I am so darn sick of seeing stupid, fake articles show up every week on CNN, browser feeds, news sites and similar with the obvious clickbait titles of "fast money in days," "10 things to do for online Cash," "How to Make Money Quick," and blah blah blah.

Almost all of these clickbait pages are literally buried advertisement for financial services, borrowing, consumer shopping subscriptions or more. In just about everyone one of them there is something that involves either giving up your time as a consumer or buying something to supposedly get access to earning real income quick. In reality, none of them work. Online surveys, shopping tools, cash investment clubs, credit card offers all involve spending money to participate.

Here's the reality of how to make real cash online that actually produces a wad of cash in your wallet, physical or digital:

• Become a content producer - Whether writing, doing videos or photography, all three have a proven track record of producing thousands of dollars every month for those who become good at this. However, content production income doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to find the right platform, you have to develop your skill to produce quality product, and you have to work your rear off 24/7. Your ability to earn is dictated by when the client wants delivery, not when you want to work. However, including myself, this category has consistently paid well, and many rely on it for regular income to pay bills every month. Even better, payments are possible online as well as through crypto.
• Sex sells - Yep, hate to say it, but if you've got the backbone for work, the sex industry does pay well. Granted you have to be the type that is into being an exhibitionist, but platforms like OnlyFans and similar have repeatedly produce viable, real cash for participants. However, there is a lot of personal risk involved, many participants are taken advantage of by the sex industry, and the social stigma of your participation can be long-lasting well after your short-stint red light career is long over.
• Sell what you have in the garage - Many of us are packrats and we pile up all sorts of stuff we collect over the years. A notable amount of it is valuable being resold to others. Consider this option your digital garage sale. Platforms like eBay and similar can provide some viable channels for income selling your old stuff. Ideally, you want to focus on those things that are collectible and in high demand. Comic books, movie posters, music band shirts, sports apparel, and toys all score well here. Automotive can be lucrative, but you need to know what you're doing. I spent years in the 2000s selling motorcycle parts, but it took me a good year to really understand the market, what to buy used and how to sell it quickly. Ideally, these platforms also pay electronically, which can produce fast income.
• Gig work online - This one is a bit harder to achieve than it sounds in many news stories. The fact is, the high majority of gig work is really driving people around, grabbing groceries, or hauling crap and landscaping, or food service/catering. Real gig work that one wants to do at their computer is few and far between. There are options, and some platforms cater to it, but the pay rate is small and the expectations are ridiculous.
• Education and training - This approach is bit of a long-term strategy. Many use this tool in combination with some of the above. If you're really good at something that people want to know, you can monetize it by creating an online course for people to subscribe to for learning. Video packages are the best, and many successful characters actually don't sell their content; they match it to an platform where they get income from advertising combined with the content, such as YouTube. Twitch is another option, but I've yet to come across folks actually making good income on it.
• Programming and Coding - The grand winner by far, anyone who knows their way around C++, Python, PHP, etc. are raking in gigs and steady work. There is so much opportunity here, many easily pick up contract work just about every time they get online. However, the learning curve is high, and those who are successful snap up the best jobs through networking and proven portfolios. So, you're not likely going to make big bucks on day 1 here. In the pseudo-coding category, a good number of folks make a healthy income in marketing by design website for clients. This generally involves a good understanding of HTML/CCS, some practical skill in Javascript, and possibly PHP in better cases for back-end development and middleware.
• Writing on Publish0x - Yeah, don't bother. We write here because we're addicts to writing. No one's going to live on what we produce on this platform. LOL.

Cheers!