5 Geeky Ways to Make Money

The following post comes from Kyle Taylor at partner site The Penny Hoarder.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but suddenly being geek is very chic. And I, for one, say hooray! I can finally take my old Macquarium out of the closet and my “I Love MS-DOS” T-shirt out of its secret hiding compartment in the dresser.

In fact, being geek is so chic, there’s even a few cool new ways for us geeks to make extra money off our intellectual fortitude. Here are five of our favorites…

1. Cash in on your good grades

If you’re a smarty pants, why not trade your straight A’s in for something other than a spot on the dean’s list? Nothing’s better then cold, hard cash – and that’s exactly what a new company called Ultrinsic is handing out.

The website works by allowing college students to invest money in their future academic performances. If you make your grade goal, Ultrinsic will give you interest on your investment. They will also give you up to $2,000 bonus for maintaining a perfect 4.0 throughout college.

2. Solve problems for others

Can you solve an algebraic equation for a college student? He’ll give you $20. Can you help a new media company come up with a name for their business? They’ll give you $50. Earning cash for solving others’ problems is the idea behind a new website called Prizes.org. Users submit their problems, assign a prize amount, and then watch as others compete to come up with the best answer.

The website is fairly new, but there are already hundreds of problems being posted with rewards up to $500. There’s also a broad range of questions posted, so experts of every category can partake.

3. Take a nap at NASA

All right, you don’t exactly need to be a genius for this one, but if you’re willing to lie in bed for 90 days at a NASA facility, they’ll pay you up to $15,000. NASA is interested in studying the impacts of the body’s muscle/bone loss, similarly to what an astronaut might experience living in a zero-gravity environment.

It’s a great way to contribute to science, and you’ll get three months of quiet time to read, play video games, and catch up on your Star Trek. Here’s a link to the application.

4. Teach video game strategy

If you’ve already beaten every level of Call of Duty 4, you might be able to make some extra money by teaching others how to do the same. GamerCoach.com allows video game enthusiasts to advertise their tutoring services without any upfront fees.

The website also takes care of the payment processing and helps to set up a tutoring time with the students. If a student hires you, Gamer Coach will charge a 15-percent commission on your video game lesson fee.

5. Enter a board game tournament

Take your 40th Anniversary edition of Monopoly off the shelf and start practicing. If you’ve got skill, board game tournaments can be a great way to make extra money.

Local Monopoly tournaments are held throughout the year, with many of them offering cash prizes of $100 or more. They can also be great practice for the National Monopoly Championship, which is held in 2013 and offers a $25,260 prize to the winner! Likewise, dozens of Scrabble tournaments are held every year and they culminate with the National Scrabble Championship held every fall. This year’s national winner took home $10,000!

So what are you waiting for, my fellow geeks? This is our decade. Start cashing in…