Your expertise is worth more than just your salary. Here are 5 ways to cash in.

There are many options for using your professional experience to earn additional income without quitting your day job, including paid research studies, coaching, freelance consulting, teaching and creating content like courses or newsletters. Each one pays differently and requires a different amount of your time. The option that’s right for you comes down to how many hours you can spare each week and how much you want to take on.

Key points

• About one in four U.S. adults had a side hustle in 2025, typically earning $200 a month.
• Paid research studies are the easiest to start because you don't have to find clients.
• Coaching, consulting and teaching can pay more, but they take more time and planning.
• Check your employment contract before you take on outside work in your field.
• Side income is taxable, so keep track of what you earn.

How many people earn money outside their main job?

If you're thinking about a side hustle, you're in good company. A Bankrate survey from July 2025 found that 27% of U.S. adults earned money outside of their day job. Median earnings from side hustles was $200 a month, which is a helpful bit of extra cash.

What are the best ways to earn money from your expertise?

1. Paid research studies

Companies want to learn from people with all different kinds of professional experience, and they compensate people for participating in that research. You might take a 10- to 20-minute survey or join a 30- to 60-minute interview about the tools and decisions in your field. The more specialized your role, the more a study usually pays. A study looking for hospital pharmacists or cloud security leads will pay more than one that's open to any office worker.

Participating in paid research is easy to start because research platforms, like Polis, bring the studies to you. Before you sign up anywhere, read the privacy policy so you know how your answers get used. If a platform asks you to pay to join, walk away, because legitimate platforms never do.

2. Coaching

If people already come to you for career advice, you could get paid for it. Plenty of professionals coach people who are earlier in their careers, whether that's prepping for interviews, stepping into management or learning a new skill. You set your own rate and your own schedule. The hard part is finding your first few clients, so start by letting your network know you're open to it.

3. Freelance consulting

Freelance consulting means taking on project work for clients outside your day job. It can pay well once you have a few clients. In the IEEE-USA 2025 consultants fee survey, median hourly rates for engineering consultants ranged from $175 to $235. The trade-off is time, because you'll need to find clients, write proposals and manage the projects yourself.

4. Teaching and training

Colleges hire working professionals to teach as adjunct instructors, and companies hire them to run workshops. Teaching is a great way to build your reputation, and you'll know your schedule for the whole term. Just plan for prep time before every class.

5. Creating content

Online courses, newsletters and templates let you package what you know and sell it again and again. Once it's built, it keeps earning. The catch is that it usually takes months to grow an audience big enough to pay off.

Which option is best if you're short on time?

Paid research studies, in a community like Polis, are a great way to earn a little extra without a major adjustment to your schedule. You pick which invitations to accept, you don't have to market yourself and most studies take less than an hour. Coaching, consulting, teaching and content creation are better fits if you can give several hours a week for a few months.

What should you check before you start?

1. Read your employment contract for rules about outside work, conflicts of interest and intellectual property.
2. Keep confidential information to yourself in every survey, coaching session, project and class.
3. Read the privacy policy of any platform you join.
4. Keep track of what you earn, because side income is taxable.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do paid research studies while I work full time?

Yes. Most people who take paid research studies have full-time jobs, and studies are built to fit around a busy schedule.

Do I have to pay taxes on side income?

Yes. Money from surveys, coaching, consulting and teaching all counts as taxable income in the U.S. According to the IRS, you generally owe self-employment tax once your net self-employment earnings reach $400. A tax professional can tell you what applies to you.

How much can I earn from paid research studies?

It depends on how long the study is and how specialized your role is. Short surveys pay less than interviews, and studies looking for hard-to-reach professionals pay the most.

Do I need special credentials to get started?

No. Your work experience is what people pay for. Some consulting and teaching jobs ask for a degree or certification, but paid research studies and coaching are based on what you know and do today.