Well… yeah. You can’t just get free money; some work is always going to be involved.

Did you miss the part where I mentioned being gone even more than you already are? I’d rather work on a side hustle during the day in my time off and sleep in my own bed for less money than I’d get by picking up a trip and being gone more.

If your other job is more demanding and time consuming than flying then it sounds like you have a second job, not a side hustle.

No, because I make almost $200k a year chilling in the right seat of a trash 737. I'd rather spend my days off hanging out with my wife and our infant. More to life than just grinding away for money that honestly I probably won't even spend.

Just my humble opinion/life.

Did I?
The OP asked if anyone does a sidr hustle and if it was worth it. I've thought about it a lot and decided it wasn't

I think its like jumpseating, has to be reciprocal to qualify for the perks.

Exactly. Very few side jobs that make it worth the time trade off on your death bed. “Gosh I wish I worked more!” Is never a phrase a person mutters before the lights go out.

If you’re at a major and you need to work a side gig to make ends meet, then I’d suffice to say you and/or the wife have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

For myself it's part of my retirement plan to maintain the same lifestyle I currently have, with plenty of buffer. I have some expensive taste not gonna lie. While I have a lot of sticks in the fire as they say, I have other's managing these things so I can enjoy my time off. And I take a lot of time off! Worked extremely hard over 20+ years to get to where I am, and where I can kick back. The automotive work is something I love doing, which is why I physically do that on my off days. However, it's not like I show up at 7am and clock out at 5pm. I do it casually when I feel like it. Being your own boss has it's perks. To each their own though. I'm definitely not someone who advocates working yourself into oblivion and never getting to enjoy life. I say work hard and play hard.

Had quite a few rentals. Started to drive me nuts. Traded most of them for a Laundromat and self storage facility. Separate businesses and locations. Doesn’t take much time or effort to run either one.

I've heard self storage facilities are great to own

Yes. I've had several things going on over the years, some on the back burner.

But the trick is finding something that doesn't consume your life (unless you REALLY enjoy doing it), and has benefits over just picking up premium trips (such as being home at night).

Mil reserves has historically been good... it pales in comparison to airline opportunities today but that wasn't always the case, and what goes around will likely come around. If you're just off AD, stay in the reserves even if it's a low-key non-flying admin gig.

Rental property can be a big PITA, I mostly outsource the management even if it means breaking even... intent is to own it all free and clear by age 65, don't really need income now.

Yes of course QOL is important, but extra side money shouldn't just be for play, although a lot of it certainly can be. The objective is to amass a net worth where you can live nicely on 4% as early in your life as possible.