what is your side job and income?

[snowox]

I did a couple side hustles just because and went from this is great to WTH am i doing. Never say never but barring something really bad I plan to stay retired.

[benway]

I work at a university and when my colleages retire or leave I resell their textbooks. Most of them but especially retirees don't want to take their old books with them so they are put in a common area. I learned more than a decade ago how valuable these books were so I go through them as soon as they're put on display.

My record is $1,850 in buybacks from one retired professor. I sold back $525 last week from another retired instructor and I've sold probably $2,000 a year on average for the last 10 years. Considering how few retirements we have and how little I have to work to sell these books I've probably made about $300 per hour worked. The $525 I made last week was for 15 books sold to 4 different book buyers and probably took me an hour and half including price lookup, packing, and shipping (the FedEx/UPS drop is halfway between my home and office).

If these are free evaluation copies provided by publishers, which I am very certain they are, this contributes to the rising cost of textbooks for students.

[ram]

None, $0.

[beernutz]

I work at a university and when my colleages retire or leave I resell their textbooks. Most of them but especially retirees don't want to take their old books with them so they are put in a common area. I learned more than a decade ago how valuable these books were so I go through them as soon as they're put on display.

My record is $1,850 in buybacks from one retired professor. I sold back $525 last week from another retired instructor and I've sold probably $2,000 a year on average for the last 10 years. Considering how few retirements we have and how little I have to work to sell these books I've probably made about $300 per hour worked. The $525 I made last week was for 15 books sold to 4 different book buyers and probably took me an hour and half including price lookup, packing, and shipping (the FedEx/UPS drop is halfway between my home and office).

If these are free evaluation copies provided by publishers, which I am very certain they are, this contributes to the rising cost of textbooks for students.

So? I am entirely certain that even if they are evaluation copies I didn't request them. It is better that they go into a landfill?

[CppCoder]

I taught adjunct in 2006 and 2007. I was getting $12,000 per class to teach a graduate course in computational and applied math at a prestigious private school. I taught one class per year and only did that for two years. I was doing it as a resume builder at the time because I was on the fence between staying in industry and returning to academia. Also, I just like teaching. I stayed in industry, so I stopped teaching, which was good timing since they stopped asking me after their department hired several new professors.

Now I write advanced C++ books as a hobby. I like to joke to with my friends that I make tens of dollars a month! Lifetime royalties per book are yet to get me to what mega corp pays me on a single day before lunch. Either one of these pays really well, one pays really poorly, or maybe both.

Edited to add that I don't think of either of these as a side job. They are hobbies that happen to pay.

[BV3273]

I taught adjunct in 2006 and 2007. I was getting $12,000 per class to teach a graduate course in computational and applied math at a prestigious private school. I taught one class per year and only did that for two years. I was doing it as a resume builder at the time because I was on the fence between staying in industry and returning to academia. Also, I just like teaching. I stayed in industry, so I stopped teaching, which was good timing since they stopped asking me after their department hired several new professors.

Now I write advanced C++ books as a hobby. I like to joke to with my friends that I make tens of dollars a month! Lifetime royalties per book are yet to get me to what mega corp pays me on a single day before lunch. Either one of these pays really well, one pays really poorly, or maybe both.

Edited to add that I don't think of either of these as a side job. They are hobbies that happen to pay.

Just curious. When it comes to book covers and formatting. How do you create them and format the books?

[gaz101]

Analytics is the field. HCOL area, large private university, part of union probably all contribute to elevated wages.

University adjunct. ~$25k/yr teaching 1 course per semester year round. Not gonna make me rich but I enjoy it.

Wow, what field? In mine the norm for adjuncting is more like $3k.

Similar to jackb1117, Adjunct Professor 1 course per semester ~ 25K. May pick up another course that could bring me to 32.5K. It is Grad School at a larger university in a very specialized program. School originally reached out to my old company looking for someone with the right experience and the appropriate credentials. Definitely a case of right time and right place. Used to teach at a community college and it was more like 3k (or less) per course.

Woah... I taught a summer graduate level course and only got $5k for that course. This was top school as well, think Harvard/Stanford/MIT-level. Where do you find adjunct side gigs for over >$20k? Especially considering that tenured faculty in many of these colleges can be as low as $80-100k/yr

[stoptothink]

Analytics is the field. HCOL area, large private university, part of union probably all contribute to elevated wages.

University adjunct. ~$25k/yr teaching 1 course per semester year round. Not gonna make me rich but I enjoy it.

