Passive Income Ideas For Data Engineers [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a data engineer in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a data engineer today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a data engineer.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with a podcast ($97.9K/month)
As a data engineer, you could start a podcast to share your knowledge and experiences in the field. This could involve discussing best practices, emerging technologies, and career advice, which would attract listeners who are interested in data engineering. As your audience grows, you could attract sponsors or advertisers, creating a steady stream of passive income.
To get started, choose a specific topic within data engineering that you're passionate about. Invest in basic recording equipment like a microphone and headphones, and use a free or affordable platform to host your episodes. Promote your podcast through social media and online communities to build an audience and potentially generate income through sponsorships.
Starting a podcast allows you to leverage what you already know and enjoy, making it a practical and rewarding side hustle. Additionally, sharing your expertise helps build your personal brand, possibly leading to more opportunities in your primary career.
How much you can make: $400 — $1,020,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 2 hours/week
A successful podcast production company that grew from one client making $15/hour to a team of 10 contractors producing over 30 shows per week with revenue of over $10k/mo, primarily through referrals and with a focus on providing high personal touch and being picky about working only with clients who are a good fit.
2. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
As a data engineer, you could leverage your skills to create an AI writing tool and transform the content creation landscape. This tool would generate accurate and engaging content automatically, saving significant time and reducing errors for businesses, bloggers, and students. By building this digital solution, you could tap into the high demand for continuous, quality content effortlessly.
Imagine offering a revolutionary tool that simplifies the writing process and increases productivity for users worldwide. Not only does this align with the innovative advancements of AI, but it also provides a substantial business opportunity. Embracing this venture could open new streams of passive income while making a significant impact on the digital content industry.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
3. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)
As a data engineer, starting an AI-based business solution could be a natural extension of your skills and experience with data manipulation and analysis. You could create tools that help companies make smarter decisions by automating repetitive tasks, improving customer service, and predicting market trends. Imagine building a solution that uses AI to analyze customer data and offers personalized marketing strategies, significantly boosting their sales while saving time.
You could also focus on developing AI systems that optimize inventory management or streamline data processing tasks. Leveraging your knowledge in data engineering, you can craft solutions that are both valuable and user-friendly, even for those without a technical background. The growing demand for AI solutions means there is a wide market for your innovative ideas, setting you up for a potentially lucrative side project or full-fledged business.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.
4. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a lead generation tool could be a natural fit for you. With your knowledge of data integration and automation, you could create software that identifies and captures potential customer leads for businesses, automating a process that's often time-consuming and inefficient.
By building a tool that integrates with websites, social media channels, and other digital paths, you could collect valuable data like email addresses, phone numbers, and interests. Companies are always looking to streamline their marketing efforts, so there's a high demand for efficient lead generation solutions.
Your tech skills combined with an eye for what businesses need could make this a profitable side venture, providing a passive income stream while solving real problems for companies looking to grow their customer base.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
5. Make passive income with a web scraping API ($34.2K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a web scraping API could be a smart way to supplement your income and move into passive income scenarios. By developing an API service that automates the extraction of data from websites, you provide businesses with a valuable tool to gather important insights effortlessly, whether they’re looking into market trends, conducting competitor analysis, or aggregating content.
With your strong background in coding and understanding of web protocols, you could ensure the reliability and efficiency of the API, making it an essential resource for companies in various industries. This versatility means you could start by focusing on a specific niche and expand as demand grows. Given the increasing reliance on data for business decisions, offering a well-built web scraping API could become a profitable venture with significant growth potential.
How much you can make: $50 — $125,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $900 (?)
How long does it take to build: 105 days (?)
PlanIt is a travel recommendation and planning platform that has seen compelling growth in database coverage and user growth, covering every country in the world with several thousand users and a large SEO focus as well as a growing interest from travel and lifestyle businesses to list their details.
6. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)
Starting a mobile app could be an excellent way for a data engineer to explore passive income opportunities. With your technical background, you already have a good grasp of the coding fundamentals necessary to develop an app or the ability to work with other developers. You could create an app that leverages your data engineering skills, such as a data visualization tool or a productivity app tailored to tech professionals.
Consider turning a problem you’ve solved in your daily work into an app that others can use. Your experience in planning and managing databases could help you design an efficient, user-friendly product. Once developed and launched, the app could continuously generate income with minimal ongoing maintenance as new users download and use it.
Marketing strategies will also play a vital role in your app's success. Focus on targeting the right audience, and utilize social media and tech communities to spread the word. The combination of your technical skills and an entrepreneurial mindset could make this a lucrative side hustle.
How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.
7. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($235K/month)
As a data engineer, starting an email marketing tool could be a great way to supplement your income. You might use your expertise in data management to develop a tool that helps businesses create, manage, and automate their email campaigns more effectively. By utilizing your knowledge in handling large datasets, you could design a system that seamlessly integrates with other business tools, enabling users to target their audiences more precisely.
