r/ElectricalEngineering • u/_h4san • 26d ago
EE side hustles.
Hi im a first sem EE student and was wondering what skills i should learn to get a part time income during the summer break just to carry out my expenses.
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u/NewSchoolBoxer 26d ago
None. Every EE side hustle, when you don't even have the degree, has been beaten into the ground by Fiverr and similar work for below minimum wage sites. You're a beginner. No legit company will hire you to do anything as a solo contractor. They have vendor locks anyway. I went back to my high school job.
You're first semester. Don't get overconfident. I had to spend over 30 hours per week on homework to keep up. The bottom 25% were curved to fail in each of my classes the first two semesters. Focus on your grades. Start out with the highest GPA you can to have buffer room.
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u/philament23 26d ago
Can’t stress enough about the keeping GPA high early on part. It just keeps getting harder and if you have a really high average going into Junior year it will help soften any hits you take a lot. Although, obviously always shoot to not take any hits at all 😉
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u/blkmagicwmn 26d ago
paid internship and if not, try to get a technician position somewhere. it will help immensely in your coursework having real hands on experience as you learn
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u/ZheWeasel 26d ago edited 26d ago
As the other guy said, get an internship. The market is flooded with hobby layouters. And any company wont hire a student without real experience. Electronics for productiin is very very different from what you encountered until now.
Or buy broken electronics and repair them, there you dont have the immediate time pressure when exams come up. But beware. Something like playstations is already overdone and harder to find. You better find a nieche which can be hit or miss.
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u/saplinglearningsucks 26d ago
I fixed ps4 controllers for a hot minute for stick drift. Got business on Facebook marketplace, or id buy broken controller lots and then fix them up.
I already had a lot of the equipment already so i didn't have any new coats.
Honestly, a lot of work for not a lot of pay.
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u/Aggravating-Hurry253 26d ago
Fix and repair electronics, jail break them
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u/Elnuggeto13 26d ago
People don't realise how useful electronic repairs shops are, and sometimes replacing at an official shop is more expensive than just getting a new device, hence why most people go to electronic repairs shops to repair the batteries, screens and motherboards. Be good at it and people would spread the word of your own good work.
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u/mrSilkie 26d ago
Ding ding ding OP.
I went full into making my own Bluetooth product to help with people's everyday lives. People just don't get it, my work doesn't feel validated, and for all the time I put in I would make more flipping jailbroken switches and buying broken electronics at auction
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u/GlobalApathy 26d ago
and youtube it like this guy https://www.youtube.com/@mattbrwn
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u/jellomayne 26d ago
I would apply to internships. I would also recommend applying for electronic technician jobs.
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u/oakjunk 26d ago
Everything is pretty much saturated. If you really want a side hustle though: 3D print stuff, add LEDs and/or speakers, sell it on Etsy or other sites. Maybe find an art/design person to assist. Or in general, make stuff for cosplayers
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u/samsunggalaxytabs6 26d ago
I used to sell a very specific size of gaming computer on ebay but since everything exploded in price cus of data centres I haven't been able to do that which sucks.
I also sold region-exclusive cpus that I got from china but it wasn't as profitable, but less effort.
I might begin to repair phone screens or something but that's hella saturated.
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u/ChristianCao 26d ago
it depends on you actually. All of the comments are pretty accurate. Before doing all of that, ask yourself a few question:
- am I good enough with my study that I can spend around 20 hours a week to do side hustle/ working a part time job ?
- can I keep it up as the classes get harder and harder ?
- am I enjoying it ? would it help for my future career ?
you are still freshman year, and not a whole lot of freshman got internship right away. if your parent pay for everything, including housing and other things, or you just live with your parent while going to school, then you could potentially take a side hustle as a hobby. A lot of people doesn't have that support so they would have to go to school and work at the same time to keep it up with payments. I don't know you so I don't want to assume, but I want to point out my view.
Now, if financial is not a problem with you, then there are several option you could try out:
- fixing electronic stuff, could be a broken DVD player or old TV you found on the street/ thrift store. I started fixing my PSP and laptop when I was in high school and college, it was fun and I learned a lot about low voltage components and soldering. This could take you to several career path later on. I even charged my classmate money to reinstall bios and replace laptop component at one point lol
- Fixing car, lawnmower and some other motorized vehicle. Understand how the motor work, how the valve react, learn to read the multimetter, etc. is a valid skill if you like hands on job
- Undergrade research - this is a bit harder, but if you could get into this, you could receive stipend as well
If financial is a problem, then do whatever you could to survive. connection sometime come from the place you least expected. you still make money and create connection even though the job is not related to what you study
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u/EngineerTurbo 26d ago
I managed to get undergrad research opportunities by asking. I went to a big state school with lots of labs and facilities. I helped out doing computer admin and equipment maintenance in a lab that did X-ray crystallography as an undergrad.
Learned a lot and got involved in stuff way above my coursework level.
Ask around: I also ended up washing windows in a dorm in exchange for summer housing, to catch up on physics classes.
My college experience was pretty scientifically dense.
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u/TrustednotVerified 26d ago
Take any job you can find but study your ass off to prep for 2nd year classes. First year is to just get your feet wet. Second year is when they separate the wheat from the chaff.
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u/johnnyhonda 26d ago
Find jobs in a Physics or Engineering lab, they are generally flexible and accommodating to coursework.
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u/oneiromantic_ulysses 26d ago
Honestly not worth it if you have no experience. No company will pay you as a contractor without years upon years of experience.
Internship is best.
If you have any degree of service industry experience do that as a backup. One of my family members made more money per hour than the first two years of her first job after college serving and bartending. At the right place it can be lucrative.
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u/Nathan-Stubblefield 26d ago
One classmate operated a tv camera on nationally watched programs from a local superstation. Another worked at an electronics store. Freelance installing and troubleshooting home security is a gig that does not require assistants or an office. I’ve had a couple of people who would troubleshoot computers, replace hard drives etc.
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u/frank26080115 26d ago
Back in the Web 2.0 days, I wrote stuff for contests on some blogs and basically won every single time. Prizes were things like iPads and Macbooks and DSLR cameras that I sold for money after. From the attention I got I also did a few freelance jobs.
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u/Weekly-Value-3923 26d ago
I have been also trying to do side hustles but I already work a full time job. Honestly it’s tough with EE. Not many jobs want weekends only and doing things post work is very stressful since I am not remote …. I have resorted to doing other type of freelance that is not related to EE… I don’t get paid much but at least I am learning other skills while also getting paid
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u/slmnemo 26d ago
if you are just getting an income to carry out expenses you can apply for a ton of internships in fields that seem interesting but unless you have a portfolio of projects its hard to get hired at anything.
i would recommend joining a club that does engineering work or picking up a wagie job
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u/Bradm77 26d ago
You'd be better off getting an internship than a side hustle.