5 Part Time Engineering Jobs That Teach You Valuable Skills
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Being an engineer is a demanding job. Between long hours at work and living a healthy life, it can be tough to find time for anything else.
However, picking up a part time engineering job (also known as a side hustle) is a great way to make some extra money and learn critical skills that make you more valuable.
From my experience, the best part time engineer jobs (side hustles) are ones that:
- Are Enjoyable
- Have overlapping areas with engineering
- Develop skills that are not a part of your full time work
- Create relationships with clients
- Leverage technical tools that can be used in your full time job
With a particular focus on developing universally essential skills like:
- Sales: by better understanding sales and what makes clients buy, you can improve your daily job by focusing on engineering projects that people want to buy.
- Marketing: by understanding how to communicate features and benefits, you can also better understand what customers care about and how they like to interact with marketing.
- Communicating: Let’s face it, most technical individuals could benefit from being able to communicate more effectively and comfortably.
- Teaching: By improving your ability to teach others, you gain a better understanding of the task, create more leverage by having others perform a task, and help the student.
As we develop these skills, we can be responsible for more areas within our company, and thereby, we are valuable to ourselves and our company. Of course, by taking on more responsibility and being more useful, we will get more compensation from our full time position.
Learn which High Income Skills you need here.
Here are the five best side hustles for engineers that are fun, educational, and help us in our daily job.
The Five Best Part Time Engineering Jobs
1. Blogging
Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge with the world.
Not only will you be helping others learn more about your field, but you’ll also be honing your communication and idea generation skills. These are critical for all people to have, especially engineers.
Plus, a blog serves as one of the best resumes/CVs and allows you to communicate to the world about your work and who you are.
A final bonus is that blogging has serious revenue potential. A blog can provide a perfect second income stream with digital product sales, educational courses, or ad/affiliate revenue.
2. Youtube
If you’re not into writing, you could try making videos and if you are already blogging, creating video content is a great addition.
Youtube is an excellent platform for sharing anything with the world, especially your engineering expertise.
You could make how-to videos, product reviews, or even vlogs about your day-to-day life as an engineer.
And like blogging, as your channel becomes popular, you will gain connections that would otherwise be impossible.
As a bonus, with enough views, you can start earning advertising revenue.
3. Woodworking
Woodworking is a great way to relax after a long day at work while still challenging your motor skills and design abilities.
While you might not think of woodworking as particularly related to engineering, it requires many of the same traits, such as problem-solving and creative thinking.
I have gained tremendous insights into manufacturing, functional design, and aesthetics from my experience with woodworking.
Plus, as your work quality improves, you could start selling your work online or at local craft fairs.
4. Tutoring
If you’re looking for a way to give back to the engineering or student community, why not try tutoring?
There are always students who could use some extra help understanding in many areas, such as:
- Math
- Science
- Technical Writing
- Coding
- Or any of the other technical skills we become experts at
And in addition to being fulfilling, tutoring helps improve your communication and can be lucrative.
PS: If you have more experience teaching a subject, you could also create a course on Skillshare.
5. Graphic Design
Art and design overlap perfectly with engineering.
Many engineers use their creativity to develop innovative solutions to complex problems; however, we cannot often express our concepts in ways our customers understand.
Graphic design bridges the gap between the company and the customer through media like brochures, sales letters, product design, and other similar items.
So if you’re looking for a creative outlet that can help you sharpen your engineering skills, graphic design might be perfect.
Plus, it is simple to setup a profile on websites like Fiverr or Upwork.
Summary
These are just a few ideas for a part-time job/side hustle that is perfect for engineers.
While there are so many options, picking the ones, you will get paid twice for is essential.
By providing value to others through a part-time job, you will get paid by them, and by improving your skills, you will give more value to your employer and be able to get a raise.
So if you’re looking for a way to make extra money and learn new skills, pick one of these and give it a try!
Good luck with the job search!
FAQ
How to find a healthy work life balance
If you’re an engineer, you know that the job can be all-consuming.
But it’s essential to find a healthy work-life balance for the sake of your career and your personal life. Here are some tips for finding that balance.
