Easy Ways for College Students to Make Money

College is a great time to work and earn some extra money! There are plenty of things that college students need cash for, but even if it isn’t spent right away, it is a great idea to start saving money while still in school. Not only that, but earning money while in college will help you pay for your education which could keep you out of student loan debt.

There are jobs out there for everyone, no matter how much time you have or what your skills are. So here are some easy ways for college students to make money in their spare time.

Work From Dorm Room

Graphic Design for a Small Business

Are you an artist or do you have an eye for making beautiful graphic designs? Plenty of small businesses need help with graphics for their websites, advertisements, and social media accounts. Look up some of the small businesses around you and see how their graphics look. If they seem a bit dated, it’s probably because they don’t have anyone helping them with graphics. Call them up and offer your services.

Video Editing for a Local Church

Lots of churches are now offering online services and want to have great video presentations. If you are good at video editing, contact your local church to see if you can do some contract work for them by editing their videos.

Coding for Websites

Plenty of bloggers, small businesses, and churches have websites that they need help with. You can find coding jobs online or call them up to see if they could use your help.

Social Media Management

Do you spend a ton of time on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook? Why not get paid for it?? There are a lot of bloggers, YouTubers, small business, and even churches who would love to pass on their social media responsibilities to someone who enjoys it.

Freelance Writing

If you enjoy creative writing, or research writing working as a freelancer is a great way for you to make money. Many blogs or businesses with blogs hire freelancers to write for them and pay good money for it.

Work at a Virtual Call Center

A virtual call center is a great dorm room job. Especially because they are typically in need of people to work late hours if they are a company that offers 24-7 support. This could be a great way for you to make money if you have a busy school schedule and only have time available late at night.

Website Management

Learning how to run a WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or something else is rather easy if you are pretty tech savvy and a quick learner. Management could include posting content, replying to comments, making sure things run smoothly, and fixing bugs when the pop up.

Get Outside

Bike Taxi

If you are looking for a fantastic way to get a good workout, meet cool people, and make money, then being a bike taxi or pedi-cab is a great option for you!

Golf Caddy

Is there a golf course near campus? They are probably looking for some strong college students who want to caddy on the weekends.

Canvassing

This is a job I had for a while in college. Canvassing is typically for political campaigns telling people about a certain ballot initiative or a candidate. I was either going door to door or doing phone canvassing and I made something like $20 per hour which was a TON of money for me in college. It was easy work and I enjoyed going door to door and getting some exercise walking around neighborhoods.

Car Washing

You could either work for a car washing company or start your own if you have access to the water. Car washing is a great way to earn lots of great tips as well. Grab some fellow students and you’ve got yourself a pretty good gig.

Lawncare

Looking for a warm weather kind of job that keeps you outside in the fresh air? Lawn care is a great option for you. This might include mowing lawns, pulling weeds, spraying fertelizer, and trimming bushes.

Shoveling Snow

In the winter when there aren’t as many lawns to mow, you can switch over to shoveling snow for those in your area. Be ready for some early mornings and a good workout.

Hang Christmas Lights

Offering Christmas light hanging is a great way to make some good cash to buy presents for those you love. There are plenty of small businesses that offer this service, or you could simply go door to door with flyers offering your own services.

Work a Farmer’s Market Booth

There are tons of farmers’ markets on the weekends during the summer and even into the fall. The problem is, that a local farmer or business owner can only be in one place at a time. They often hire someone to man a booth at a different farmer’s market location and that could be you!

Dog Sitting & Walking

Love dogs? This is a no-brainer! Get paid to love on little pups and even receive some love in return. My friend works as a dog sitter for Rover, and she always adds a little something to her services so her customers turn into repeats!

Chicken Watching

Okay, I had to throw this one in there because we now own chickens. We are always looking for people to come to look over our 5 feathered babies while we go out of town. I actually think this is a lot easier than dog sitting!’

College is a great time to work and earn some extra money! Here are some easy ways for college students to make money in their spare time. — PIN FOR LATER

Part-Time Work

Work at a Local Gym

I currently spend a few hours a week working at my local gym for fun. It’s a great way to get some social interaction and to get a free gym pass! It pays a little more than minimum wage, which is just fine with me.

Campus Jobs

You don’t have to go far to find a job during college. In fact, your campus is probably looking to hire a handful of students to work in various offices. I personally worked in the Campus Ministries office myself during college which paid me a stipend that acted as a discount on my college tuition. It was a great set up and not to far away from where I was living so I didn’t even need a car. Most college campuses love hiring their own students.

Catering

Catering companies love to hire energetic, hard-working, young adults to help at parties they are providing food for. I had a roommate who did this in college and she always came home with tons of free amazing food to share!

Personal Training

Are you the friend that everyone comes to for workout ideas? You should consider being a personal trainer or even teaching some fitness classes. There are tons of online options for this today, but many gyms are looking to hire personal trainers.