Given that email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels, there is significant demand for advanced tools. With the global email marketing tool market projected to reach $2.53 billion by 2028, there are ample opportunities for you to carve out a niche. You could focus on creating customized features that address specific pain points for different types of businesses, from startups to more established companies.
How much you can make: $120 — $2,083,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 170 days (?)
H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.
8. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a niche blog could be a great way to share your specialized knowledge and experiences with a broader audience while generating passive income. You could focus on detailing your technical expertise, providing guides on big data tools, data pipeline best practices, or emerging trends in data engineering. By creating in-depth and informative content, such as tutorials, how-to articles, and tool reviews, you could attract a dedicated following of tech enthusiasts and professionals seeking your insights.
To monetize your blog, you could use affiliate links for data engineering tools and software, which your readers might find useful. Additionally, collaborating with brands in the tech industry for sponsored posts or advertisements could further supplement your income. The key is to consistently produce engaging and valuable content that resonates with your audience, helping you to build a loyal online community and create ongoing revenue streams.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.
9. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
As a data engineer, you could create a niche website that focuses on a specialized topic within data engineering or related fields. By sharing your expertise and providing valuable content like tutorials, industry news, or in-depth analyses of new tools and technologies, you could attract a dedicated audience interested in these subjects. This creative freedom allows you to connect with others passionate about data engineering while also sharing your knowledge.
Once your site gains traction, you could monetize it through various methods like affiliate marketing, ad placements, or selling your own digital products, such as eBooks or courses. Since many data engineers are continually seeking to learn and improve their skills, your site could become a trusted resource, providing a steady stream of passive income. This venture could be especially rewarding if you have a particular interest you’re eager to explore and share with others.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
10. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a YouTube channel could be a great way to supplement your income and share your expertise. You could create videos that explain complex data concepts in simple terms, offer tutorials on popular data tools like SQL or Python, or even share your experiences and challenges in the field. This not only helps others but also positions you as an authority in your niche.
Additionally, consistent and high-quality content could lead to monetization opportunities through ads, sponsorships, and even merchandise. Though it requires dedication and regular updates, the potential financial rewards and personal satisfaction can be significant. If you're willing to invest the time, a YouTube channel might be a worthwhile side hustle that blends your professional knowledge with creative endeavors.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.
11. Make passive income with a stock photography business ($14.6K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a stock photography business could be an excellent way to supplement your income. Many businesses seek quality images for marketing, and your technical skills could give you an edge in managing large photo collections efficiently. By investing in some good photography gear and learning the basics, you could upload high-quality images to stock photo websites and earn a passive income.
Building an impressive portfolio is key, and you could diversify your stock photos to cater to various marketing needs. Given that stock photos are sold on an exclusive basis for single usage fees, the potential for ongoing passive income is significant. An excellent online presence can help you sell your stock photos faster and at better margins.
Moreover, your background as a data engineer might help you use metadata and tagging effectively to make your photos more discoverable in search engines, further boosting sales opportunities.
How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.
12. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)
Starting a WordPress plugin business could be a smart way for a data engineer to make extra money. As a data engineer, you're already skilled in problem-solving and developing technical solutions. If you have used WordPress before, you know plugins are crucial for running successful websites.
You could leverage your technical skills to develop a WordPress plugin that solves a specific problem or meets a particular need. Once your plugin is developed, you could sell it on online platforms like CodeCanyon or even on your own website. This could turn into a steady stream of passive income, allowing you to supplement your primary income without extensive ongoing effort.
How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.
13. Make passive income with a stock investing business ($30.3K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a stock investing business could help you leverage your analytical skills and knowledge of financial data to earn passive income. By analyzing market trends and making informed decisions, you could buy and sell stocks to generate profit. You already have a strong foundation in handling large datasets, which is crucial for identifying profitable opportunities in the stock market.
Diving into stock investing would offer an exciting way to turn your knack for numbers into additional income. Utilizing educational resources and trading platforms can equip you with the tools to understand and navigate the financial markets. Although it requires dedication and continuous learning, applying your analytical skills to financial data could turn this entrepreneurial venture into a rewarding experience.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $160,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Ticker Nerd is a monthly subscription service for investors that surfaces and analyzes trending stocks before the hype train arrives, and now has $4.5k in monthly recurring revenue from its newsletter without spending a single dollar on advertising, having validated the business via subreddits and organic Product Hunt launch strategy.
14. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($148K/month)
As a data engineer, starting a social media automation business could be a great way to supplement your income. This business revolves around creating and maintaining tools that help clients schedule posts, automate interactions, and analyze data across various social media platforms. By leveraging your existing technical skills, you could develop software solutions to meet the growing demand for consistent and strategic social media engagement.
Imagine managing multiple social media accounts effortlessly while generating passive income. Your clients—ranging from small businesses to influencers—would pay you to save them time and enhance their social media presence. This not only aligns with your technical expertise but also allows you to explore the marketing aspect, making it a fulfilling and potentially lucrative side hustle.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
