Are you a broke college student? You don’t have to be. Here are 10 methods you can use to make money as a college student.
There are many ways through which you can make money as a college student without affecting your grades or social life. The internet makes it possible for you to make money without leaving your apartment. In this post, we will consider ways you can make extra cash while working online.
1. Freelance Writing
You can work as a freelance writer irrespective of your qualifications or experience. You don’t need extensive years of experience or qualifications to be a freelance writer; all you need is a passion for writing. It’s not hard to start if you love writing.
This option is very flexible and also a great way to earn extra cash in college. It is also the easiest way to make money if you love writing.
There are many freelance projects on the internet. You can register on websites like Fiverr or Upwork to start. Once you have built a portfolio, you can look for freelance jobs on platforms like Problogger and Freelance Writing Jobs.
You can submit your content to different online writing and blogging platforms. You can also submit to publications on Medium. If you can publish on any of these sites, you can add it to your portfolio to get more freelance projects.
Read Also: How to Become a Freelance Writer
2. Blogging
Blogging is a great way to make money as a college student because you can do it anywhere you want. It is not a quick way to make money but you can use it to build your audience and write on topics that you love. The key to making money from blogging is to write content that offers value to your audience.
For instance, instead of writing about your experiences alone, you can also include what you learned from your experience and how others can benefit from it.
Once you are ready to start blogging, the next line of action is to host your website. The popular platforms for this purpose are Bluehost and HostGator.
It may take time to build an audience that can make you a good amount of money through blogging, but once you have a decent audience, you can easily earn over $15,000 every month through different monetization techniques.
Read Also: How To Make Money Blogging
3. Graphic Design
If you are an artist and you are skilled in graphic design, you can design for websites and businesses. This type of work can comprise creating small designs for advertisements to full website redesigns.
If you don’t have graphic design skills but are interested in offering this service, register for free Graphic Design Basics courses on Skillshare.
You can also participate in design competitions on 99 Designs to start earning money. You will get paid if you are selected as a winner.
You can also get in touch with small businesses in your area. Let the businesses know the graphic design that you offer (such as business cards, flyer design, branding, etc.) and how your service can help them boost their brand awareness. You should also show them samples of your work.
Many bloggers hire the services of freelance designers to design Pinterest and social media images. You can also contact your friends that are into blogging to see if they could make use of your skills.
4. Proofreading
Proofreading is simple if you are good at detecting grammar and punctuation errors. It is one of the best ways to make money as a college student. By using your proofreading skills, you will check for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. This is the final stage before publishing content.
If you are interested in working as a proofreader, you can check out some free seven-day courses on Proofread Anywhere. You can also start bidding for proofreading jobs by creating a freelancer profile on any freelance platform.
5. Social Media Management
If you love spending time on social media sites, why don’t you convert that adventure to a money-making opportunity? Almost every business makes use of social media and you can help them to manage it.
This is why businesses hire social media managers to help them create awareness for their brands by creating content, building relationships with prospects, and generating new leads. As a social media manager, you are acting as the voice of the company.
You can start working as a social media manager by approaching local businesses in your area and informing them about your services. Get in touch with businesses that you are already used to. Such businesses include yoga, boutiques, studios, restaurants, and coffee shops.
Focus on the social media site that you are familiar with, and let your prospects know how you can use it to grow their business and acquire new customers. Try and build your social media following so that it can act as proof to businesses that you are knowledgeable and experienced in building theirs too.
6. Virtual Assistance
Services offered by virtual assistants include data entry, customer service, copywriting, and email marketing. Your fee as a virtual assistant will be determined by your skills and experience. Businesses hire the services of virtual assistants to outsource their tasks that do not require in-house expertise.
You can start working as a virtual assistant by compiling the different services you can offer. After that, create profiles on Virtual Assistant Network and Zirtual to book your first clients.
7. Resume Writing
You can take some free workshops to learn how you can create professional resumes. This can be turned into a lucrative side hustle if you use free resources (such as this resume writing course on Skillshare) to build your skills.
The easiest route you can follow if you want to offer resume writing services is to create profiles on freelance websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, or Upwork. You can also find someone that’s looking for a summer internship among your friends.
Read Also: How to Make Money Writing Resumes
8. Website Development
Irrespective of your educational qualification, you can build a side hustle in website development. If you don’t have the required skills, you can start by enrolling for The Complete Web Developer Course offered by Udemy.