DJing

This is the kind of job for those who simply love to party! We hired an acquaintance from church to DJ and MC our wedding. He had a full time job, but DJed on the side!

Babysitting

Babysitting is a great gig to have on the side during college. Most parents are looking for a babysitter on the evenings and weekends which is typically when a college student is available. I loved babysitting in the evenings because kids would go to bed early and I would have time to do homework.

Handyman Work

Know how to use a hammer? Maybe you are a quick learner and like working with your hands in general. People are always looking for help with everything from hanging a door, to fixing a faucet, or even doing some simple tile work. Throw up a post on NextDoor and you might be surprised at how many people could use the cheap labor.

Teaching Assistant

If you enjoy grading papers or entering grades into grade books, being a teaching assistant could be a great option for you. This could also help you develop great connections and relationship with your professors.

Tutor

If there is a subject you really enjoy and are good at, tutoring could be a great option for you. Your classmates could probably use the help or consider tutoring younger students in high school or younger. Not only that but there are a lot of online companies that need virtual tutors.

House Sitting

This was probably my favorite way to make money in college. It was also usually the easiest way to make money. Depending on the house, your duties might include watering plants, mowing the lawn, taking in the mail, and eating all the food so it doesn’t go to waste.

Temp Agency

Temp agencies need people who have flexible hours, are quick learners, and can fill in entry-level jobs. Signing on with a temp agency could help get you a number of part-time jobs. Often times they need people who have good typing skills and are comfortable answering phones. Sound like something you could do?

Clean Houses

For many people, cleaning is very relaxing. If that is you, why not get paid to clean?? Download a good audiobook, pop in your headphones, and get dusting. Cleaning houses could be a great part-time job that pays pretty well.

Moving Furniture

Have you ever seen those signs on the side of the road, “College Hunks Hauling Junk?” I don’t think you have to be good looking to move some furniture, but it is probably a bonus as you are applying for a position.

Market Research Participant

Being a market research participant is a very easy way to make money as a college student.

Bartender or Server

This is a fantastic side hustle for those who love to interact with people. My sister was a bartender once she became old enough and had a blast with it. Not to mention she made a lot of extra cash from tips! If you live in a college town, I bet you that there is a bar looking to hire a student like yourself. Not only that, but tons of local restaurants around the country are in desperate need of help.

Translator

Do you know a second language? You could get a job as a translator at many different companies who are looking to translate their content into a different language or simply just have someone around who can help communicate with a new population. Translators usually get paid pretty well.

Entrepreneurship

Many of these more entrepreneurial jobs are not ways to earn quick cash. Rather, they may take some time to pay off. But at that point, many of these options could turn into a career! I personally wish I had thought of starting my blog during college! It could probably be making a lot more than it currently is.

Start a Website or a Blog

Creating a blog is such a fun and creative way to earn some extra cash. However, it does take a while to build up good search engine optimization in order to make money. Once it does start making money it can practically run on autopilot. If you are considering starting a blog, think about something you love to talk about, a journey you currently on and would like to document, or even a subject you are beginning to learn more about.

Some of the ways you can make money from a blog are through affiliate advertising, display ads, creating your own digital products, and selling ad space to other companies.

YouTuber or Vlogger

Similar to blogging, YouTube is a long term game but can have great returns in the future. In order to start earning an income from ads on your YouTube videos you must first have 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours of public view time of your videos. It definitely takes some time!

Video ads are only one of the ways in which you could make money from your YouTube videos. You could even start earning money before ads through affiliate marketing and promoting your own products or services.

Virtual Assistant

Tons of business owners are looking for help online! Starting a small virtual assistant business could be a great way to set your own hours and work from your dorm room. You get to set your own hourly rate and decide what kind of projects you work on. My husband is a youth pastor of middle and high school students and I have one of them help me as a virtual assistant. If she can do it, so could you!

Fiverr Gigs

Do you have a unique creative skill like video editing, sound editing, digital drawing, manuscript editing, jingle writing, coding, logo making, or custom teeshirt designs? Fiverr is a great place to market your awesome skills. Create a profile and offer your creative services and make some money doing what you love!

Drive for Uber or Lyft

Earn some money driving around your own car with either Uber or Lyft. Set your own hours and enjoy your time getting to know new people from all over the world as you drop them off at their destinations.

Food Delivery

Maybe you like driving your car around, but would rather not have to talk to people very often. Then being a food deliver driver could be a great option for you! I actually tried out all the different food deliver apps myself when we were working to pay off our student loan debt early. It was a great way to bring in extra money to do that!

Grocery Shopping

Instacart was also another side gig I took on to help pay off my student loans. I personally did not love it very much because I already dislike going to the grocery store in general, but I know many people who really love it and make some good cash from working as an Instacart deliverer.

Tech Repair and Setup

Maybe you have a way with computers and cell phones. You could consider offering your repair skills to fellow classmates or posting it your services on something like NextDoor.