Wow, what field? In mine the norm for adjuncting is more like $3k.

Similar to jackb1117, Adjunct Professor 1 course per semester ~ 25K. May pick up another course that could bring me to 32.5K. It is Grad School at a larger university in a very specialized program. School originally reached out to my old company looking for someone with the right experience and the appropriate credentials. Definitely a case of right time and right place. Used to teach at a community college and it was more like 3k (or less) per course.

Woah... I taught a summer graduate level course and only got $5k for that course. This was top school as well, think Harvard/Stanford/MIT-level. Where do you find adjunct side gigs for over >$20k? Especially considering that tenured faculty in many of these colleges can be as low as $80-100k/yr

I was getting $4k for graduate level courses, not an elite university. I know associate professors making <$70k/yr and there are adjuncts getting $25k per class? If you want to know why the university my wife is graduating from is $6,600/yr for tuition + fees (not the same university I taught at, but it's right up the road) while somewhere else is $60k/yr, here's one major reason.

[tibbitts]

I expect to teach adjunct at the local community college next spring. I'll be going back to the department and courses I just retired from. I look forward to not advising, getting swept into non-teaching activities, having office hours, etc. But the pay is minimal.

Our courses are already laid out, with all of the lessons, labs, tests, etc already prepared by full-time faculty. An adjunct could prepare his or her own material, but that's neither necessary nor usual. The school also already heavily into online courses, so there's no panicked scramble for that.

Adjuncts do have office hours. I guess with online that means time when you are required to be online.

[gaz101]

I was getting $4k for graduate level courses, not an elite university. I know associate professors making <$70k/yr and there are adjuncts getting $25k per class? If you want to know why the university my wife is graduating from is $6,600/yr for tuition + fees (not the same university I taught at, but it's right up the road) while somewhere else is $60k/yr, here's one major reason.

So one should start looking into teaching at colleges with sky high tuition? Assuming that trickles down and not get stuck paying administrators bloated million dollar salaries.

[stoptothink]

I was getting $4k for graduate level courses, not an elite university. I know associate professors making <$70k/yr and there are adjuncts getting $25k per class? If you want to know why the university my wife is graduating from is $6,600/yr for tuition + fees (not the same university I taught at, but it's right up the road) while somewhere else is $60k/yr, here's one major reason.

So one should start looking into teaching at colleges with sky high tuition? Assuming that trickles down and not get stuck paying administrators bloated million dollar salaries.

Obviously it isn't the entire answer, but it's certainly part of it. Considering I live in an area with some of the cheapest higher education in the country, adjunct isn't (financially) worth it for me and I think some of my family, employees, friends, and neighbors still doing it might actually be better off getting a part-time gig at WalMart. Not making any sort of judgement, just amazed at the disparity in costs/compensation when it comes to academia.

[palaheel]

I expect to teach adjunct at the local community college next spring. I'll be going back to the department and courses I just retired from. I look forward to not advising, getting swept into non-teaching activities, having office hours, etc. But the pay is minimal.

Our courses are already laid out, with all of the lessons, labs, tests, etc already prepared by full-time faculty. An adjunct could prepare his or her own material, but that's neither necessary nor usual. The school also already heavily into online courses, so there's no panicked scramble for that.

Adjuncts do have office hours. I guess with online that means time when you are required to be online.

Email is the official way for a student to contact an adjunct instructor at our school. For an adjunct teaching a traditional course, the expectation is that the instructor will breeze into the classroom a few minutes beforehand, and fly out a few minutes after the session, with no other synchronous availability. That's one of the problems I have with the way the College writes contracts.

The current health crisis might change some of those practices, but I would also expect the College would be asked to increase the adjunct pay.

However, we do have extensive tutoring resources, so kids aren't left completely on their own.

[Brianmcg321]

I'm doing a very stable 9-5 job. Duty is light. Earn is OK. Location is near home. 401K and Roth IRA contributions are all set. I have ample time and energy left after work.

Now I'm considering some side job/income. I wonder what bogleheads are conducting on side, and would like to learn some ideas. Thanks~

My side job is pointing Bogleheads to the forum search box, where they'll find lots of threads like this one:

viewtopic.php?t=282559

Unfortunately this pays me nothing.

If only that paid well. Lol.

[CppCoder]

I taught adjunct in 2006 and 2007. I was getting $12,000 per class to teach a graduate course in computational and applied math at a prestigious private school. I taught one class per year and only did that for two years. I was doing it as a resume builder at the time because I was on the fence between staying in industry and returning to academia. Also, I just like teaching. I stayed in industry, so I stopped teaching, which was good timing since they stopped asking me after their department hired several new professors.

