Side Hustles for Engineers: 9 Ways to Earn on the Side (With Pay Data)

The best side hustles for engineers sell what you already know: freelance design and analysis work, CAD drafting, tutoring engineering and math students, technical writing, adjunct teaching, and explaining engineering online. Below are nine options, with Bureau of Labor Statistics pay figures where they exist and no made-up rates where they don't. Before any of them, read your employment agreement. For engineers, that matters more than for almost anyone else.

For context, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for architecture and engineering occupations at $99,520 a year as of May 2025. Mechanical engineers sit at $104,110, civil engineers at $100,840, and electrical and electronics engineers at $125,040. A side hustle rarely beats your day rate per hour. You pick one for a different kind of work, a skill you want to build, or income that doesn't depend on your employer.

Quick comparison

Rules engineers should check before starting a side hustle

Your employment agreement. Your contract may include an invention assignment clause, a non-compete, or a moonlighting policy. Some clauses say that anything you design using company time, tools, or know-how belongs to the company. Read yours before you build anything, and keep side work on your own laptop, on your own hours.

Your license. Licensing is run by state boards. NCEES, which represents those boards, says "only a licensed engineer can prepare, sign, seal, and submit engineering drawings," and that a PE license is what lets you consult and run your own firm. The usual path is an ABET-accredited degree, passing the FE exam, about four years of work experience, and then the PE exam. Requirements vary, so check the board in the state where you plan to work. If you aren't licensed, stay on the side of the line where a licensed engineer reviews and signs the final work.

Liability. Your employer's insurance almost certainly doesn't cover work you do for someone else. If you take on design work that people will rely on, look into your own professional liability coverage first.

Engineering side hustles that use your technical skills

1. Freelance design reviews, calculations, and analysis. Small manufacturers, startups, and contractors often need a few hours of engineering help but can't justify a hire: a second look at a design, a load calculation, an FEA run, or a failure analysis. This is the most direct way to earn from your degree, and the one with the most rules attached. Anything that gets stamped needs a PE. Work for a direct competitor of your employer is a fast way to lose your job.

2. CAD drafting for small firms. Architects, fabricators, and product designers send out drafting work: turning sketches into drawings, cleaning up old files, or building 3D models. The BLS lists the median for drafters at $68,090 a year in May 2025. That's an employee figure, not a freelance rate, but it tells you what the skill is worth. You don't need a license, because the engineer or architect of record reviews and signs.

3. Software and web projects. If your work involves scripting, data, or embedded code, that skill sells on its own. Small businesses need websites, automation scripts, and simple tools. Our web development side hustle guide covers which services to offer first and how to price them.

4. Selling 3D models and design files. Engineers who design jigs, enclosures, brackets, or 3D-printable parts can sell the files to hobbyists. There's no reliable public data on what sellers earn, so treat it as a hobby that might pay a little, and make sure nothing you sell came out of your day job.

Teaching and tutoring

5. Tutoring engineering and math students. Statics, circuits, thermodynamics, and calculus are where students get stuck, and they'll pay a working engineer to explain them. On Wyzant, tutors keep 75% of their posted hourly rate, per Wyzant's help center, so build the 25% fee into your rate. Our guide to online tutoring jobs compares the other platforms.

If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.

6. FE and PE exam prep. Every engineer who wants a license has to pass the FE and PE exams, and candidates look for help on the subject areas they're weakest in. If you passed recently, you can tutor one-on-one or run small group review sessions. There's no public pay figure, so check what other prep tutors in your discipline charge.

7. Adjunct teaching. Colleges and community colleges hire working engineers to teach a course or a lab section. The BLS lists the median for engineering teachers, postsecondary, at $109,270 a year in May 2025. That figure is mostly full-time faculty. The same page says part-time adjunct teaching is common and that colleges are likely to hire more part-time teachers, but it gives no adjunct pay, so ask the school. Check each posting for the degree it requires.

Writing and content

8. Technical writing. Manuals, spec sheets, white papers, and documentation all need someone who understands the product. The BLS puts the median for technical writers at $90,390 a year ($43.46 an hour) in May 2025. The page says those figures leave out self-employed workers, and new freelancers usually start lower. Engineers have an edge here because they can read the drawings. Our freelance writing side hustle guide covers landing the first client.

9. An engineering explainer YouTube channel. How bridges carry load, how a transistor works, what went wrong in a famous failure. You don't need to show your face. It's the slowest option on this list. YouTube pays nothing from ads until you reach the Partner Program thresholds: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days, per YouTube Help. After that, creators get 55% of ad revenue on long-form videos, per YouTube's partner earnings overview.

The angle matters. In the dataset behind our YouTube niche RPM breakdown, Education & Science channels earned a median of $10.22 per 1,000 views, while Gadgets & Tech earned $2.33. A channel that teaches how things work tends to land in the first group. One that reviews gear lands in the second.

Production time is the hard part when you already work 40+ hours. VidPuff takes a video title and drafts the script, narration, a visual for each scene, music, and captions, then renders a long-form video you review and edit at each stage. Plans start at $25 a month, or pay once from $5 with no plan. Check every technical claim in the script yourself before you publish. Engineers will be your audience, and they will notice.

How to pick one

For money soon, tutoring and drafting pay per job and carry the least risk. To build toward your own consulting practice, start on the PE license now. For income that keeps coming after the work is done, writing, design files, and YouTube are slower but build over time. Our guide to making extra money with a full-time job has plans for 5, 10, and 20 hours a week.

Scams aimed at engineers

The FTC's job scam guide lists the main warning signs: being asked to pay for training, certification, or a placement fee; being sent a check and told to send part of it back; or being asked to receive and reship packages. Real employers don't charge you to get work. A fake "consulting" offer can follow the same pattern: a check arrives first, and you're told to send part of it to a vendor for equipment. If the client won't get on a call or pays before any work starts, walk away.

Side income is taxable. If your net self-employment earnings are $400 or more in a year, you generally owe self-employment tax on top of income tax. For your own situation, talk to a tax professional.

FAQ

What is the best side hustle for engineers?

Tutoring and CAD drafting are the easiest to start, since neither needs a license and both pay per job. Freelance design work pays better but usually needs a PE license and a clean read of your employment agreement.

Can engineers do freelance work without a PE license?

Yes, as long as a licensed engineer reviews and signs anything that requires a stamp. Drafting, modeling, analysis support, tutoring, and writing are all open to you. Check your state board's rules before calling yourself an engineer in ads.

Is it legal to have a side hustle as an engineer?

Generally yes, but your employment contract may limit it through non-compete, invention assignment, or moonlighting clauses. Read the contract and ask HR if anything is unclear.

How can engineers make passive income?

The closest options are design files, technical ebooks or courses, and an engineering YouTube channel. None are passive at the start, and all take months before they earn anything steady.