Whether you are working as a veterinarian or studying to become one, you may be struggling to make ends meet. The median salary for veterinarians in the US is $100,370 per year, which is considered to be higher than the median salary in the US ($54,132).
But if you don’t have enough money to make payments on your student loan, pay rent, pay off existing debt, or you have higher financial ambitions, you might think of a side hustle as a veterinarian.
You can earn extra money in your spare time by taking a side hustle as a veterinarian. Some of the greatest options include posting content on a YouTube channel or a pet care blog, writing an e-book, starting a podcast, becoming an environmental consultant or a part-time lecturer.
In this guide, I’ve compiled a list of the best side jobs you can take as a veterinarian.
And what is the best about this list? Most of these ideas allow you to increase your income by making money online from your home.
10 Side Hustles for a Veterinarian
Working as a veterinarian is not always enough to meet all your financial goals.
Common expenses like rent, loan payments, and bills can make your income take a blow every month, leaving you with very little to spend on other necessities.
As such, you may be looking for a side job to make more money and stop struggling financially.
The good news is that there are many side hustle alternatives that can help you build a sustainable income.
I have covered 10 jobs for veterinary students and veterinarians, so you can boost your income.
1. Write an E-Book
Writing a piece of digital content such as an e-book is a very good way to earn some extra money while sharing your knowledge with others.
If you are already taking care of pets and treating them at a clinic, you can start working on a handy book for those aspiring to do the same thing as you.
Expected Earnings
If you sell your book for a few dollars, you can make a few hundred dollars per month depending on how well your e-book sells.
For instance, if you sell a book for $20 and manage to have at least 5 people purchasing your content, you’ll get the extra $100 each month. But if the e-book has high demand, your earnings will explode, and you’ll walk away with even higher sums.
Selling your e-book on Amazon will subject you to royalties, though.
For example, if you put your e-book for sale for a price of $10, Amazon will pay you 70% royalties – meaning you’ll get $7 whenever someone purchases your content, while the platform will take the other $3. If you sell a lot of e-books, you’ll still earn up to a few hundred dollars monthly.
There are many e-book authors earning between $10 – $500 per month with selling their e-books. Some of them even claims to earn over $47,000 per month. Those with higher earnings are professionals publishers with more than 1 e-book published.
How to Get Started
Do research into your target market – for instance, aspiring veterinarians or vets who want to expand their practice. Then, decide on a topic and start planning the e-book’s structure. You can also break down chapters while writing.
Design your e-book so that it’s catchy and interesting to potential readers, and turn it into a PDF at the end. Don’t forget to make a landing page for the book and then start promoting it.
Benefits of Writing an E-Book
There are many benefits to writing an e-book as a side hustle for a veterinarian, including:
- It’s usually free to write an e-book
- You may be able to sell them without investing in marketing campaigns
- They can help you reach readers around the world
- You can earn good amounts of money
- It’s easy to revise and update an e-book whenever you want
- You’ll build trust
- And if all works well, and you’ll become passionate about publishing e-books, it can even become a “full time job”
2. Pet Care Blog
Starting a pet care blog is a great way to share your love for pets and make money from it.
You’ll teach readers useful tips on how they should care for their furry friends and what they should do if they notice potential warning signs.
Expected Earnings
An average blogger might earn between $0 and $1,000 monthly, although your income could only be a few hundred dollars in your first year.
Your earnings will be influenced by the size of your email list and your blog’s traffic. Over time, if you write good quality content and get enough traffic for your blog, you might make more than $1,000.
And if you take your blog side business seriously, you can even scale it to more than 100,000 dollars income per year. No doubt about this, as there are many blogs earning more than that.
How to Get Started
To become a pet care blogger, you first have to pick the right blogging platform. WordPress is definitely the most popular option.
Then, think about the audience you are trying to reach, respectively pet owners, and come up with a suitable and interesting name for your blog.
Start customizing your site by choosing the right template, font, colors, and imagery. Next, make a list of topics you want to discuss.
One of the most important things, launching a successful blog are Keywords and SEO. How well you master these two topics will become the pillar of your success as a blogger.