Now I write advanced C++ books as a hobby. I like to joke to with my friends that I make tens of dollars a month! Lifetime royalties per book are yet to get me to what mega corp pays me on a single day before lunch. Either one of these pays really well, one pays really poorly, or maybe both.

Edited to add that I don't think of either of these as a side job. They are hobbies that happen to pay.

Just curious. When it comes to book covers and formatting. How do you create them and format the books?

With respect to the book, I don't do anything for cover or formatting. The publisher does that for me. Their books have a standard look with a slightly different design in the corner. They asked me if I was OK with the design they created, and I said sure. Their formatting is standard. I send them a PDF, and they convert it to their standard format. I generate my PDFs in LaTeX. Honestly, I think they'd prefer Word, but they accept PDFs.

[Makaveli]

Contemplating advantage play blackjack. Initial research suggests optimal play with the given bankroll I'd select would generate > $100/hr expected value (EV). It's not necessarily for the income but for the mental stimulation of beating the system. An interesting thought that I have spent 4-6 hours researching thus far. End goal would average $25,000 - $50,000 of additional income per year. Negative variance is put into consideration.

[BV3273]

I taught adjunct in 2006 and 2007. I was getting $12,000 per class to teach a graduate course in computational and applied math at a prestigious private school. I taught one class per year and only did that for two years. I was doing it as a resume builder at the time because I was on the fence between staying in industry and returning to academia. Also, I just like teaching. I stayed in industry, so I stopped teaching, which was good timing since they stopped asking me after their department hired several new professors.

Now I write advanced C++ books as a hobby. I like to joke to with my friends that I make tens of dollars a month! Lifetime royalties per book are yet to get me to what mega corp pays me on a single day before lunch. Either one of these pays really well, one pays really poorly, or maybe both.

Edited to add that I don't think of either of these as a side job. They are hobbies that happen to pay.

Just curious. When it comes to book covers and formatting. How do you create them and format the books?

With respect to the book, I don't do anything for cover or formatting. The publisher does that for me. Their books have a standard look with a slightly different design in the corner. They asked me if I was OK with the design they created, and I said sure. Their formatting is standard. I send them a PDF, and they convert it to their standard format. I generate my PDFs in LaTeX. Honestly, I think they'd prefer Word, but they accept PDFs.

Which publisher do you use?

[ThreeBears]

I will confirm. A local law school pays around $4,000 per class for adjuncts. I mean.... you have to REALLY want to be able to tell people you are a professor for that kind of pay. What a joke.

What i'm tempted by for a side gig (and I don't see anyone else mentioning)..... Notary Public. They get around $100 per closing. About 30 minutes per closing. About 30 minutes drive to each location. That'll add up quickly.

Otherwise.... there's always donating plasma.

[tim1999]

I haven't had a side job in my adult working career. It would cut into my leisure time. Anything that would pay well would generate a conflict of interest with my day job employer or would otherwise not be allowed by them. Anything that pays crappy isn't worth my time.

[tim1999]

Contemplating advantage play blackjack. Initial research suggests optimal play with the given bankroll I'd select would generate > $100/hr expected value (EV). It's not necessarily for the income but for the mental stimulation of beating the system. An interesting thought that I have spent 4-6 hours researching thus far. End goal would average $25,000 - $50,000 of additional income per year. Negative variance is put into consideration.

Google "Nick Popovich blackjack" and read the court case. Didn't work out too well for him.

[Makaveli]

Contemplating advantage play blackjack. Initial research suggests optimal play with the given bankroll I'd select would generate > $100/hr expected value (EV). It's not necessarily for the income but for the mental stimulation of beating the system. An interesting thought that I have spent 4-6 hours researching thus far. End goal would average $25,000 - $50,000 of additional income per year. Negative variance is put into consideration.

Google "Nick Popovich blackjack" and read the court case. Didn't work out too well for him.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't come across that yet. From the two articles I read it appears that he (and his wife) had poor record keeping. There are many cardinal rules you must follow to become an advantage player. One is running your game as a true business. Lesson, keep detailed records and report earnings/losses appropriately.

[tim1999]

Contemplating advantage play blackjack. Initial research suggests optimal play with the given bankroll I'd select would generate > $100/hr expected value (EV). It's not necessarily for the income but for the mental stimulation of beating the system. An interesting thought that I have spent 4-6 hours researching thus far. End goal would average $25,000 - $50,000 of additional income per year. Negative variance is put into consideration.

