I learned myself and know tons of people who had these interesting side jobs. Make the most of your time and cover your bills!
As you may know or will soon find out, being a student (at any level) makes money tight. Between tuition, loans, rent, transportation, food, and many other life expenses, it can be overwhelming. Only roughly 40% of students are employed (at all different commitments) during their undergraduate experience, with the national average student debt sitting over 38,000 dollars (1,2). If you prioritize your time well, there are many side hustles you can find to pay some of those bills and save to pay those loans with not a ton of effort!
1 – Tutoring
I have a bias here because this is my personal “side hustle”, tutoring high school students in STEM subjects and SAT prep. It really is a great job though. I work with a private company (not a large one like Kaplan, the smaller the company their will likely treat you better) and they give me clients, so all I have to do is show up. It pays well, and if you can find clients on your own you can even do it privately without a company, and make even more! It’s a great simple way to give back to your community while making some extra cash. This can make you anywhere from 10-20k+ / year working part time. I work only 5~10hrs/week and I made around 15k from this years’ work.
2 – Train AI?
I have heard of this from friends, and it sounds like a great move to remotely make some cash. Training AI platforms using your field expertise is a huge market. Simply answering questions on your computer training the algorithm is a great way to make money and not leave your home! It’s also nice because its freelance, and flexible with no structured hours.
3 – Server / Hostess / Barista / Bartender
Classic but holds true, the food industry is a great way to make extra money on nights/weekends. Whether its a restaurant, cafe, etc., there will always be opportunities here and it aligns with a student schedule pretty well. Bartending is something I always wanted to do, but could never stay up late enough for lol. But it pays very very well, especially in ‘college town’ or a city.
4 – Dog Sitting / Walking
This may be more for city schools, but dog walking was huge were by university was located. Apps like Wag or Rover can get you certified and match you up with people who need their dogs taken on walks! Its super easy and fun if you like dogs, but the pay here is a bit lower than the other options.
5 – Freelance Work of your Expertise!
This can be many things – but some examples are web development, digital marketing, coding, writing, etc. Think of what you have in your toolbox that others don’t and you would be surprised how many people are willing to pay for it! I am even trying a YouTube channel out for math for younger students. This area is more work than the others and a bit of a long term investment (content creators take a while and lot of effort to make any money), but if you pursue it it can really pay off. Plus, hopefully this side hustle would be more for enjoyment.
While the list goes on and on, these are the ones I personally would recommend considering. Now of course your schedule, location, and other factors can impact your choice but I really recommend doing something while you are in school. Not only does it pay your bills, but it might also build up your resume or even network you with some valuable people! Any more ideas? Leave them in the comments! Happy hustling….
-Meghan
(1) https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/ssa/college-student-employment