If you have a hobby or something else you’re good at try and base something around it that people would appreciate being done by an engineer. For example I raced bikes during college and now I have a side hustle doing carbon fiber repair on bicycles. Even though I was self taught and even though the repairs rarely require any real engineering expertise, customers are always pleased to hear I’m a mech engineer in my day job and it’s helped build a lot of credibility.
I relate with OP, have been putting aside money to my retirement accounts since I started working and feel like a depressed broke failure cause I can't afford to go out. With the housing market rn, I won't ever be able to afford a home even if I save up for the next 10 years (i am 23).
You are a working mechanical engineer in a developed country at the age of 23? You are incredibly fortunate. You will be a millionaire by your 50s if you invest a reasonable amount each year between now and then. Money likely isn't the cause or the cure to your depression.
I'm 25, ME, no debts. I don't make crazy money and will be able to afford a decent house, even alone. I am aware of the financial difficulties that I'm narrowly avoiding, but I'm not exactly hurting for money for basic needs and some decent recreation.
Still waiting on house purchase because throwing money away on current interest rates and housing prices is dumb.
Market is shitty, but drop the "woe is me" argument. You most certainly can afford a house payment and still max out a Roth IRA without eating ramen at every meal. Make better financial decisions.
I knew a bunch of ME coworkers that worked as bartenders on the weekend just to do something and make a bit more cash. This had no conflicts with their engineering job.
Another started a little consulting firm and got in a ton of trouble, leading to getting fired. I also heard from some others that he was also sued by several of his clients later.
Having a hard time seeing the issues with consulting unless he was doing so without being licensed (which would definitely get some clients litigious). I suppose a workplace might have concerns if you are potentially dealing in trade secrets, or if it's a conflict of your time and interest. Obviously you shouldn't consult during your day job, or in a field your main gig operates in. It should be done with some transparency just to avoid the headache.
My understanding of what happened from second-hand sources indicates you would be basically correct on all points, except didn't compete in the same field.
I found a technical services that others needed. I automated a calculation process for architects and hired someone to go out and sell the service, all while I kept my day job.
A friend who would just call or walk into an architects office. I had him do it as he was bolder than I.
But there are all sorts of opportunity - just find the need. But you have to know the subject and give them a service that is cost effective.
You start by asking …
You might find some interesting opportunities with small contractors too. But you need a o make sure there is no conflict of interest, ie you can’t make bidding on your projects easier …
Are you in the US? If so, be careful offering anything that could be considered engineering services or consulting without a PE license. (I'm not familiar with the requirements in other countries.)
At least in Texas, you can market yourself as a "Degreed Engineer" but there are some limits on what you can do. Definitely won't be signing off on structures or home renovations, but could do some minor design stuff, setting up supply chains, etc, for people developing ideas.
In the context of the licensing board, it’s either the ‘practice of engineering,’ or it’s not. Generally, things that become part of the built environment are engineering—pretty much everything else is not. e.g. ST Engineering the aerospace company, obviously “engineering” in an English sense but not “engineering” in terms of licensing.
Fair point, I should have clarified that the specifics vary by state. Some states are much more restrictive than others. My state will go after anything that uses the word engineer or engineering and anything that is even remotely related to engineering. Your milage may vary. The original point remains, be careful.
Reselling cars, electrical cables, catalytic converters and other things just laying around in public.
You can also just ask people to hand over their belongings to you.
3D printing stuff - promotional/branded materials for small businesses. Patent drawings and prototypes for hopeful inventors. If you can get a PE you can get a lot of well paid consulting work.
A quick glance at some freelance sites told me all I need to. Feel like I'd be competing with someone overseas who will do it for a tenth the cost, or someone with 20 years experience.
I have over 10 years experience in rapid prototyping, design, mechanical analysis, and have been a lead in additive manufacturing for about 4 years. My experience: if your clientele is an individual or a very small business, they want the cheapest option possible. This often leads to competition taking the work and doing a worse job (a number of clients I have skipped me on the first round of work and came back after they didn't like the quality of the other guy). Any medium sized business is going with a big dog and not a weekend warrior. They want an engineer on call and I have a day job. It's tough work but I manage to take my family on a nice vacation every year and buy a few new toys...I mean tools
If you are in a role where it is allowed, sometimes the best thing to do is talk to your mangers and work paid OT
Also, I have colleague who have taught night courses in CAD and other disciplines. Allows you to use your knowledge and not bring about any potential conflicts with your current role
**Writing**. No seriously lol. Check out how much content there is (blogs, newsletters, courses) on software development. So many boot camps, certs, insights, and influencers. It's also very monetizeable (is that a word ?) as your audience grows.
I'm not saying to go down the "guru" path but one thing I would've appreciated so much in my career earlier was genuine, solid content on how to develop physical products. There just aren't many meaningful articles out there for our space.
I'm trying to do just that now by [documenting](https://buildinghardware.substack.com) some of the best practices I learned while at Tesla/Apple (product management, design, engineering, manufacturing, etc.).
There's a good book called Show Your Work for which the premise is that by documenting your product dev journeys you can help alot more people than you think. Think of all the times you've benefited from online content when you were stuck with an engineering problem.