Google "Nick Popovich blackjack" and read the court case. Didn't work out too well for him.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't come across that yet. From the two articles I read it appears that he (and his wife) had poor record keeping. There are many cardinal rules you must follow to become an advantage player. One is running your game as a true business. Lesson, keep detailed records and report earnings/losses appropriately.

Well, there is also the part about losing $650,000 his first two years...

[yules]

I'm doing a very stable 9-5 job. Duty is light. Earn is OK. Location is near home. 401K and Roth IRA contributions are all set. I have ample time and energy left after work.

Now I'm considering some side job/income. I wonder what bogleheads are conducting on side, and would like to learn some ideas. Thanks~

Not sure I can state it publicly on the forum, but PM me if you still need new ideas.

[snshew12]

Window Cleaning business for last 5 years...average $3k/mo. We live in Colorado...many sunny days and lots of glass in our area. 42 years old and should be able to pull the ripcord from my software corporate job at 46 (currently in COAST FI)

I enjoy the physicality of the work...and really enjoy working outdoors.

[bo105954027]

Window Cleaning business for last 5 years...average $3k/mo. We live in Colorado...many sunny days and lots of glass in our area. 42 years old and should be able to pull the ripcord from my software corporate job at 46 (currently in COAST FI)

I enjoy the physicality of the work...and really enjoy working outdoors.

May I ask what kind of windows cleaning business? Does it require special skills and professional tools, or just general home cleaning stuff plus time and labor?

[Makaveli]

Contemplating advantage play blackjack. Initial research suggests optimal play with the given bankroll I'd select would generate > $100/hr expected value (EV). It's not necessarily for the income but for the mental stimulation of beating the system. An interesting thought that I have spent 4-6 hours researching thus far. End goal would average $25,000 - $50,000 of additional income per year. Negative variance is put into consideration.

Google "Nick Popovich blackjack" and read the court case. Didn't work out too well for him.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't come across that yet. From the two articles I read it appears that he (and his wife) had poor record keeping. There are many cardinal rules you must follow to become an advantage player. One is running your game as a true business. Lesson, keep detailed records and report earnings/losses appropriately.

Well, there is also the part about losing $650,000 his first two years...

That would be some very difficult negative variance to stomach. I wonder how many hours he logged and if his game is truly perfect. I have seen 10+ charts from advantage players where once you hit 1,000 hours you are significantly up and to the right. $650k downswing, on the surface, concerns me on his bankroll management and risk of ruin (RoR) exposure.

[Wrench]

I'm doing a very stable 9-5 job. Duty is light. Earn is OK. Location is near home. 401K and Roth IRA contributions are all set. I have ample time and energy left after work.

Now I'm considering some side job/income. I wonder what bogleheads are conducting on side, and would like to learn some ideas. Thanks~

18 years ago when I was 48, my teenage son and I started an IT repair/support business. He was doing it for free and I thought, why not earn a few bucks? He is grown and now an IT professional himself. Since I really enjoyed the work, I just continued the business myself. My plan was to use the income as a backup in case my primary job went south, and/or as supplemental retirement income. Seven years ago I was "retired-off" from my primary job and now run my business more or less full time. The income from it could support my wife and I, though I also have a part-time gig that I got mostly for the benefits. I'll stop that in the next year or two and keep my business going. I could retire and live off our savings and social security, but I enjoy the business and get a lot of pleasure from it. I love the fact that I am the boss and don't have to ask anyone's permission to buy what the business needs, even if it is hard to justify, and I can get it when I want it (as long as the business can afford it). It also keeps me mentally active and connected. Overall, the whole experience has been very positive, with very few negative interactions. My customers give me more positive feedback in a year than I got in my whole career with MegaCorp. My advice - go for it! Find something you love doing, and figure out a way to get paid for it!

Wrench

[jackb1117]

It appears my articulation was poor. I make $25k <i> annually </i> teaching this course. I was attempting to say I make $25k teaching this course year-round ($8k and change / semester * 3 semesters [spring, summer, fall]).

Apologies for sending the thread down the search for $25k per class adjunct roles (though if one is found, please let me know as well!).

Analytics is the field. HCOL area, large private university, part of union probably all contribute to elevated wages.

University adjunct. ~$25k/yr teaching 1 course per semester year round. Not gonna make me rich but I enjoy it.

Wow, what field? In mine the norm for adjuncting is more like $3k.