Tip 1: Set Boundaries at Work
It can be challenging to set boundaries at work when you’re an engineer.
But it’s important to set boundaries, so you don’t burn out. If possible, set regular working hours and stick to them. Let your co-workers know when you’re available and when you’re not.
Being an engineer doesn’t mean you can’t take some time off.
Tip 2: Make Time for Family and Friends
One of the most important things in life is our relationships with family and friends.
Don’t let your job get in the way of spending time with the people you love. Make sure to schedule regular catch-ups, whether it’s a weekly phone call or a weekend visit. And if you have kids, make uninterrupted time with them a priority.
They’ll appreciate it, even more when they grow up.
Tip 3: Find a Hobby
Having a hobby is a great way to relax and unwind after a long day at work.
It can be anything from playing sports to painting to hiking. Find something that you enjoy and make time for it in your schedule.
You’ll be glad you did!
Tip 4: Take care of Your Health
It’s also important to take care of your mental and physical health.
Make sure to eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. And if you’re feeling stressed, there are plenty of resources available to help, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Taking care of yourself will help you feel better at work and at home.
Finding a healthy work-life balance as an engineer can be difficult, but it’s vital for your career and personal life.
You can find that balance by setting boundaries at work, making time for family and friends, finding a hobby, and taking care of your health.
What are the Benefits of Remote Freelance Engineering Jobs
What are the Benefits of Remote Freelance Engineering Jobs
Perhaps you are tired of the full time job and working 9-5 at a desk.
While the security of a career cannot be understated, getting hired on a project basis as a freelance engineer has many benefits.
Perhaps the most obvious is that you can be your own boss, pick your projects, and set your own hours. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There are many reasons why project-based jobs are becoming more popular.
In addition to the ability to set your hours,
You can work from anywhere in the world
With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to work remotely from anywhere in the world.
You can work from coffee shops, co-working spaces, and even from home if you have a laptop and an internet connection.
You have more control over your projects, your time management, the companies hiring you, and the technical aspects of a project you work on.
When working as a freelancer, you have more control over the projects you take on. This means you can hand-pick projects that interest you and are a good fit for your skillset.
It can offer flexible work schedules, work location, and even turn holidays into a paid vacation if you do some remote part time work.
What are other good part time engineer jobs
Server
Making small talk is excellent at building communication and confidence. Of course, the tips are always a welcome bonus.
Sales Representative
Building sales skills is one of the best assets you can develop. For any business to make money, it needs to sell, and by you being able to sell, you are guaranteed to be of more value to your employer.
Video Editor
Improving your technical skillset in video editing and the skill of storytelling is helpful in many areas and is very profitable.
Copywriting
Copywriting is writing to create sales. Every product description, website, and piece of marking needs compelling words to trigger the emotions that result in people buying. By becoming great at copywriting, you can earn substantial money.
Online Branding
With so many people and companies transitioning to be online, there is high demand for cohesive online branding. By working on this part time, you can understand how important branding is to a company’s success.
Logo Designer
Similar to graphic design, many companies require new logos. With a good reputation, this can be very profitable.
Fiverr and 99Designs are great places to take on work.
Website Designer
The world has moved online, yet making a great website from speed to SEO to user experience is still challenging.
This means there is high demand and pay for good web designers.
Where do you find part time engineer jobs
Now that we’ve gone over some of the benefits of working a part time job let’s talk about how you can get started in this field.
The first step is to create a strong portfolio that showcases your skills and experience. Once you have a portfolio, you can start applying for jobs on freelancing websites like Upwork or Fiverr.
When applying for job platforms like these (or when applying for any job), it’s important to tailor your application to each specific job posting.
This means taking the time to read each job posting carefully and ensuring that your application demonstrates why you’re the perfect candidate. This extra step will help you stand out from the competition and land the best gigs!
Whether you’re looking for more flexibility in your work schedule or more control over the projects you take on, working as a freelance engineer can be a great option for you.
There are many different types of engineering jobs available for freelancers—all you need to do is put together a strong portfolio and either wait for the latest job alert or start applying for job postings!
