Landing a job that’s both fun and pays well is the dream for most people. Who doesn’t want to love what they do, have a blast, and make good money? That combination makes it easier to pay your bills, save for emergencies, and plan for the future.
Fortunately, there are a surprising number of fun jobs that pay well, and we’ve put together a list that includes side hustles, online business ideas, and much more.
15 Fun Jobs That Pay Well in 2023 (Make Money & Have Fun!)
1. Freelance Writing
Earning potential: $1,000 to 5,000+/month
Freelance writing is an especially fun job because you’re getting paid to write stories, blog posts, ghostwritten novels, investigative articles, enticing marketing campaigns, and more. The work varies for most writers, meaning it's difficult to get bored.
Most freelance writers start finding work through freelance platforms, like Upwork and Fiverr, and then you can parlay your experience into higher paying jobs. You can also follow your interests as you decide what writing niche to pursue, and there’s a need for writers in finance, outdoor sports, entertainment, fashion, music, cooking, travel, and much more.
Make $1,000 to $5,000/month as a freelance writer
Go from “I don’t know what I’m doing” to “I landed my first client!”
2. Bookkeeping
Earning potential: $1,000 to 5,000+/month
Bookkeeping might not sound like the most fun job, but if you nerd out for numbers, then you might enjoy this high-paying and flexible job. Bookkeepers help business owners record and manage financial transactions, including managing payroll, creating balance sheets, accepting payments, and more.
You aren’t required to have a degree or certification to get started. However, bookkeepers need to be familiar with financial software, like Quickbooks or Xero and know how to read and create balance sheets.
Make up to $5,000/month bookkeeping!
Learn the skills and strategies necessary to start a successful bookkeeping business from the comfort of your home.
3. Proofreading
Earning potential: $500 to $5,000/month
If you enjoy reading and are naturally good at spotting errors, then proofreading could be a really fun job for you. See, proofreaders are paid to read books, emails, articles, blog posts, marketing materials, and more and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
Proofreading is a crucial step in the writing process because it’s how people publish error-free content. One of the best ways to find proofreading work is to reach out to people in your network who might be interested in your services, or you can use a freelance website to list your services.
Want to get paid to proofread?
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4. Food Delivery
Earning potential: Varies based on each order
Delivering for Doordash is one of the easiest jobs to get started with. What drivers like about the job is that it’s flexible, you get paid weekly, and there’s not a huge commitment.
We recently spoke to a reader who drives for DoorDash, and here are her tips to make the most out of this side hustle:
- Make yourself available during busy hours, and the busiest times are during dinner hours and weekend evenings.
- Bring a friend or spouse along for the drive to keep things fun.
- Track your miles ASAP with an app like Everlance so you can write off your mileage and expenses at tax time.
DoorDash is one of the best food delivery services out there because they also offer drivers promotions to earn more, including Peak Pay (you earn more per order to drive during busy times) and Challenges (DoorDash gives you additional pay to complete a certain number of deliveries in a set amount of time).
Learn more in our complete DoorDash Driver Review.
Work on your own schedule with DoorDash
This is one of the most fun jobs if you’re looking for a low-commitment gig and have access to a reliable vehicle.
5. Digital Marketer
Earning potential: $1,000 to $10,000/month
Digital marketing is using online platforms to advertise and create brand awareness, and social media, especially Facebook, is one of the best ways for small businesses to advertise because it's low-cost and wide-reaching.
What’s really cool about digital marketing on Facebook is that it has a very beginner-friendly ad platform. Still, most small business owners don’t have the time or energy to learn how to run an effective ad campaign, and that’s where you come in. Business owners understand the benefit of paying someone else to run ads, and you can learn more in the Facebook Side Hustle Course, which teaches you the skills to make $1,000 to $2,000/month per client.
Start making $1,000-$2,000 running ads
Want to learn more about running Facebook ads and how you can make $1,000+ every month? Just click on that link below.
6. Graphic Designer
Earning potential: Average of $50,000/year
Graphic designers create logos, banners, promotional materials, graphics for websites, and more. This is one of the most fun jobs that pay well if you’re artistic, and you can work as a freelance graphic designer or work in-house for a company. According to U.S. News and World Report, the average salary for graphic designers is $50,000.
Another option is to sell digital printables on Etsy — these are things like:
- Planner pages
- Calendars
- Lifestyle/financial trackers
- Wall art
- Printable games
- Stickers
- Business cards
Because printables are digital files, all you have to do is create the product once, and you can sell it an unlimited number of times with no additional overhead. Plus, there’s no need to store or ship physical products.
