20 ways for an IT specialist to increase their income

1. Freelancing

You can find orders for development, design, testing, DevOps, analytical tasks, and more.

Where to look:
Upwork — a major international freelance marketplace.
Freelancer — similar to Upwork, but with a larger number of low-cost orders.
Toptal — a platform for premium IT freelancing.
Fiverr — a platform for small tasks and gig services.

2. Education and Courses

Creating educational IT courses.

Where to sell courses:
Udemy — a popular platform for selling courses.
Teachable — for creating your own courses.
Skillshare — for selling course subscriptions.

3. Web Development

Creating websites for clients, landing pages, and online stores.

Where to find orders:
Tilda Experts — orders for developing sites on Tilda.
Webflow Experts — orders for Webflow site developers.
Freelancehunt — a freelance marketplace for Russian-speaking specialists.

4. Custom Software Development

You can write programs and applications for businesses.

Where to find orders:
Gun.io — a platform for hiring developers.
Lemon.io — a freelance marketplace for programmers.

5. Creating and Selling Templates

Developing templates for websites: WordPress, Webflow, and Shopify.

Where to sell:
ThemeForest — a popular platform for selling templates.
TemplateMonster — an alternative to ThemeForest.
Creative Market — for selling templates and graphics.

6. Blog and YouTube Channel

Creating content about programming and technology.

Where to monetize:
YouTube — earning through ads and sponsorships.
Patreon — subscriptions from followers.

7. Software Testing

Testing programs and websites for bugs.

Where to work:
uTest — a platform for testers.
Test.io — paid testing of web services.

8. Cybersecurity

Penetration testing and security audits.

Where to find clients:
HackerOne — a platform for finding vulnerabilities.
Bugcrowd — an alternative to HackerOne.

9. Consulting

You can advise companies on IT matters.

Where to offer services:
Clarity.fm — a platform for expert consultants.
Kolabtree — consulting for scientific and IT projects.

10. NFT and Blockchain Development

Creating blockchain projects.

Where to work:
OpenSea — an NFT marketplace.
Rarible — an alternative to OpenSea.

11. Game Development

Creating mobile or PC games with monetization.

Where to sell:
Steam — the largest game marketplace.
Itch.io — an indie platform for selling games.
Google Play / App Store — for mobile games.

12. Chatbot Development

Creating bots for businesses.

Where to find orders:
Chatbot.com — a platform for creating bots.
ManyChat — creating bots for messengers.

13. Working with AI and ML

Developing machine learning models.

Where to work:
Kaggle — competitions and projects related to AI.
AIcrowd — a platform for AI developers.

14. Developing and Selling APIs

Creating APIs for developers.

Where to sell:
RapidAPI — an API marketplace.

15. Technical Support

Assistance with software and server configuration.

Where to work:
PeoplePerHour — finding orders for IT support.

16. Monetizing Open-Source Projects

Receiving donations for open-source work.

Where to monetize:
GitHub Sponsors — supporting open-source developers.

17. DevOps and Server Administration

Configuring and managing server systems.

Where to find orders:
Cloud Devs — DevOps freelancing.

18. Mobile App Development

You can develop and monetize apps through ads, subscriptions, and paid versions.

Where to publish:
Google Play — a marketplace for Android apps.
App Store — a marketplace for iOS apps.
CodeCanyon — a platform for selling ready-made mobile apps.

19. Affiliate Marketing

Promoting IT services.

Where to participate:
CJ Affiliate — affiliate programs.

20. Creating a SaaS Product

Developing subscription-based services.

Where to sell:
Gumroad — a platform for selling SaaS products.