Similar to jackb1117, Adjunct Professor 1 course per semester ~ 25K. May pick up another course that could bring me to 32.5K. It is Grad School at a larger university in a very specialized program. School originally reached out to my old company looking for someone with the right experience and the appropriate credentials. Definitely a case of right time and right place. Used to teach at a community college and it was more like 3k (or less) per course.

Woah... I taught a summer graduate level course and only got $5k for that course. This was top school as well, think Harvard/Stanford/MIT-level. Where do you find adjunct side gigs for over >$20k? Especially considering that tenured faculty in many of these colleges can be as low as $80-100k/yr

[snshew12]

Window Cleaning business for last 5 years...average $3k/mo. We live in Colorado...many sunny days and lots of glass in our area. 42 years old and should be able to pull the ripcord from my software corporate job at 46 (currently in COAST FI)

I enjoy the physicality of the work...and really enjoy working outdoors.

May I ask what kind of windows cleaning business? Does it require special skills and professional tools, or just general home cleaning stuff plus time and labor?

Sure thing...I do primarily higher-end residential. I also have grown my customer base in the neighborhood of which we live...so i'm not wasting my time driving around town...and a benefit is I'm always meeting new people in our community.

As far as materials: we use the old-school method of soap, mop and squeegee for some jobs...then others require a water-fed pole system due to the extreme heights of some houses.

There really is no barrier to entry with window cleaning...just the ability to talk to homeowners and have them be comfortable with you in their house...and a truck or van with ladders...oh and you better be in decent physical shape.

My goal with a side-biz is to of course drive revenue...but also to have fun...and optimize the business to be as convenient as possible for myself (and my clients)

[deserat]

I will add on to the adjunct faculty discussion here. I am an adjunct faculty at a state college teaching a graduate engineering class. I was paid $7250 for content development and course design for delivery in Blackboard and then I receive ~$5200 each time I teach the class. I also currently have a day-job in the area that I teach as well as consult (I went back to work after semi-retiring for experience reasons but still have maintained my consultancy which I still do based on project type).

I look at it as giving back to my profession, however, it is/was a lot of work. The university I teach at required me to work with a course design facilitator and that required bi-weekly meetings and a lot of discussion regarding Bloom's verbs and the proper level of 'test' etc to determine student mastery of the content. It can be difficult to design a course such that the proper level of self-directed study versus class/one-on-one time is balanced properly.

In retrospect, I don't know if I will continue teaching the class past the next few years as the hassle factor for the amount of money earned is too high. Moreover, while I enjoyed working with most of the students one-on-one, I found that a few of them soured my experience with regard to their expectations with regard to grading/etc. I had been away from academia for awhile and did not realize how much the standards had changed over the years. Engineering is/was known as a tough major and even more so at the graduate level. As an off-topic comment, grade inflation as well as the expectation of that has infected graduate engineering students.

When I quit my current day job and move back to the USA, I will keep my consultancy for intellectual stimulation purposes only. I have a few fairly consistent customers that allow me to work for about a week or so to provide mentoring guidance with regard to healthcare IT and clinical engineering projects. I will probably quit teaching at the graduate level. The rest of my time will be spent pursuing other interests. I estimate that my consultancy at that time will bring in about $5k-$7.5k/yr, which I don't need but could use for extra travel or hobby pursuits.

[flyingaway]

I expect to teach adjunct at the local community college next spring. I'll be going back to the department and courses I just retired from. I look forward to not advising, getting swept into non-teaching activities, having office hours, etc. But the pay is minimal.

Our courses are already laid out, with all of the lessons, labs, tests, etc already prepared by full-time faculty. An adjunct could prepare his or her own material, but that's neither necessary nor usual. The school also already heavily into online courses, so there's no panicked scramble for that.

I am just curious that, if you like to teach, why did you retire in the first place. (I assume that you have a tenure).

(Once I retire, I will not go back to teach courses at a fraction of the salary of a regular faculty member).

[palaheel]

I expect to teach adjunct at the local community college next spring. I'll be going back to the department and courses I just retired from. I look forward to not advising, getting swept into non-teaching activities, having office hours, etc. But the pay is minimal.

Our courses are already laid out, with all of the lessons, labs, tests, etc already prepared by full-time faculty. An adjunct could prepare his or her own material, but that's neither necessary nor usual. The school also already heavily into online courses, so there's no panicked scramble for that.

I am just curious that, if you like to teach, why did you retire in the first place. (I assume that you have a tenure).