There’s a fantastic free ebook called the Seasonal Products Secret that outlines printable ideas for each month of the year and how to capitalize on each idea. You should definitely grab a copy of that free ebook if you’re interested in learning more.
7. Blogger
Earning potential: $500 to $10,000/month
Let’s get this out of the way — blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. While it probably has the highest earning potential on this list of fun jobs that pay well, it’s a slow business model overall. What makes it fun is that you can blog about anything you’d like, work when you want, and grow your business the way you want.
There’s a lot to learn about blogging, and you can learn more in How to Start A Blog: Easy Step-by-Step Guide for 2023.
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8. Dog Walker
Earning potential: $15 to $25/walk and $35 to $70/overnight stay
If you love playing with pets, then one of the most fun jobs out there is getting paid to walk dogs or house sit for pet owners who are going out of town.
Rover is one of the best sites to list your services, and pay varies depending on where you live. People living in urban areas can charge around $25 per walk or $70 for an overnight stay. Rover can help you find clients, but you can also list your services on social media. Because trust is such a big part of this side hustle, referrals go a long way.
Learn more in our Rover App Review.
Get paid to play with pets!
Rover is a great way to find pet owners who need your services, and there is a one-time fee of $35 to sign up and create a profile.
9. Real Estate Agent
Earning potential: $50,000 to $100,000/year
According to Indeed, the average annual salary for real estate agents in 2022 was $94,031. This can be a fast-paced and fun job, especially if you like seeing new properties and helping families find their dream homes. Real estate agents aren’t required to have a college degree, but there is a licensing process.
10. Marine Biologist
Earning potential: $83,900/year average
Becoming a marine biologist doesn’t happen overnight, but this can be an incredibly fun job if you’re interested in the ocean and marine life. Marine biologists split their time between the lab and researching in the field, and this job requires at least a bachelor’s degree.
Marine biologists earn an average salary of $83,900 according to Salary.com, but the range falls between $34,000 and $133,000.
11. Flight Attendant
Earning potential: Entry level is $53,000/year
How to feel about getting paid to travel? What about getting discounted flights for your friends and family? Those are the main perks of becoming a flight attendant. Flight attendants need a high school diploma or equivalent, and there’s a three to six-week training process that begins once you’ve been hired on by an airline.
12. Video Game Designer
Earning potential: $70,000
There are many different parts of the video game design process, from developers to audio designers. This can be a very exciting and technical job if you enjoy playing video games already. Most video game designers either have a bachelor’s degree or have completed a coding bootcamp.
13. Sommelier
Earning potential: $45,000 to $75,000/year
Sommeliers are wine experts who typically work in restaurants to create the best pairings for wine and food. They will often select, serve, and advise on which wine is the best choice for the diner’s meal. There is a certification process if you’re interested in what’s a fun job that pays well, especially if you love wine already.
14. Event Planner
Earning potential: $49,000/year
Do you love planning parties and events? Do you get immense satisfaction agonizing over tiny details or seeing a theme come to fruition? That’s essentially what an event planner gets paid to do!
According to U.S. News & World Report, event planners make a median salary of $49,470, and you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a field like business, communication, public relations, marketing, or hospitality management.
15. Brewmaster
Earning potential: Average of $45,000
For anyone who loves beer, becoming a brewmaster can be one of the most rewarding and fun jobs that pay well because your job is all about beer!
According to Indeed.com, the cities with the highest salaries for brewmasters are:
- Portland, OR
- Fort Worth, TX
- Chicago, IL
- Fort Collins, CO
- Boulder, CO
The Final Word on High-Paying Fun Jobs
The dream is to find a job you love to work, and that’s entirely possible with the jobs on this list. What qualifies as fun depends on what kinds of things you’re interested in, and here are some of our top picks for different people:
- If you have fun with numbers, learn more about bookkeeping.
- If you love to read, learn more about proofreading.
- If you love to write, check out freelance writing.
FAQs
This truly depends on what you enjoy doing! If you love animals, being a veterinarian or pet sitter could be a lot of fun. For anyone who loves being outdoors, being a travel writer, hiking guide, or master gardener would be a blast.
Working as a DoorDash driver is a decent-paying job that’s fairly easy to do. The DoorDash app tells you everything you need to know to successfully deliver each order, from where to pick it up to driving directions.
About Ariel Gardner
Ariel Gardner is the editor-in-chief of M$M, an elder millennial, and really wants to keep her lattes. She’s seen both ends of the financial spectrum, from trust funds to a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle, and uses that experience to empathize and connect with a wide range of readers. She has been editing and writing professionally for personal finance websites since 2015.
