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 college student can endure. At the same time, some of all those strains lies the overwhelming weight of student loan debt. This 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. These are opportunities to start smart in making money in the college based on the real experiences and trial error of the college students.
Start a company
A great part of being on a college campus is that you are close to so many potential customers, and if you look close enough you may also find a mentor that guide and lead the way. 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.
Start tutoring
When class is already finished, by doing this not only get a grade but you also acquire the skills you need to teach the subject to another person. There are always students struggling with material that you’ve already mastered. This is a great opportunity to both help others and improves your teaching skills, while also making a serious income on the side.
Get a work-study job.
There are always opportunities to find a job on campus in work-study positions. Whether that is in the library or in the athletic complex, generally you’ll find a spot not too far from your dorm room. A great part of this role is that the school is flexible enough to work around your class schedule.
Buy and sell furniture
College campuses are occupied of turnover. Every year, there’s a huge influx and outflux of new students, and with them, exchanges of furniture and appliances. You can make money by knowing when and how to buy and sell off this market. Most transactions are run through either Facebook or craigslist.
Intern remotely
Through the hustle and cold emailing, this is possible to get opportunities for 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, especially if the position is paid.
Become a freelance writer
As students, writing is a very familiar job, as hours in the class is literally being spent for this job. Many students are not aware of is that this job can get paid for doing high quality writing in the real world. Wring a blog post daily for the past year, has helped more to 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.
Run social media marketing
Spending a lot of time using social media? Well, you can make money from that, too. The truth is that the best social media experts are those with the most experience on the platforms themselves. They understand what users want to see and how to get it to them. You can get paid to run social media accounts for companies. This practice is a great way to make income by doing something you are already accustomed to doing.
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. The college students, as part of the market, innately possess the strategic perspective that businesses need. With a simple website and a business card, this can be an opportunity for inside knowledge into a business and start helping companies connect with college students.
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.
