While 80% of side hustlers say they just want to earn more, others are driven by a deeper urge of freedom, ownership, and the chance to create on their own terms. 

Nonetheless, only 34% of job seekers in tech actively work on side projects, despite the fact that hiring managers are scanning portfolios and GitHub pages before they even look at your CV.

In our Macro Monday discussion today, we’re not recycling vague advice. These are practical, field-tested projects people are using right now to build wealth, gain skills, and land roles. Smart work that pays off.

Project Categories at a Glance

To make it easier, we’ve grouped these into four core types:

• Build Something Useful – Tools, products, or platforms
• Create & Share Content – Blogs, tutorials, newsletters
• Offer a Service – Freelance, contract, consulting
• Use Smart Tools – AI-powered or automated hacks

You don’t need to pick one lane. In fact, over 50% of side hustlers juggle three or more projects. Let’s dive in.

10 Side Projects Worth Your Time

1. Build a Chrome Extension That Solves One Frustrating Problem

What it is: Identify a pain point (e.g. LinkedIn limits, auto-refresh for crypto trackers), then create a small extension that fixes it.
Monetisation: Offer a free version, then upsell features.
Real example: Many developers have built Chrome tools that now passively earn them hundreds monthly via Gumroad.
Start here: Learn the basic Chrome APIs, use JavaScript, and publish to the Web Store.

2. Turn Your Resume into a One-Page Portfolio Site

What it is: Convert your CV into a personal webpage showcasing work, skills, links, and testimonials.
Job impact: Instant credibility. Recruiters Google you; give them something to find.
Visibility: Include GitHub links, project demos, or blog posts.
Start here: Use templates from tools like Framer or Notion, or host a static site via GitHub Pages.

3. Write a Weekly Newsletter in Your Niche

What it is: Share insights, curations, or experiments in tech, design, or writing.
Monetisation: After building a subscriber base, offer sponsorships or premium content.
Job angle: Writing forces clarity and attracts employers who care about communication.
Start here: Substack, Beehiiv, or even LinkedIn Newsletters.

4. Contribute to an Open Source Project

What it is: Improve, document, or bug-fix public codebases.
Credibility: Shows team skills, code quality, and real-world impact.
Networking: Maintainers and contributors often refer each other for jobs.
Start here: Use GitHub’s “Good First Issue” label to onboard quickly.

5. Build and Sell Notion or Figma Templates

What it is: Create digital templates people can use for productivity, design, or content planning.
Income: List them on marketplaces or your own site. Some sellers earn $500–$2,000/month.
No code needed: Just good design thinking and problem solving.
Start here: Browse the most downloaded templates, then create your own twist.

6. Join and Win a Hackathon (Even a Virtual One)

What it is: Build a product or prototype over a few days with a team or solo.
Value: Recognition, cash prizes, and sometimes direct job offers.
Resume boost: Demonstrates speed, collaboration, and initiative.
Start here: Sites like Devpost, MLH, and AngelHack list ongoing events globally.

7. Start a Micro SaaS That Solves a Niche Problem

What it is: A simple subscription-based tool built for a narrow audience.
Earnings: Many devs earn $1k–$5k/month from solo tools.
Scalability: Low overhead, high leverage.
Start here: Solve a workflow issue in your industry. Build in public for feedback.

8. Create an Open Source API Wrapper

What it is: Wrap a complex or poorly documented API (e.g. government data, crypto, niche SaaS) into something easier to use.
Impact: Developers appreciate great wrappers—your repo might go viral.
Job bonus: Shows backend and API fluency, which hiring managers love.
Start here: Pick an API, write the wrapper, document it clearly, and share.

9. Design and Sell Developer-Themed Merchandise

What it is: Funny t-shirts, coding mugs, niche stickers, even physical zines.
Earnings: Print-on-demand means zero upfront costs.
Branding: Build a small community and turn it into a brand.
Start here: Use Teespring or Redbubble, promote on Reddit or Dev.to.

10. Launch a Free Tool That Solves a Micro-Pain

What it is: A tiny website, calculator, or widget that does one thing well.
Why it works: Low barrier to build, high value if done right.
Examples: Colour palette generators, Markdown previewers, habit trackers.
Start here: Identify what you Google for regularly, then build it yourself.

Bonus: Stack Your Side Projects

One side project can turn into a whole ecosystem. Your Chrome extension gets you newsletter subscribers. Your newsletter feeds into your micro SaaS. Your micro SaaS becomes your main income.

