(Disclosure: Some of the links present in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click through the link and purchase a product, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Are you a broke college student but with little time to work? It’s still possible to earn some extra money without too much extra effort!
As a student, there are so many activities out there for you to spend your free time doing.
If only you had some more MONEY.
But you don’t want to slave away in the campus dining hall serving food to fellow students.
I completely understand that sentiment, as I worked in a dining hall at my university once in the distant past. However, you don’t have to, and you can still obtain some extra money without working too hard. Keep reading if you wanna know more!
1. Tutoring
Do you find yourself excelling in a particular class? Are your friends constantly bugging you for help on their homework for that class?
You should become a tutor!
Your university or college most likely has a tutoring program that you can sign up for. Depending on where you go, your wage could be higher or lower, but you most likely will only work a few hours a week. Easy way to pocket a couple extra bucks for teaching something that you’re good at.
If you’re feeling a little more entrepreneurial, however, you can strike out on your own as a tutor. This takes a little more responsibility and time since you have to market your services and manage your clients. However, the freedom is more rewarding, and you may be able to charge more than the university if you’re good enough. If you’re a star student in some subject, other students that have some money may be willing to pay you a bit more.
You can advertise your services online as well. Fiverr is a great website where you can easily create a profile and then create your gig. You can take on as much or as little work as you want, and you can work from the comfort of your own room while tutoring people from all over!
I’ve found that when I teach people things, I learn it better myself. Tutoring can therefore not only make you some money, but it can also improve your grades.
2. Become a Brand Ambassador
For those extroverts and outgoing people out there, consider becoming a brand ambassador! College student are a hot market and companies know this. They will hire students to promote the company on campus.
Typically, campus ambassadors go through some training to learn the company they’re promoting, then they’re set loose on campus. They do a lot of tabling in high-traffic areas on campus and will market the brand to fellow students. For example, Becker (one of the most well-renowned Certified Public Accountant exam review companies) had their brand ambassadors set up a table at the entrance to my university’s business school and hand out free information packets to students as they walked by.
These jobs are usually very flexible in terms of hours and the work is fun if you really believe in the brand you’re promoting. In addition, you can get discounts or free things from the company. For example, most accounting students plan on eventually taking the grueling CPA exam to become licensed. Becker and other CPA exam review brands give their ambassadors the full $3,393 worth of exam review materials for all four parts of the CPA exam for free or a very low cost. Brand ambassadorship really pays off!
Brand ambassadorship is a great resume booster as well, especially if the brand is relevant to your major. Becker ambassadors can put that position on their resume and display their knowledge of the subject and their work ethic to prospective employers. They also get to network with accounting firms, getting a head start in their career.
If you’re a marketing major, any brand ambassadorship works because the job is primarily marketing; therefore, being a brand ambassador allows you to grow those skills while making money or getting free things.
3. Driving Jobs (Uber, Lyft, etc.)
These jobs may be out of reach for younger students (due to age and vehicle requirements) but if you meet all of the requirements and don’t mind putting some miles on your car, consider driving for money.
It’s June of 2018, so you’ve definitely heard of Uber by now. Driving for them is great because the hours are extremely flexible. You can work as much or as little as you like, and you can change your schedule whenever. Got nothing to do on a weekend night? Well, you live in a college town. What do you think others are doing? You could make some good money driving for just a few hours one night a week.
Lyft is a good one to work for as well. The main difference is that Lyft places a lot of emphasis on creating a friendly culture, both for drives and for customers. Both Lyft and Uber are fairly similar on some things (especially price) so you can choose whichever that you feel you’d like more.
If you’re up to it, though, you could work for BOTH!
4. Proofreading/Editing/Revising
Ah, one of my personal favorites. I love fixing errors and making improvements in written pieces that friends send to me. While I just do it for free because I’m good at it, you can make money in a variety of ways in college by proofreading papers.
First, you could apply to work at the library, writing center, or really anywhere that provides writing help. While there is a little less freedom when you work one of these jobs, you can learn a lot and you’ll be earning money. You’ll also be helping students get better grades, which never fails to satisfy.
Similar to tutoring, you can freelance as a proofreader as well. This avenue is more difficult as you’ll need to market yourself very well, but it can be extremely rewarding. I’m going to recommend Fiverr again because it’s just so easy to get a profile set up on there and start earning cash while doing something you love to do.
5. On-Campus Office Work
If you want an office job, but want to get classwork done at the same time, look around for assistant jobs within your school’s administrative offices.
I worked for my schools payroll, human resources, and purchasing offices. There were a lot of benefits to working within these offices.
First, the pay. I got over a dollar raise from my previous job, which was big money as a student midway through college. Seeing that paycheck every other week was fantastic. If you have a fast food job right now, try to get a job in a campus office. The pay is great and you work less.
Next, the skills I learned. In payroll, I got to help students, employees, and faculty with technical tax forms, hours, payroll information, and various other things. When I moved to the purchasing department, I got to work on a variety of projects that required critical thinking, creativity, and software knowledge. In both of these jobs, I improved my professionalism a lot and got to learn how a business (in this case a public university) functions from the perspective of many different departments. Very lucrative to know for my career.
Also, I was on campus, so all my class were within a 5 minute walk. I can work more because I have much less travel time to factor in to my day.
Lastly, the down time. I had a set work schedule that amounted to about 15 hours a week, but there was no way I had more than 2 hours of work a day. Guess what I did in my free time at work? If you said homework, you’d be right. Getting home at the end of the day with much less to do feels great. You just have to make sure your boss is cool with it.
6. Sell Your Notes Online
Do you take neat, thorough notes? You can make money off of those! People all over the world will pay for good notes, either to reduce the notes they have to take, or as supplemental study materials.
There are all sorts of useful websites where student can buy and sell notes. StudySoup , one of these sites, gives you the option to be a normal note taker or an “elite” note taker, depending on your commitment to selling notes. Elite note takers can earn up to $500 per course, so if you feel you’re up to it, you can make decent money just for studying!
If you plan on selling notes, just make sure they are useful for truly LEARNING the subject, not just passing an exam. I am an advocate for having actual knowledge, not just maximizing test scores.
7. Become a University Tour Guide
Being a tour guide is fun. You get to be an expert and you get to help prospective students and their families determine if your school is right for them.
Because you’ll be on campus, your classes will be nearby. Travel time will be diminished, so you’ll have more time during the day to get things done.
Another benefit to being a tour guide is you get to know your own university or college better. When you’re teaching all of these campus guests about your academic institution, you tend to learn more about the school by accident.
Its good exercise as well. You’re on your feet in the (preferably) sunshine, breathing fresh air.
And you’re getting paid for it.
8. Donate Plasma
Selling (part) of your body. It seems weird to trade your own blood plasma for money, but its actually quite common. I cannot tell you how many of my friends have donated plasma for money, and many still do it today. One individual donates twice a week for about an hour each time, and he makes $70 a week for two hours total of sitting there with a needle in his arm.
Obviously, if you have a fear of needles and you don’t go out of your way to get stabbed by them, this may not be for you. But if you don’t mind having your plasma sucked out of your arm, then you can make easy money doing practically nothing!
Start Making Some Money
Pick one of these and give it a go. Start filling that slim college bank account with some cash!
Have enough spare time and brain capacity to learn a lucrative skill? Check out the 5 best skills you can learn for FREE to make money!
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” -Henry David Thoreau