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- The Student Side Hustle That Actually Pays
The Student Side Hustle That Actually Pays
i made $600 shipping a class project — here’s how
Jobless
April 24, 2025
can I be real for a sec?
i’ve tried all the student side-hustles:
- tutoring kids who don’t listen
- taking surveys for $0.36
- even one sketchy crypto faucet (don’t ask)
but the wildest one?
i made $600 shipping a project i already built in class.
no freelancing. no pitching. no job boards.
just a project → progress → payout.
that’s how i found WaveHack.
⚡ What Even Is This?
WaveHack is like if a hackathon and a payroll system had a very Web3 baby.
It’s built by AKINDO, and it's basically:
A grant protocol for long-term builders
Funded by actual ecosystems (like Zora and NERO Chain)
Running on vibes, smart contracts, and progress
If your app works and you’re shipping every 2 weeks, you get the bag.
it’s already live
2 tracks rn:
AI x Zora – Build AI tools, art, whatever, but on-chain. → Join → AI x Zora
NERO Chain – Launch your next GameFi, DeFi, or SocialFi idea. → Join → NERO Chain
doesn’t matter if it’s a toy, a class project, or something half-built from last year
if it works, it earns.
here's how it works
every 14 days is a “Wave”
you:
1. ship something
2. show your progress
3. community scores it
4. payouts get sent (automatically. fr.:)
you keep 100% ownership too
it’s like… grants if grants weren’t slow, annoying, and gatekept
🤯 Why It’s Working (And Why It’s Blowing Up)
WaveHack isn’t theoretical. It’s already working — at scale.
From April to September 2024:
- 1170+ products submitted
- 650+ received grants
- 160+ earned ongoing support
- Backed by ZKsync, Aptos, Mina, TheGraph, and more
- Projects from WaveHack are now on mainnet — some are even revenue-generatingIt’s 13x more effective than traditional hackathons. And builders love it because they don’t get ghosted after demo day.
“I submitted a class project to WaveHack and earned $1,200 in my first month. It helped cover my tuition.”
Final Word
If you’ve got a side project,
If you’ve got a half-baked MVP,
If you’ve got 5 hours a week,
then WaveHack is literally the best way to earn.
no boss. no badge. no bs.
ship → show progress → get the bag this is the student side hustle that actually scales.
your 14-day timer starts now ⏳
We’ll feature the best one next week.
until then — keep building.
even if you’re not totally sure what you’re doing.