Probably depends in the person. I work around 45 to 50 hours a week and have a side hustle consulting for the government that is another 5 to 15 per week (albeit it at a much lower effective rate than my day job).
Also try to work out about 10 hours per week and have a bunch of shenanigans getting my kids to school and activities because of my wife's work schedule. I'm lucky in that Im very disciplined when it comes to following a schedule and can generally be highly functional with about 6 hours of sleep.
Sometimes maybe it's not about having the energy even, it's just the desire to get shit done and gain a shred bit more respect. I know I need a lot more rest than I'm getting.
I restore vintage light industrial shop equipment, build machines for a local start up company, roast coffee and do some custom woodworking for friends and family.
I’ve found better success in non-engineering related side hustles.
That said, I kinda want to start designing and building go karts…but that’s more if d passion project funded by tax breaks. We’ll see if I ever get there.
You could also build/buy a small CNC and advertise design services.
Doesnt need to be ME related. Pick a hobby and monetize it. I'm always flipping either nice dirtbikes or really nice mountain bikes for some extra cash
A few of the good ones at my last employer ended up starting a side hustle and it got so good that they quit their day job and ran it full time. Mostly in the machining and fabrication space, solving specific problems for people in the agriculture industry. Takes some startup money to buy machines though.
I work at a grocery store some evenings and weekends. Nice change of pace, engaging, able to mindlessly perform a task, and pushing carts around gets your miles in.
drugs
Taking drugs
If you have a hobby or something else you’re good at try and base something around it that people would appreciate being done by an engineer. For example I raced bikes during college and now I have a side hustle doing carbon fiber repair on bicycles. Even though I was self taught and even though the repairs rarely require any real engineering expertise, customers are always pleased to hear I’m a mech engineer in my day job and it’s helped build a lot of credibility.
I know a guy that makes custom fitted carbon fiber ski boots and it went from side hustle to his main gig.
Me too cause I'm 41 and have nothing for retirement. Wondering what's even the point anymore. Shoulda followed thru with the only fans
You should start saving aggressively for retirement starting today
I relate with OP, have been putting aside money to my retirement accounts since I started working and feel like a depressed broke failure cause I can't afford to go out. With the housing market rn, I won't ever be able to afford a home even if I save up for the next 10 years (i am 23).
You are a working mechanical engineer in a developed country at the age of 23? You are incredibly fortunate. You will be a millionaire by your 50s if you invest a reasonable amount each year between now and then. Money likely isn't the cause or the cure to your depression.
I'm 25, ME, no debts. I don't make crazy money and will be able to afford a decent house, even alone. I am aware of the financial difficulties that I'm narrowly avoiding, but I'm not exactly hurting for money for basic needs and some decent recreation. Still waiting on house purchase because throwing money away on current interest rates and housing prices is dumb. Market is shitty, but drop the "woe is me" argument. You most certainly can afford a house payment and still max out a Roth IRA without eating ramen at every meal. Make better financial decisions.
It's not too late to get started. Try r/Bogleheads
Making fans and selling them seems like a good hustle. Summer is coming
How long u have been working in ME field??
12-13 years , ish
I knew a bunch of ME coworkers that worked as bartenders on the weekend just to do something and make a bit more cash. This had no conflicts with their engineering job. Another started a little consulting firm and got in a ton of trouble, leading to getting fired. I also heard from some others that he was also sued by several of his clients later.
Having a hard time seeing the issues with consulting unless he was doing so without being licensed (which would definitely get some clients litigious). I suppose a workplace might have concerns if you are potentially dealing in trade secrets, or if it's a conflict of your time and interest. Obviously you shouldn't consult during your day job, or in a field your main gig operates in. It should be done with some transparency just to avoid the headache.
My understanding of what happened from second-hand sources indicates you would be basically correct on all points, except didn't compete in the same field.
Gotcha. Yeah. Engineers run on trust, moreso than some other professions. Sounds like he took advantage of that, whether he realized it or not.
How do y'all all seem to know who this person is and that it's the same person?
Because I wrote both comments about the same person... someone that I knew.
If only I had the energy to bartend. I barely have the energy to pour myself water sometimes now. 3d printing stuff to sell on etsy is my new plan
I found a technical services that others needed. I automated a calculation process for architects and hired someone to go out and sell the service, all while I kept my day job.
Can I ask, how did you find someone for sales? LinkedIn or by knowing a guy? Thanks!
A friend who would just call or walk into an architects office. I had him do it as he was bolder than I. But there are all sorts of opportunity - just find the need. But you have to know the subject and give them a service that is cost effective. You start by asking … You might find some interesting opportunities with small contractors too. But you need a o make sure there is no conflict of interest, ie you can’t make bidding on your projects easier …
Are you in the US? If so, be careful offering anything that could be considered engineering services or consulting without a PE license. (I'm not familiar with the requirements in other countries.)
E&O insurance too.
At least in Texas, you can market yourself as a "Degreed Engineer" but there are some limits on what you can do. Definitely won't be signing off on structures or home renovations, but could do some minor design stuff, setting up supply chains, etc, for people developing ideas.