Keyword research is a practice used to find words and terms people are entering in to search engine while searching for informations. Shortly, are the terms that connect search intents with the source of informations.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing the website for search engines. Site speed, mobile friendliness and URL are just some of the many aspects you have to consider while optimizing your site.
You can write your first post and publish it, then start working on promoting your little site. Lastly, you’ll have to select blog monetization options such as affiliate marketing, AdSense, sponsorships, etc.
Benefits of Starting a Pet Care Blog
Owning a pet care blog will have the following benefits:
- You can teach others how to care for animals, so you can prevent bad treatment and abuse
- You can share your knowledge with the world and interact with your audience
- It helps you make a living
- It allows you to improve your writing skills
- It may help you find potential customers for your already existing business
3. YouTube Channel
By starting a YouTube channel, you can post content meant to help pet owners, but also other veterinarians. You can even share wholesome moments from the clinic and get views.
As one of the most visited sites on the internet, YouTube offers content and video creators a great opportunity to reach their audience and earn money.
Expected Earnings
As a YouTuber, you can expect to earn around $4 for every 1,000 views and around $18 for every 1,000 ad views. So, your actual monthly earnings will depend on the number of viewers.
For example, if you get around 30,000 views per day, you can make between $1600 and $2700 monthly through AdSense. But keep in mind that getting to these numbers takes time and effort.
How to Get Started
Simply go to YouTube.com, sign in, click on your avatar from the top right corner, then pick “Create a Channel”. Choose a name for the channel and add a description. Customize your channel with a suitable profile picture and cover photo and start uploading videos.
Once you have more than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, you can apply to the YouTube Partner Program to enjoy the benefits of the network.
Benefits of Starting a YouTube Channel
A YouTube channel can:
- Be your creative outlet
- Allow you to share valuable information and moments with the world
- Help you create a closer connection with other pet lovers
- Possibly get more people to come to your clinic
- Flexibility
4. Part-Time Lecturer
If you have deep knowledge about vet practices and how to care for animals, you can take a job as a part-time lecturer and help others reach their dreams while you earn money.
Expected Earnings
On average, part-time lecturers can earn around $101,398 per year, with $56,115 in annual base pay and $45,282 in annual additional pay.
How to Get Started
To become a lecturer, you will first need a Ph.D., then you can apply for the job after searching for open positions. You should create a good cover letter to increase your chances of getting hired. Also, make sure to have some references from apprenticeships or internships.
Benefits of Becoming a Part-Time Lecturer
- It lets you teach others how to be good veterinarians
- You can earn a lot of money
- You have the possibility of working from home
5. Social Media Influencer
As a vet, you’d be great as a social media influencer. You are an expert in a particular industry, so you can easily establish credibility and influence people’s decisions in a good way.
Expected Earnings
As a beginner, you might make a few hundred dollars as a social media influencer. As you gain more followers, you will start earning more and more.
Someone who has between 10,000 and 50,000 followers can make from $40,000 to $100,000 annually.
How to Get Started
Becoming a social media influencer involves finding the right niche, which in your case might be animal care. Then, you’ll have to settle for a social media platform and start planning your content before distributing it.
You’ll have to grow your community slowly while posting content regularly and engage with your followers, thus encouraging them to stay.
You might consider sponsorships as well to boost your income.
Benefits of Becoming a Social Media Influencer
The benefits of becoming a social media influencer include:
- Influencing others to make good decisions
- Obtaining gifts from followers or sponsorships
- Becoming a loved figure in the media
- Potential source of new clients
6. Podcasts
Podcasts are quite popular these days. People can listen to them on their way to work or while they are taking care of household chores.
If you like to talk, then hosting a podcast about pets can be one of the best virtual veterinary jobs – and the audience will love listening to the words of an expert.
Expected Earnings
The average pay for podcasters varies. Usually, you can earn from $500 to $900 per episode if it gets about 10,000 downloads. But if you are successful and also run ads, you can make thousands.
Some of the most successful podcasters are earning over one million dollars per year.
How to Get Started
Getting started with podcasts involves researching your target audience, picking a format, setting up your recording equipment (if necessary), then picking the right software for the podcast.
