lissy93 for this well-crafted and insightful post

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unfor19 profile image
Meir Gabay • • Edited

I read a few comments and was a bit surprised by the ones which criticized this post.

Thank you for sharing this knowledge bit, it's very helpful since you provided something which is unique - experience; and in the AI era, that's valuable (and appreciated).

I will definitely look into Brave rewards plan, so thanks again šŸ™šŸ»

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moopet profile image
Ben Sinclair •

These are all good tips - although I'd suggest domain flipping is a little ethically dubious.

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Felicia Barrett •

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xucian profile image
xucian •

thanks for so many great ideas. while most of them will still require a great deal of effort, they're still useful for people like me that need some inspiration from time to time. for ex., I completely forgot about the api services.

great write up .šŸ‘

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Chandra Panta Chhetri •

Thank you for this great list!

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Shwanees •

Great article, Very helpful, Thank you.

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SalahMZ •

Awesome šŸ‘Œ thank you

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Derek Kraan • • Edited

Great resource! In #11 there is a typo, it should be "Code Code Ship". :)

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ajay_kumar profile image
Ajay Kumar •

Thanks for bringing out these 50 ways to earn a developer. This article is real goldšŸ„‡

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Vanam •

Thanks lot for sharing this post

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meeq profile image
Nigel Tanaka Matipedza •

Thank you for the enlightenment >>>

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Muhamed-Kanapiya •

Nice post, It doesn't look like AI content

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tre3iii profile image
tre3iii •

That’s really saying something nowadays too

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ipoetdev profile image
Charles J. Fowler •

Thank you @lissy93. I am using this article to build a resource (A Notion Table) to rank, sort and dB build a dyanmic resource for ideation and reference.

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ipoetdev profile image
Charles J. Fowler •

Try My UI - (Averages on $10 per website or app test) link has some suspicious activity and redirections

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opensourceyllen profile image
Yllen Fernandez • • Edited

Grate article, I really enjoyed reading it.

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doantr profile image
Doan TR •

thank you so much!

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wilmela profile image
Wilmela •

Awesome. Very helpful article.

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harrybawsac profile image
Harry Bawsac •

This list is amazing! Thanks you very much, must have been a pain to put this together.

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Garimu Alonso •

Nice of you to put in efforts to bring these methods. Thanks a lot.

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iconSvg •

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Chelsea •

Great article! So many well thought approaches (and realistic disclaimers). ā­ļø

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shafayetjamil profile image
Shafayet Jamil •

Nice advice. Thanks for sharing this article. The last part is so important.

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gigipandora •

Thanks for your fruitful sharing. It is super useful!

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nordily profile image
Nordily •

Need to try some of these, thanks for sharing

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Marge Pour •

This gave me some ideas, thank you!!

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