Many people don't make enough money from a single job to pay bills or handle emergencies, let alone enjoy life to the fullest. To improve their situations, they often moonlight as part-time employees or freelance workers. In the old days, work seekers would often find side hustles by checking classified ads, networking with family, friends and co-workers and searching for Help Wanted signs in store windows. With modern smartphone apps that work over cellular and WiFi networks, they can now connect instantly with people who actively search for flexible workers to fill part-time positions or perform temporary tasks. Typically, payment for these jobs depends on a worker's knowledge and skills, the scope of a position or project and an app company's fees. It can start as low as $5 per hour or reach $50 or more an hour. What type of side hustles can help someone make extra cash fast?

1 - Professional Driver

A professional driver provides transportation-related services. For example, a rideshare driver provides taxi-style services. They might drive a business executive to an airport or an elderly person to a doctor's appointment. Some drivers provide last-minute moving services that might involve packing and unpacking items along with using their vehicle to move one or more items to a destination. With the proliferation of apps like Uber and Lyft, this has become one of the most common and popular side hustles in the world.

2 - Delivery Driver

A delivery driver picks up and drops off items. The most common side hustle delivery drivers function much like rideshare drivers. They arrive, pick up food and drop it off while guided by one of the many food delivery apps out there.  The similarity also means that many drivers can work for both, often at the same time. Other items delivered can be local clothing, groceries or other sundries. With the way delivery has expanded, this is a real growth industry.

3 - Personal Aide

Personal aides perform home and office tasks. They might maintain a client's schedule, handle correspondence, arrange trips, run errands, wrap holiday gifts or house-sit. Some personal assistants also shop for items offline and online for their clients. They might order groceries, offices supplies, health and beauty items or furniture. Personal aides who use side hustle apps usually don't handle physical cash. Instead, the assistant receives a prepaid debit, credit or other electronic card from the app company or client to pay for all purchases.

4 - Store Evaluator

A mystery shopper follows an inspection task list to evaluate a store for a client. The shopper must confirm via written impressions, photos and videos that any reports received from managers and employees at a specific store accurately reflect the state of the store, parking lot, merchandise, sales and customers. For example, a mystery shopper might need to compare a current planogram to the store interior to confirm that employees followed instructions. They might count products on shelves to confirm that a store is well-stocked with specific items. A client might also ask a store evaluator to check if employees have blocked aisles with boxes.

5 - Massage Therapist

Massage therapists perform mostly the same services when hired via app platforms as they would normally if they worked at spas. They provide a variety of therapeutic treatments and advice. An app makes it possible for them to find new customers without wasting extra unpaid hours searching for leads. Companies that offer a service customized to massage therapists often take only a small percentage of the payment. Most companies also make certain that a tip is included in the total price so that the therapist still receives more extra cash than if they used many traditional, non-app referral companies.

6 - Pet Sitter

A pet sitter enjoys caring for cats, dogs and other pets. They either watch a pet in their home or the pet owner's home while the owner is away. Their primary duties include playing with and feeding a pet and, if applicable, taking it for a walk. Some pet sitters also offer grooming services. Apps for sitters don't merely connect sitters and clients. Most apps allow sitters to see photos of interested potential owners and their pet, check out reviews by past sitters and learn critical information, such as pet age, temperament and medical history. Sitters don't have to go through lengthy interviews because their details are also made available to owners via the app.

7 - Item Flipper

An item flipper sells items that they own or recently purchased with the intention of selling, such as crafts, collectibles, vintage and antique items, rarities, designer clothes and jewelry. Side hustle apps make it possible for item flippers to save time traditionally spent setting up yard and garage sales or attempting to find buyers through limited options like local classified ads and word-of-mouth advertising. A seller simply uploads photos of their items to an app along with matching descriptions and prices and waits for potential buyers to contact them. Most apps cross-references the items with interest categories and promote them to people who have bought or shown interest in similar items in the past.

8 - Private Teacher

Anyone who has a teacher certification or professional experience in a specific subject area can find apps developed by companies who pay them to share their knowledge with children and adults. A private tutor can arrange to provide their services online or in-person. Some apps provide a live streaming platform that features communication and teaching tools. In most cases, no money exchanges hands offline. Instead, a student or their parent pays by session or subscription and then the company distributes the payment, minus any fees, to the teacher electronically via direct deposit.

9 - Maintenance Workers

Lastly, specialized maintenance service workers, such as cleaners, landscapers, appliance repair persons, painters, electricians, plumbers and carpenters, can use side hustle apps to find residential and commercial jobs. These workers might merely manage the upkeep of structures or landscapes. Depending on their knowledge, skills and certifications, they might also assist clients with installation, renovation or troubleshooting projects. Maintenance workers can also find some side hustle apps that help them share knowledge with others in their field and find answers to various maintenance-related problems via individual and group chats.