(Once I retire, I will not go back to teach courses at a fraction of the salary of a regular faculty member).

It will give me something (vs nothing) to do while I figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I like the actual teaching, and the money, though minimal, will come in handy. It's both a justification for, and a way to fund, that new laptop I want

I'm shedding the advising, being locked into a fixed schedule full time, the non-teaching institutional directives, etc., that are the real drag. An adjunct can have at most a half-load at our school. For me, teaching a full load is very consuming, and I want the time to investigate completely different activities. (I'm keeping an eye on Nikon's new line of full-frame mirrorless cameras. )

[getthatmarshmallow]

Been thinking about becoming an adjunct for years. You people made me take the leap.

All this time I thought adjuncts were an oppressed group. Turns out they are doing quite well.

Depends on the group of adjuncts. For the original intention - bring in a specialist who does it as adjunct to the main faculty and for "extra" pay it's fine. For how it's used in some places - as a replacement for tenure lines - it's pretty bad.

[BradJ]

While I do not have a side job or hustle (I would love one, working is fun to me), my wife started one a couple of months ago centered around painting custom Bible covers. She actually does pretty "well" and it keeps her busy during this time where she is not working full time.

[palaheel]

Been thinking about becoming an adjunct for years. You people made me take the leap.

All this time I thought adjuncts were an oppressed group. Turns out they are doing quite well.

Depends on the group of adjuncts. For the original intention - bring in a specialist who does it as adjunct to the main faculty and for "extra" pay it's fine. For how it's used in some places - as a replacement for tenure lines - it's pretty bad.

+1. It should not be one's main source of income. It should not come close to being full-time. People trapped in those situations need to find a way out. Institutions putting people in those situations should be ashamed.

[stoptothink]

While I do not have a side job or hustle (I would love one, working is fun to me), my wife started one a couple of months ago centered around painting custom Bible covers. She actually does pretty "well" and it keeps her busy during this time where she is not working full time.

My wife makes characters out of clay (Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.) and sells them on Etsy. She has a totally separate account for this income and this is all "play money" for her, but I was absolutely shocked when doing our taxes last year to find out how much she made. I should have known based upon her ever-expanding closet. Even more amazing is how she finds the time; she works a pretty demanding full-time job in tech, is a full-time student (graduates this semester), a competitive cyclist, and mother of two.

[Wanderingwheelz]

I live near 130 outlet stores, combine that with yard sales and thrift shops, and I’ve been flipping things on eBay for 20 years. As just another “hobby” I bet it’s made me nearly $50,000 over 20 years (I don’t keep track of anything).

[BradJ]

While I do not have a side job or hustle (I would love one, working is fun to me), my wife started one a couple of months ago centered around painting custom Bible covers. She actually does pretty "well" and it keeps her busy during this time where she is not working full time.

My wife makes characters out of clay (Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.) and sells them on Etsy. She has a totally separate account for this income and this is all "play money" for her, but I was absolutely shocked when doing our taxes last year to find out how much she made. I should have known based upon her ever-expanding closet. Even more amazing is how she finds the time; she works a pretty demanding full-time job in tech, is a full-time student (graduates this semester), a competitive cyclist, and mother of two.

That is awesome, sounds like she has a pretty good side hustle. Etsy proved to me that there is a market for just about anything.

[CppCoder]

I taught adjunct in 2006 and 2007. I was getting $12,000 per class to teach a graduate course in computational and applied math at a prestigious private school. I taught one class per year and only did that for two years. I was doing it as a resume builder at the time because I was on the fence between staying in industry and returning to academia. Also, I just like teaching. I stayed in industry, so I stopped teaching, which was good timing since they stopped asking me after their department hired several new professors.

Now I write advanced C++ books as a hobby. I like to joke to with my friends that I make tens of dollars a month! Lifetime royalties per book are yet to get me to what mega corp pays me on a single day before lunch. Either one of these pays really well, one pays really poorly, or maybe both.

Edited to add that I don't think of either of these as a side job. They are hobbies that happen to pay.

Just curious. When it comes to book covers and formatting. How do you create them and format the books?

With respect to the book, I don't do anything for cover or formatting. The publisher does that for me. Their books have a standard look with a slightly different design in the corner. They asked me if I was OK with the design they created, and I said sure. Their formatting is standard. I send them a PDF, and they convert it to their standard format. I generate my PDFs in LaTeX. Honestly, I think they'd prefer Word, but they accept PDFs.

Which publisher do you use?

Apress.