Online Course

Is there a subject you know a lot about and enjoy teaching to others? Knitting, accounting, farming, dog training, painting, or cooking? You could consider creating a simple course and selling it online. It can be as simple as recording some videos and selling them on Udemy.

Become a Notary Public

Becoming a notary public takes a very quick online course in most states. Afterward, you can offer your notary services through online marketplaces that hire traveling notary publics. The whole process is a very small upfront time commitment and financial investment in order to have a pretty decent payout per appointment.

Get Your Real Estate License

Getting licensed to be a practicing real estate broker will take a lot of studying and a decent financial investment, but the payout can be great. Once you have your license you can start practicing real estate. You don’t have to start out with helping buyers and sellers, rather you could start out by helping other agents by taking people on tours or holding open houses for small fees. This is something I currently do with my real estate license still. Simply by helping other agents out with showings I earn a pretty steady side income of $500-$1,000 per month.

This could also be a good way of hopping right into a good career after college. You can begin to build up some experience as a real estate agent and start taking on clients as soon as you feel comfortable. One easy job you can do with a real estate license is working for Redfin as an Associate Agent. I did that for 2 years and it was a great 2nd job!

The Money Taboo a weekly faith and finance devotional with Katie Jones

Creative Tasks

Apply for Scholarships

Scholarships are a fantastic way to earn “free” money. It is probably one of the easiest ways to earn money for college. Most application processes don’t take more than maybe an hour or so and can sometimes pay thousands of dollars! This will help keep school costs low, and after using the money for tuition and boarding you get to pocket the rest. This could help you build up some savings or even have extra cash for some adventures.

Here are some great websites to help you find scholarship for college:
Dave Ramsey’s How to Find Scholarships
Here is a fantastic resource for finding college scholarships!

Start Investing

18 years old is a great time to start investing for retirement! Check out this screenshot from an investment calculator. If you invested $50 per month starting at the age of 18 you could have over $1 million by the time you are 67. Check out apps like Acorns or Robinhood, or open a free brokerage account at Vanguard to get started.

Rent Your Car Out

If you have a car that you don’t use very often you could consider renting it out through Turo. Another possibility is to rent out your car when you go on vacation through Avail. I rented out my car through Avail in the past – check out the blog post on my Avail experience.

Rent Out Your Gear

You probably don’t use your camping gear 24/7, or your skis, or bikes, or surf boards. Why not loan it out and earn some cash back for your gear? It was probably pretty expensive to begin with!

Make money from your under utilized bikes! Make extra cash by sharing your bikes with travelers, racers, and enthusiasts on Spinlister.

Fill Out Surveys

It might not earn you a whole lot of money, but if you have the free time you could fill out surveys and earn money doing it. Some people say that taking online surveys is a waste of time and shouldn’t be bothered with, but I have also heard some success stories of people earning a couple hundred dollars. I’ve never tried them myself, so I don’t know! But feel free to check out SurveyJunkie or other survey sites for yourself.

Use Cash Back Apps

Cash back apps are a great way to earn money back on things you would already be purchasing. If you are not already using them you are missing out on tons of money that could be going staring back into your pocket! Some apps give you pure cash that you can deposit directly into your bank account, and others give you points to turn into gift cards or other things.

Sell Stuff

Sell Old Textbooks

It is very easy to sell old text books these days. Simply head over to BookFinder.com to find out how much you could get for your old text books and compare prices at many of the major competitors including BooksRun, BackToCash, eCampus, and more!

Sell Crafts

Are you particularly crafty? Do you enjoy making things with your hands? There is a huge market for nicely made, unique, or custom crafts. Themed hanging wreaths, custom ornaments, and hand-sewn oven mitts are just a few of the crafts that people love buying. Head to your local farmer’s market or craft shop to find out what some of the best-sellers are.

You can sell crafts in a physical space or even list your items on Etsy. Just be aware that Etsy does charge a small fee to list your items on their marketplace.

Flip Items

For anyone with free time, interest in a new hobby, or a gap in their income, flipping is a great side hustle to consider. There is no limitation on what you can make and no advanced skills are needed — you only need some time, and a Facebook account.

If you don’t know what flipping is, flipping is when you buy something that costs a certain amount and sell it for more than your cost in order to make a profit. You can find a beginner’s guide to flipping items here!

Sell Clothes

Maybe you have outgrown something, or maybe you’ve changed your style a little and now you have some leftover clothes. Before heading to your local Goodwill, why not try selling some of the nicer pieces you have first?

You could throw up an ad onto Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, or Craigslist, or consider other places such as Plato’s Closet, Poshmark, or thredUP.

Digital Printables on Etsy

There is a market for digital printables on etsy. Whether it is digital files for wall art, birthday cards, or name place cards for parties. If you are into creating graphics for these kinds of things it could be a great way to make some quick money online. If you want to learn how to crush it with digital printables check out this awesome course!

Do you know of any other easy ways for college students to make money?
Please share with us in the comments!

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