The course teaches all you need to know about booking clients and you can gain back the money you spent in getting the course within a week. Although a single class will not make you a professional coder, the course will give you an excellent foundation for website development. You will also gain the confidence that you need to land your first client.
If you are a small web developer, it is advisable to start with smaller projects. You should also learn the most popular coding languages and WordPress as well as how they work together in building a website.
Start by bidding for projects on PeoplePerHour, Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer. There is a high demand for skilled website developers and this service can be very lucrative.
9. Online Market Trading
Although investing in stock markets is not an easy way to make money, it can be lucrative if you learn how you can do it properly and safely. You can incur huge losses if you don’t gain the required skills.
Today, you can trade the stock market by yourself through online market trading platforms. You can use eToro.com or Robinhood for this purpose.
eToro has more than 12 million users throughout the world and also offers free demo accounts. The platform has been featured in the BBC 2 documentary, tagged “Traders: Millions by the Minute.” It also sponsors different Premier League football clubs.
One of the advantages of eToro is the CopyTrader feature it offers. This allows you to see, follow, and copy the investments of top-performing traders.
To learn more about how to use eToro, this complete guide to trading on eToro will be helpful. You can start with $200 to test your knowledge in the market. Trading the stock market will give you in-depth knowledge about different investments and industries.
10. Online Surveys
A popular way that students use to make money online is to complete surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always looking for new members throughout the world to answer surveys and test their new products.
Within a few minutes of filling a form, you can earn some money which you can withdraw as cash or rewards. You can earn up to $5 on some surveys just for signing up.
Examples of some good survey sites include:
- Toluna
- LifePoints
- InboxDollars
- PrizeRebel
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks (this platform rewards members for surveys and for searching the web, playing games, and watching videos.)
- And lots more
Read Also: How to Make Money With Online Paid Surveys
11. Bonus: Babysitting
If you don’t like any of the online money-making opportunities that I have discussed so far, and you need an offline opportunity that does not require learning any special skills, then you can try babysitting.
Babysitting is a great option for college students to make extra income (whether they have experience in babysitting or they want to break into babysitting while studying in college). Since many parents are always searching for babysitting help on evenings and weekends, you will enjoy this job and then study while the kids are sleeping.
Although you can find babysitting clients on websites (such as care.com, College Natties & Sitters, Sittercity, and Uloop), you can also use handmade flyers to gather a unique pool of babysitting clients on campus.
If your school does not frown at it, you can approach professors and administrators in your school and let them know about your babysitting service.
Apart from finding at least one professor that needs someone to watch their kids during their night class, people will also learn about your service quickly, and you could end up making a steady part-time income from babysitting.
Before you start, it is advisable to get certified in first aid and CPR. These certifications will portray you as an expert and will also give prospective clients the peace of mind that you can be trusted. They will also help you to earn a higher hourly rate.
How much can you make as a college student?
The amount a college student can make depends on the actual service offered and the level of experience of the student in the specific service. Blogging alone can earn you thousands of dollars every month depending on the monetization model that you use.
Between 2015 and 2016, the median income that full-time dependent students earned was $3,900 while independent students earned a median income of $13,880 over the year.
FAQs
Can you earn money while studying?
Yes, you can make money while studying. You can make money as a college student by working with popular brands and offering easy gigs, part-time jobs, and freelance jobs. You can also apply for paid internships.
What do you need to do before making money as a college student?
As a college student, you need to first explore your interests and skills. Then, find out the different money-making options that align with your interests and skillsets so that you can find an opportunity that you enjoy.
Conclusion
College life is costly, but it doesn’t mean you must live on an empty stomach. Thanks to the different opportunities provided by the internet, you can leverage different options to make money as a college student.
While college is a time when you are on a tight budget, there are numerous opportunities than ever that you can use to earn while still studying. Even if your timetable is busy, there are ways you can make extra money in your spare time.
Whether you want to earn extra money to meet your immediate needs, or you want to start making money early so that you can get rid of your student loans, you can begin from the comfort of your dorm room by using any of the options that I discussed in this post.
If you are interested in ways to make money, check out the Make Money category of this website.
Tosinajy teaches you how to make money online, provides you with the software you need, and guides you on how to handle common problems you may encounter.
Thanks for reading.