In the context of the licensing board, it’s either the ‘practice of engineering,’ or it’s not. Generally, things that become part of the built environment are engineering—pretty much everything else is not. e.g. ST Engineering the aerospace company, obviously “engineering” in an English sense but not “engineering” in terms of licensing.
Well put!
Fair point, I should have clarified that the specifics vary by state. Some states are much more restrictive than others. My state will go after anything that uses the word engineer or engineering and anything that is even remotely related to engineering. Your milage may vary. The original point remains, be careful.
Onlyfans, stripping, selling feet pics, street pharmacies. Take your picks. True story
Reselling cars, electrical cables, catalytic converters and other things just laying around in public. You can also just ask people to hand over their belongings to you.
3D printing stuff - promotional/branded materials for small businesses. Patent drawings and prototypes for hopeful inventors. If you can get a PE you can get a lot of well paid consulting work.
As someone who does all of this, it is NOT passive income. Sometimes, it's more work than my actual job for significantly less return
A quick glance at some freelance sites told me all I need to. Feel like I'd be competing with someone overseas who will do it for a tenth the cost, or someone with 20 years experience.
I have over 10 years experience in rapid prototyping, design, mechanical analysis, and have been a lead in additive manufacturing for about 4 years. My experience: if your clientele is an individual or a very small business, they want the cheapest option possible. This often leads to competition taking the work and doing a worse job (a number of clients I have skipped me on the first round of work and came back after they didn't like the quality of the other guy). Any medium sized business is going with a big dog and not a weekend warrior. They want an engineer on call and I have a day job. It's tough work but I manage to take my family on a nice vacation every year and buy a few new toys...I mean tools
If you are in a role where it is allowed, sometimes the best thing to do is talk to your mangers and work paid OT Also, I have colleague who have taught night courses in CAD and other disciplines. Allows you to use your knowledge and not bring about any potential conflicts with your current role
**Writing**. No seriously lol. Check out how much content there is (blogs, newsletters, courses) on software development. So many boot camps, certs, insights, and influencers. It's also very monetizeable (is that a word ?) as your audience grows. I'm not saying to go down the "guru" path but one thing I would've appreciated so much in my career earlier was genuine, solid content on how to develop physical products. There just aren't many meaningful articles out there for our space. I'm trying to do just that now by [documenting](https://buildinghardware.substack.com) some of the best practices I learned while at Tesla/Apple (product management, design, engineering, manufacturing, etc.). There's a good book called Show Your Work for which the premise is that by documenting your product dev journeys you can help alot more people than you think. Think of all the times you've benefited from online content when you were stuck with an engineering problem.
How does anyone over 40 have the energy to work more than 40 hours? Maybe its just my cptsd but i need LOTS of rest and meditation and downtime
Probably depends in the person. I work around 45 to 50 hours a week and have a side hustle consulting for the government that is another 5 to 15 per week (albeit it at a much lower effective rate than my day job). Also try to work out about 10 hours per week and have a bunch of shenanigans getting my kids to school and activities because of my wife's work schedule. I'm lucky in that Im very disciplined when it comes to following a schedule and can generally be highly functional with about 6 hours of sleep.
Sometimes maybe it's not about having the energy even, it's just the desire to get shit done and gain a shred bit more respect. I know I need a lot more rest than I'm getting.
I restore vintage light industrial shop equipment, build machines for a local start up company, roast coffee and do some custom woodworking for friends and family.
I do freelance product modeling for steel fabrication companies that can't afford the software
Had a buddy that used to do remote drafter work part time for a small aerospace company
Moonlight as a mechanical engineer (MEP industry)
Are you a PE?
I’ve found better success in non-engineering related side hustles. That said, I kinda want to start designing and building go karts…but that’s more if d passion project funded by tax breaks. We’ll see if I ever get there. You could also build/buy a small CNC and advertise design services.
I learned Wordpress and am starting a web design side business. You’d be amazed by what people will pay for a simple Wordpress website
Doesnt need to be ME related. Pick a hobby and monetize it. I'm always flipping either nice dirtbikes or really nice mountain bikes for some extra cash
Teaching skills is valuable. Could teach a class in the summer if you are knowledgeable enough.
A few of the good ones at my last employer ended up starting a side hustle and it got so good that they quit their day job and ran it full time. Mostly in the machining and fabrication space, solving specific problems for people in the agriculture industry. Takes some startup money to buy machines though.
Find a product opportunity gap and fill it.
I did car detailing on the side to get through the first few years. Attention to detail is helpful in being a great detailer.
Maybe think about tutoring school children. Fairly easy and can be fun too whilst making a bit of cash.
I work at a grocery store some evenings and weekends. Nice change of pace, engaging, able to mindlessly perform a task, and pushing carts around gets your miles in.
Do whatever you want. I do stocks and some real-estate.
Boo
Why exactly is this a bad thing in your opinion?
Fairly common Reddit idea that buying homes to turn them into rentals is inherently bad/evil
Using a necessity like housing to build personal wealth is icky.
By that logic, farmers and doctors should be questioning their life choices.
Call me what you'd like but I believe healthcare and food should be covered by taxes.