GenZ has a practical challenge when it comes to getting a great side hustle: Age and inexperience. Even the oldest members of this generation are in their early 20s and the youngest are just barely old enough to babysit. But good opportunities are still available. Indeed, the editors of SideHusl.com culled through our list of 500+ online side hustle platforms to find the best side hustles for GenZ.
These side hustles welcome younger workers and offer some interesting and creative jobs. Additionally, a handful of sites support entrepreneurs of almost any age, which can help you launch a new business when the risk of failure is modest. (After all, it’s pretty normal to be supported by Mom and Dad at this age. So a business failure doesn’t risk the roof over your head or food on the table.) And all of these hustles can help you explore potential job options before you’ve committed to a life-long career.
Side Hustles for GenZ
But before getting into the best side hustles for GenZ, you’ve got to divide this generation into two groups — those who are over the age of 18; and those who are younger. That’s simply because many side hustle platforms restrict access based on whether you’re old enough to sign a legal contract. In most states, that means you need to be 18 or older.
There are still opportunities for young GenZers. But the options are more limited.
Hustles for ages 13-18
Just 13 and looking for babysitting gigs? Check out Bambino, a platform that helps connect parents with potential babysitters. Anyone under age 18 needs a parent’s permission to sign up.
Sitters are encouraged to provide a detailed description of their experience and post a clear photo. You’ll also need a past client to provide a recommendation. After that, you set your rates — usually between $15 and $25 per hour, depending on your age and experience — and link your Facebook account. The Facebook step helps connect you with friends of adults you’ve worked with before. Sitters pay nothing to list their services here, but parents pay the site a $5 fee for each booking.
Etsy
If you’re creative and entrepreneurial, you can set up a shop on Etsy. This site allows artisans as young as 13 to sell crafts, jewelry, clothing, art and other unique and handmade items. It costs just 20 cents to list items and you pay a 6.5% commission on sales.
However, you must be a true entrepreneur here. You determine what to make; how to make it; and how much to charge. The site helps with marketing. But you’re also in charge of shipping and communicating with clients. It’s a great lesson in starting a business. But it can also be a harsh one, if you fail to price your products well or account for the time and expense of shipping them.
One popular and somewhat low-maintenance way of avoiding underpricing and shipping hassles is to sell “printables.” Printables are products that the customer can download and print themselves. So, if you have a great greeting card design, coloring book, personal organizer or calendar, you can upload it and advertise it here. Customers pay you for each download, but they print the product themselves. This saves you the cost of producing physical items that need to be shipped.
It’s worth mentioning that you can sell the same type of goods on Amazon Handmade, too. However, Amazon Handmade is twice as expensive, charging a 15% commission on all sales.
Field Day and Oppizzi
If you’re over the age of 16, you may be able to snag an in-person marketing job with Field Day or Oppizi. Both sites enlist freelancers to hand out fliers and coupons, buttonhole mall-goers to tell them about new businesses, call potential customers, and do other face-to-face marketing tasks.
Workers typically earn between $15 and $35 per hour. And you get to choose the gigs you accept. While both sites have deadlines to complete certain projects, the hours are flexible and the sites provide paid training.
18+ older
Once you hit the age of 18, your options expand dramatically. But, if you want to earn the most money, you’d be wise to play to your strengths.
Strengths, you ask? You’re fresh out of high school and think you have no workforce strengths?
What you might not realize is that your youth and recent high school experience is a huge advantage with a handful of jobs. Recent high school graduates, for example, are likely to be intimately familiar with “common core” math techniques that anyone over 40 find befuddling. That could make you a valuable math tutor. And math tutors can easily earn $20 to $30 an hour — more, if you’re able to tutor advanced students.
Likewise, you grew up in age when everyone had smart phones and social media. That likely gives you an enviable fluency communicating through social networks. And, in an era when business marketing is increasingly done via TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, that’s a skill that can land you jobs as a virtual assistant or digital marketer. These gigs pay anywhere from $20 to more than $75 an hour, depending on your skill level.
Where do you find these gigs?
Tutoring
Wyzant is one of the oldest and best established tutoring platforms in the U.S. and it offers a lot of advantages for tutors. First, the platform processes millions of tutoring requests each month, which means more potential clients are likely to see your profile. Secondly, it lets you set your own rates and schedule. So, if you’re overworked and underpaid, you only have yourself to blame.
However, if you’re going to college and are a math or coding expert, you might also want to check out Juni Learning. Juni hires college students to tutor kids in these subjects and pays $20 to $30 per hour. The main difference between Juni and Wyzant is that Juni hires you as an employee. That means you’re likely to get regular work here. With Wyzant, you get jobs when parents find you. With Juni, you have a regular job. And the site withholds income taxes, so you don’t have to worry about any surprises when tax season rolls around.
Virtual Assisting
Much like the “executive assistants” of yesteryear, virtual assistants can serve as the girl (or guy) Friday for busy individuals or companies. This work can involve everything from answering phones to managing email, travel and calendars. However, seasoned virtual assistants also often update websites, manage social media accounts, write, research, and handle data entry and light bookkeeping.
Average pay for this job is $28, according to job-search site Indeed. However, the pay range is wide depending on where you work and what you do. Virtual assistants, who handle social media and website updates, tend to earn the most — often $50 to $75 per hour. And, with experience, some earn more.
Where can you find these gigs? Fiverr, Taskrabbit, Time Etc, Boldly, Belay and Robert Half. With the first two, you can specify the type of virtual assisting you’re interested in, whether that’s managing emails or managing websites. The others are generally looking for specific skills.
Digital marketing
If you’re great at building a following on social media, you may want to try your hand at digital marketing.
If you have experience growing your own — or other people’s — networks and can show how you’ve successfully increased engagement and followers, you can apply with online marketing concerns. These companies, which include Mayple, MarketerHire, and GrowTal, pay generously for skilled marketers — often $50 per hour or more. It doesn’t matter if you have a degree. But you will need experience and the ability to prove your worth.
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