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Practical Software Side Hustles

Zhimin Zhan

The rise of AI coding tools is reshaping the software industry—bringing both disruption and unprecedented opportunity. For many software professionals, relying on a single job is no longer enough; building a profitable side income has become essential for financial security and freedom. Practical Software Side Hustles is your no-nonsense guide to navigating this new reality and securing your future.

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About

About

About the Book

A side hustle, also known as gig work, is any activity you pursue outside your main job to earn extra income.

Side hustles are booming. A November 2025 study by Westpac (a major Australian bank) found that “more than half (55%) of Australians are either currently earning income from a side hustle or actively considering starting one”. Similar growth trends are evident in the United States and China.

Among the many options available, software-related side hustles stand out as particularly promising. Software now touches nearly every industry, and with billions of people using smartphones and apps daily, distance and language barriers have shrunk dramatically. This creates massive, accessible opportunities for software professionals working on the side.

In this book, I share the hard-earned lessons, practical methods, proven strategies, and painful mistakes I’ve accumulated over 20 years of building and running various side hustles. The goal is simple: to help you avoid common pitfalls, work more efficiently, and greatly improve your chances of success—whether you’re just getting started or scaling your next software-related side projects.

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Author

About the Author

Zhimin Zhan

Zhimin Zhan is the founder and principal agile testing coach of AgileWay Pty Ltd, Australia. As an advisor and coach, he helps organisations implement test automation using Continuous Testing with open technologies, such as Selenium WebDriver / Appium. Zhimin is the creator of TestWise, the next-generation functional testing tool that supports functional test refactorings, and BuildWise, an international award-winning Continuous Testing Server. Zhimin is a frequent speaker and author of 14 books on software testing and programming. He shares his test automation and CI experience on Substack and Medium.

Contents

Table of Contents

Preface

  1. Am I qualified?
  2. What’s unique about this book?
  3. Who should read this book?
  4. Send me feedback
  5. Introduction

Introduction to Side Hustle

  1. Side Hustle is “Hot”
  2. Side Hustle / Gig Work Pyramid
  3. This Book’s Focus: Software Side Hustles

Software Side Hustles

  1. Advantages of Software Side Hustles
  2. Decide Which Tiers
  3. Skills Required for Software Side Hustles
  4. A Successful Example: My Insurance Broker
  5. Wrap-up

Are You Ready?

  1. “It takes change to make change”
  2. The Reality of Sacrifice: Balancing Family and Ambition
  3. It won’t be easy
  4. Don’t put your day job at risk before success
  5. The Shortcut: Get a mentor
  6. Wrap-up
  7. Tier 3 and 2 Side Hustles

Ideal Tier-3 Software Side Hustle

  1. Software Testing is the most common software related side hustle
  2. Why software testing makes a great first side hustle
  3. Practical advice for laymen starting in user testing
  4. Simple E2E test scenarios with high probability of exposing app defects
  5. Wrap-up

Ideal Tier-2 Software Side Hustle

  1. Key attributes of a successful Tier-2 software side hustle
  2. My recommendation Tier-2: E2E Test Automation
  3. Why I don’t recommend building apps for clients?
  4. Practical advice for starting an E2E Test Automation side hustle
  5. Wrap-up

Continuous Testing: E2E Test Automation on Steroids

  1. Regression Testing
  2. Benefits of Executing Automated Tests in a CT Server
  3. Manage Test Execution in CT server is much easier
  4. Potential CI/CD Work
  5. Wrap-up

Find Your Ideal Softwre Side Hustle

  1. High Demand
  2. Easy to Get in
  3. 10x+ Productivity Boost Through Upgradable Professional Skills
  4. Professional Skills Are Rare, But Surprisingly Easy to Learn
  5. Can Expand to Other opportuties
  6. Easy Adaptability
  7. Skills Are Stable and Offer Maximum Reuse
  8. Complements Day Work
  9. Multiplying Effect
  10. Lay foundation for Tier-1
  11. Time Management

Effective Use of Work Time

  1. The Philosophy of Using Work Time Effectively
  2. The Principles
  3. Implementing E2E test automation at work also boosts your side projects
  4. Be Productive on Tool Use
  5. Learn at Work
  6. Ask for Training
  7. Stories
  8. How I maximize work time for side projects?
  9. Wrap-up

Effective Use of Private Time

  1. Avoid ‘Overtime’
  2. Create more personal time by working fewer days
  3. Start working on side hustles in the early morning (e.g., 5 AM)
  4. Don’t sacrifice too much family time
  5. Pay small money to save time
  6. Pay professional help from experts, cheaper than doing yourself
  7. Wrap-up

Automation is Side Hustler’s Friend

  1. Automation Assisted Demonstration / ShowCase
  2. Automation for Training and Documentation
  3. Test Data Generation
  4. My Simple Approach to App Health Check with Automation
  5. Defect Report
  6. App Develoment

App Development: Prepare

  1. Start side projects that actually matter to you or your family
  2. Choose best stack for side project, not fixated with one used at work

App Development: Coding

  1. Start side projects that actually matter to you or your family
  2. Choose best stack for side project, not fixated with one used at work
  3. E2E Test Automation Regression Testing: The Safety Net

App Development: Testing

  1. E2E Test Automation Regression Testing: The Safety Net

App Development: Deploy

  1. Make Deployments Reliable by Fully Automating Them
  2. KISS Principle for deployment infrastructure
  3. Showcase: Set up a new Ruby on Rails app server < 14 mins
  4. Make App Deployment fast, really fast! in seconds!
  5. Cheap Infrastrcuture
  6. Continuous Testing Lab
  7. Super Quick and Simple Deployment

App Development: Support

  1. Documentation
  2. Be responsive to your customers
  3. Support ticketing system
  4. Anti-Pattern: Support by Email
  5. Business Development

Business Development for Tier-3 & 2

  1. Business Revenue Model
  2. Business Strategy for Tier-3 Side Hustle Business
  3. Business Strategy for Tier-2 Side Hustle Business
  4. Wrap-up

Business Development for Tier-1

  1. Aiming Passive Income
  2. Prospect
  3. Aiming for a high customer retention rate
  4. Aiming a niche market avoid excessive competition
  5. Be ready for competition
  6. Get a mentor

Software Reselling and Outsourced Development

  1. Software Reselling
  2. Outsourage development
  3. AI Coding

Grow Business

  1. One-Person business Does not Mean Don’t Collabote with Others
  2. Business Partnership
  3. Marketing
  4. Marketing Partnership

Afterword

Resources

  1. Books
  2. Tools
  3. Blog

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