This is how people are building tech careers that don’t depend entirely on job boards or HR filters. It’s all about creating your own momentum.

Just Start

Most people overthink this. You don’t need VC funding or perfect skills. You just need to start.

In 2025, spending 11–16 hours per week on a side project can translate into $16–23/hour or even more over time. For those of us in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where online gig work is becoming more common, this isn’t just a trend, it’s a strategy and a growth path to thrive.

Choose one idea. Build fast. Ship often. You never know which project will open the next door.

Which of these projects are you most likely to start? Hit reply, comment, or share it with someone who’s stuck. Your future job, or income stream, might be waiting on the other side of a weekend build.

Technology has been extensively adopted throughout generations and that there is still an expectancy for it to meet future needs.

A growing demand for qualified technologists exists due to how prevalent technology has become.

According to a report from the Bureau of Labor statistics, from 2021 to 2031, it is anticipated that overall employment in computer and information technology occupations would increase by 15%, substantially faster than the average for all occupations.

This increase is anticipated to result in the creation of around 682,800 new jobs during the decade. Many are putting in a lot of effort in order to maintain their position in the future and avoid becoming obsolete.

This involves continuing personal training through online learning resources, giving back to the community, participating in tech forums, and going to conferences that expose one to the various facets of the tech industry.

Gap in the Industry

However, there is now competition across industries for these abilities as a result of the demand for tech skills.

To keep the sector prospering, the technology skill gap caused by this competition needs to be closed.

With the development of new technologies, workers’ contributions have been affected by the move toward machine learning, robotic engineering, artificial intelligence, cloud services, and decentralized operations.

The difference between what people can really do and what employers expect them to be able to do is known as the skills gap. If an employee just knows how to program, yet a technology job role requires knowledge of both internet networking and a programming language, there is a skills gap.

Due to this gap, businesses find it challenging to fill open positions. The employee can get better at this by developing the talent they lack.

Therefore, in order to supply services effectively, these new concepts must be acquired and mastered. Many tech professionals have been compelled to learn new ideas, hone their already-existing talents, and take on more difficult tasks in order to advance their careers because not all of them are knowledgeable in these new tech disciplines.

Tech industry benefits to Individuals

Due to the numerous benefits offered to employees, such as competitive pay, flexible work schedules, health insurance, skill development, paid parental leave, and job security, the tech industry is still enticing, hence, a growing number of people have transitioned into IT from non-technical backgrounds.

Nowadays, many people do online training and obtain certifications to equip them with the knowledge they need to thrive in their employment.

This is being done now to protect the future even though it was rarely done in the past. Others have taken chances to pursue their interests while working for tech companies without necessarily being “in IT”.

The ease of entrance into the tech industry offers an insight into how the industry is changing. Many IT experts are willing to work remotely from their homes.

Skills for the Future

Currently, hard skills and soft skills are two basic skills essential to deliver maximum performance in the tech industry.

Hard skills are frequently knowledge-based talents that are exclusive to particular professions, whereas soft skills are frequent and value-based skills that are not connected to a particular employment. 

Hard skills include, among others:

●       Artificial Intelligence (AI)

●       Machine Learning (ML)

●       Data science

●       Data analytics

●       Data visualization

●       User Interface/Experience (UI/UX)

●       Software engineering

●       Cloud computing

●       Internet of things (IoT)

●       Cybersecurity

●       Human-Computer Interaction

●       Technical research and writing

Several Soft skills include;

●       Communication skills

●       Leadership skills

●       Team player skills

●       Mentorship skills

●       Work Ethic

●       Empathy

●       Networking skills etc.

Future skills are those abilities that empower people in solving tough problems when situations evolve yet in an organized manner.

It comprises hard skills, soft skills, transferable skills and other innovative skills. These abilities are essential for the coordination of formal activities. Some are innate that need to be cultured while others can be formed through a learning process.

They include; Creativity, Decision making and good judgment, Digital literacy and Computational thinking, Cognitive thinking, Collaboration, Management, Cultural intelligence, Financial intelligence, Emotional intelligence, Automation etc.

In addition to one’s primary training, these abilities are necessary for working in multi-functional teams. Not every skill must be mastered in order to succeed.   

About the author:

He has worked on the Growth and Employment (GEM) Project of the World Bank, GiZ, Consulted for businesses at the Abuja Enterprise Agency, Novustack, Splitspot and NITDA. He is the Chief Executive Officer at Abuja Data School.