GenX side hustles

Posted by demona2002@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 42 comments

Curious whether anyone is running an interesting side hustle youd be willing to share?

I am about to retire from big tech and want something low pressure to keep me busy, interacting with others and if I make a few bucks along the way I won’t complain about it.

I love animals and live in a VHCOL area. I was thinking of spinning up a pet photography & overnight sitting business for the local rich folks.

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CooperSTL@reddit

I think its sad that the new norm is working two or more jobs just to get by.

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My local McDonald's have several Gen Xers working in there. I went to high school with one. She's got an accounting job at a nearby billion-dollar corporation but has to work the drive thru on her off hours.

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MysteriousApple135@reddit

They said nothing about getting by. Some people like to keep themselves busy.

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skunkyskunked@reddit

Is there anything out there where you proofread AI created translations ? If so, I wouldn’t mind doing something like that

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elphaba00@reddit

Check out LinkedIn. I get a ton of job notifications for those. I'm not sure if they're on the up and up, but they're definitely out there.

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kermitsfrogbog@reddit

Web development but honestly getting tired of it. I don't have the energy or ambition to keep up with design and development trends anymore.

I work full time for a construction company doing a crap ton of paperwork to navigate city permitting and what not, so I'm considering doing some consulting as a side gig and getting my expeditor license for NYC. I'm not doing it yet, but it's been on the front of my mind for the last few weeks. The idea is to slowly transition away from the full time work but still have some income flowing but with less commitment.

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f700es@reddit

I used to do CAD and 3D side work at times. I stopped doing it about 5 years ago as my salary has increased about $20K/yr since then so I am OK with not doing any more. A times I will look at someone's pc laptop or desktop.

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Imsoschur@reddit

If I had kept up my CAD and 3D skills I'd muck about selling STL's for 3D printing. Maybe I need to relearn Blender if similar as a retirement hobby

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jermo1972@reddit

Check out FreeCad.

It's a free open source joint out of the UK.

Has almost all the functionality of Autodesk Inventor!

It's cool!

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f700es@reddit

FreeCAD's UI sucks. It needs the Blender 2.71 treatment. Fusion still offers a "maker" version or even the $48/yr Solidworks Maker edition. I wish FreeCAD all the luck in the world as competition is good for us.

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jermo1972@reddit

The Inventor IU sucks too...but it's damned powerful.

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f700es@reddit

I'd like to see the FreeCAD BIM tools be forked off into it's own application.

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LadyNorbert@reddit

I write a weekly history blog which has grown reasonably popular. It's a bit niche - Pennsylvania history - but among the people who enjoy the subject it's been well received. I don't make very much money, it's really a passion project more than anything. It makes me happy.

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OverlordBluebook@reddit

LEEP call options or just longer term call options. It's fun. Try picking up trail riding on hiking trails is so much fun good exercise and fresh air.

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tanhauser_gates_@reddit

I started laser engraving when I moved back to SoCal from NYC after 26 years [lasersocalsd.com].

It was something that always intrigued me and when I moved back I finally had room to put the machines.

Since it is SoCal I even post up at the swap meet once a month using my cargo bike - very NYC.

It gets me out there, gets me a few bucks and I make people happy with my work.

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OldLifeguard-00@reddit

Visit /r/churning

Open bank accounts for starters

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Jaybetav2@reddit

I'm also in a VHCOL area and have done the dog sitting thing. It kinda ruled. I was working remotely as a content strategist so I'd hang in dope ass houses on the beach, get my work done and take breaks to walk and play with the dogs. On the weekends, I would go into town and meet friends for dinner, hit one of the overpriced cocktail lounges etc.

If you can tap into that type of network, I highly recommend it! I eventually got a big job in my field and had to stop but I would go back to it in a heartbeat if I could.

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Old_Use7058@reddit

Small engine repair. New stuff is expensive and phones can fix the older stuff when it brakes. The manual part of the labor really gets people these days.

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Imsoschur@reddit

Seriously. I have spent so much on getting it done at Blaine's. They have the only remotely reasonable small engine shop. I so wish I could find someone local who can do this.

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Oiggamed@reddit

Thinking of becoming a handyman.

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IndyColtsFan2020@reddit

I ran a 3D printing shop for 4 years and had a lot of fun. It’s on hiatus right now due to the workload at my day job but maybe I’ll spin it back up when things slow a bit.

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Oiggamed@reddit

What do people have you print?

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adh214@reddit

We hosted an Airbnb for several years. It was a good deal but we have now closed it to focus on traveling.

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ZetaWMo4@reddit

I’ve been running a beauty shop as a side hustle for the past couple decades.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

I have three. Between those three it creates all my wife's and I's vacation money plus some extra.

CRP grass lands. You only get one payment a year on 62 acres.
Bale hay and sell to folks with horses and goats. I have some regular customers.

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HovercraftPretty3720@reddit

I started pet sitting and it’s been great! I go through rover, have a lot of regular clients now, it’s fun and the money is more than I thought it would be.

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Few_Whereas5206@reddit

I ran a vending machine business on the side for 10 years.

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theghostofcslewis@reddit

IT tech here. I have always had a side hustle. Recently, I have been repairing small 2 and 4-stroke outboard marine engines. I even sold a few boats this year. It is not enough to quit my day job, but it is another skill that can earn me some cash in retirement. I started doing it last March, on and off. I typically buy anywhere from 6 to 12 broken engines, sprint through fixing them and selling them, then take a break for a few months because, really, it's a filthy job. But it's fun, and it's something I learned as a kid. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of skills I had as a kid that I did with excellence, but maybe my sight was better back then.

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Affectionate-Map2583@reddit

I have a part time job with a non-profit, and I take care of a neighbor's 3 horses on a pretty regular basis for $50/day. Neither make me much money, but it's not nothing.

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fridayimatwork@reddit

Been selling on eBay for 25 years.

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NecessaryMulberry846@reddit

But a 2nd house and rent it

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Mindless-Baker-7757@reddit

He said low stress.

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ibringstharuckus@reddit

Have about 6 years left. 🤞. Will either retire and re-hire part time or bartend a couple days/week at a small local restaurant.

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goteed@reddit

Semi-retired here, still have a video production business but it's slowly winding down. My wife and I sold the house in a high cost of living are in 2023 and started full-time RVing. We also started a YouTube channel in that space as a way to keep the creative juices flowing.

If you're the creative type it's a fun way to create and in the mean time have a scrapbook of all of the places you've been. I certainly wouldn't do it for money though. We have close to 6K subscribers and about 825K views, and we make $200 to $300 a month on it. It cover our brewery bill if anything.

The other side effect is that this lifestyle keeps us moving. We get out and hike, we have to do all the physical things required from owning an RV like maintenance, moving from place to place etc...

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TXtogo@reddit

I’m going to do property management on short term rentals as my side gig, assuming we retire in a tourist town (which is one of the things we are considering). It’s crazy hard to find good management for these places.

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Ray_The_Engineer@reddit

I'm also in the process of sorting out my retirement from the tech industry. I have a larger-sized CNC machine that I've done wood projects on for years, I'm working on my business plan for how to use that for income. It's not going to make me rich, but it's fun, and it's MINE. No one gets to tell me how to do it, etc. That's what I'm about at this point.

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