You can then start recording the first episode and make the proper audio edits, after which you can work on artwork for the podcast. Then, get listed on podcast platforms and start promoting your channel.
Benefits of Starting a Podcast
The benefits of starting a podcast include:
- Building a more personal connection with people
- Using an easy way to create content
- Giving others valuable information and advice
- Improving your communication skills
7. Telehealth Apps for Pets
Telehealth apps let people reach out to you online through video and chat when they need a vet’s help. It’s one of the best side jobs to do at home.
Expected Earnings
With a telehealth app for pets, you may earn around $15 – $30 for each video visit or more. On average, you can earn more than $200 per month in telemedicine for pets.
How to Get Started
Assess your available equipment and review the guidelines in your industry and state. Then, gather a telehealth team and offer training to your customer service representatives.
Join partnerships with insurance companies and establish the infrastructure for online vet visits. Don’t forget to educate your clients on what telemedicine involves, and keep medical records.
Benefits of Working in Telehealth
Telehealth allows you to:
- Work from home
- Help people who cannot come to a vet clinic
- Give people quick advice
8. Environmental Consultant
If you care about the environment, you can work as an environmental consultant and help people with environment-related problems.
Expected Earnings
In the United States, environmental consultants can earn around $75,158 per year.
How to Get Started
You will need a master’s degree and a few years of experience in the environmental sector to get started with this job.
Then, you must obtain environmental certifications and find the particular work environment type you wish to work in.
Benefits of Becoming an Environmental Consultant
Working as an environmental consultant allows you to:
- Solve environmental issues
- Help businesses and industries reduce emissions and care for the environment
9. Research Scientist
Are you interested in research? Do you like numbers and data-driven content? In this case, you can work as a research scientist. It involves carrying out laboratory-based experiments and trials.
With your educational background as a veterinarian, you can become a part of medical research and studies with focus on health of animals.
Expected Earnings
In general, research scientists can earn $86,998 on average in the U.S.
How to Get Started
If you want to become a research scientist, you’ll have to obtain a postgraduate degree and get some work experience. You might also need to consider an apprenticeship. The more accomplishments you have, the higher your chances of becoming a research scientist become.
Benefits of Becoming a Research Scientist
The research scientist job provides benefits that include:
- The possibility to travel
- Increased socialization
- A flexible work schedule
10. Nature Conservative Officer
If you care about the environment and its preservation, you might also think about becoming a nature conservative officer.
Expected Earnings
Generally, a nature conservative officer can earn an average of $51,711 per year.
How to Get Started
You will need a college degree to pursue this job. Then, you’ll have to go through a physical training and state training program, and then you can start looking for nature conservation officer jobs.
Benefits of Becoming a Nature Conservative Officer
Some of the benefits of working as a nature conservative officer are:
- You’ll do your part in protecting nature
- You’ll help companies conserve and protect the environment
FAQs
Do veterinarians make a lot of money?
Veterinarians can get a decent annual salary, but it depends on their experience, state, and type of veterinarian. On average, vets in the U.S. make about $100,370 per year. The vets with the lowest salaries make around $60,760 annually, and entry-level pay ranges from $70,000 to $85,000 annually.
Can a vet be rich?
With an annual salary of $100,370 a vet can become a rich, but it will take a time. You would need to learn how to invest your money to make sure you can reach a millionaire level.
But veterinarians do have an awesome advantage they can use: knowledge. With the ways I have described in this post, they can become rich much faster than any other professional in the US.
The pet industry is growing at scale, and around 70% of U.S. households own a pet. So there is huge potential to earn significant amount of money with any of these ways.
What is the highest-paying vet job?
Board-certified veterinary surgery specialists earn the highest income among vets. Their average salary is $266,908 per year.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, getting a side hustle for a veterinarian can help you ease financial struggles and ensure you have enough money for all your expenses. Whether you are looking for online veterinarian jobs or work in a physical office, I’m sure one of the choices on this list sparked your interest. Which one do you think is the best for veterinarians? Don’t hesitate to let me know.
