10 Ways To Start Making Money In CollegeLife on campus is not as easy as it may appear. Pressure from parents, stressful classes, and social anxieties all contribute to the…
Life on campus is not as easy as it may appear. Pressure from parents, stressful classes, and social anxieties all contribute to the struggle that the over 20 million American college students endure. But above all those strains lies the overwhelming weight of student loan debt, about $35,051 on average per 2015 grad.
The soaring cost of going to college has had an immense impact on college life. It’s why memories of college often include ramen noodles and cardboard TV stands rather than luxury and comfort; we do anything we can to save a buck.
As a current college sophomore, I knew there must be a way to make it through my four years without having to sweat over bills everyday. Perhaps I didn’t know, starting out, that I could not only afford college, but also make a profit on top of it.
Through nothing but experimentation and iteration, I’ve learned that there are many opportunities to start making money in school, here’s a list of 10:
1. Become a freelance writer
As students, we spend hours and hours writing for our classes. But what many students are not aware of is that you can get paid for doing high quality writing in the real world.
I put this hypothesis to the test and have been writing blog posts daily for the past year. I cannot tell you how much this has helped me think, find leads, and land jobs and internships.
Believe it or not, many brands really need people with great writing skills to help communicate their message. Freelance writing is an excellent way to make money after class because it allows for remote work, flexible hours, and more practice at a skill students are already developing with their classwork.
2. Start tutoring
When you finish a class, you not only get a grade but you also acquire the skills you need to teach the subject to another person. Luckily (for you), there are always students struggling with material that you’ve already mastered.
Tutoring is a great opportunity to both help others and improve your teaching skills, while also making a serious income on the side.
3. Consult for businesses
There’s a high demand for the youth perspective from consumer-facing brands. Companies not only want to know what young people think but also how to reach them.
As a college student, you innately possess the strategic perspective that businesses need. With a simple website and a business card, you can turn your inside knowledge into a business and start helping companies connect with college students.
4. Intern remotely
Through hustle and cold emailing, I managed to land two internships with tech companies during school. Interning remotely is not only a great opportunity to learn and add value, but also a way for to earn a real income on the side (if the position is paid).
5. Start a company
A great part about being on a college campus is that you are close to so many potential customers. Being a part of student life is a great way to find a problem that a lot of students need solved.
Using your entrepreneurial spirit, you can not only gain valuable experience from starting your own company, but also take full advantage of the unique resources around you and build something that will profit. College campuses are ideal grounds for creating companies: they have high network density, lots of spending power, and access to customers.
6. Build websites
Being a student often means you have a deep understanding of technology. Even if you are not the most tech savvy person at your school, chances are you know how to operate a computer or even code far better than your average local business owner.
A great way to monetize this knowledge gap is to provide businesses with web development solutions. You can reach out to local companies, like restaurants, law firms, or doctor’s offices, and build out their website so they can better connect with customers. If you know your way around digital tools like WordPress and Squarespace, building and designing website can be easy.
Originally published at www.forbes.com on September 21, 2016.
By jordangonen on September 21, 2016.
Exported from Medium on February 17, 2018.