Side Hustles for Students
College students have always pursued side hustles, but with the increasing cost of tuition and student loan obligations, such supplementary jobs have become exceptionally significant. You can explore the side gig listings posted on your college’s website or inquire about job boards at the admissions office. Moreover, numerous national and local Facebook groups exists, solely dedicated to side hustles.
It’s unlikely that any of these will bring you riches. However, if you excel, a few college side gigs may lead to long-term professions. These activities can be done during your free time or on weekends to earn extra cash, and most are flexible enough to fit your schedule. As a college student, a few additional bucks can make a big difference, so it’s important to be practical. Discover the top side hustles for college students in this list.
Side Hustles on the Move
- Uber/Lyft Driver: You have your own car and a way with conversation? Lots of people need a ride to the airport, or home after a wild night at the club – just as long as you weren’t in the club too.
- Postmate Driver: Postmate is a delivery service that gives everybody the chance to make a few extra bucks moving food, office supplies, packages, or whatever. If you’ve got a car, bike, or feet, make the most of your spare time between classes. The Rideshare Guy has a fascinating blog ; be sure to read about his experiences before you embark on your own!
- Junk Hauling: Not everybody wants to take the time to sell their junk. Some just want it gone without having to deal with it themselves or pay for extra storage space . If you’ve got your own pickup truck and can find your way to the local dump, you can probably find someone who will pay good money to take that job off their hands. Use your computer skills to put an ad on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
- Advertise-Wrap Your Car: It sounds crazy, but it may be literally the easiest way to make a little side cash. Use your car to advertise . To get their name in people’s heads, local businesses are willing to pay college students a little marketing change to drive around with their logo on your car, so who are you to refuse?
- Bike Messenger: It takes nerves of steel and strong calves, but in a lot of congested cities bicycle messenger is the only way to get documents or packages across busy cities quickly. Build good word-of-mouth between businesses and have a side hustle whenever you need it.
- Mobile Oil Change Service: Sometimes it’s too much trouble even to drive to the quick-change oil place. A couple of automobile risers and a good wrench is all the investment college students need to make some greasy side money.
- Newspaper Route: If you’re a morning person and have your own transportation, newspaper routes are absolutely still a thing, and no, they don’t hire kids on bicycles to do it. You can make a handy little income and still make your 9am class .
Side Hustles Online
1. Sell Digital Products Online
One way to generate passive income is by selling digital goods, which are intangible assets or media that can be sold and distributed repeatedly online without needing to restock inventory. Examples of digital goods that can be sold to fellow students include online courses, templates, and various tools.
There are several digital products you can market, such as job-seeker resume templates, various software programs, diverse plugins, icons, fonts, and web designer UX Kits.
There is no cost to start.
How to get started
Any platform that enables the sale of digital products can be utilized to register. FreshLearn, an all-inclusive platform for artists, can help you make passive income online by selling your digital products. Additionally, it offers a freemium program to get you started selling digital items for no cost.
Difficulty:
This is a simple way to earn extra cash with great advantages.
Skills required
If you have a talent for something, launching a digital product can be an excellent side hustle even if you lack the necessary skills.
Expected pay
You have the potential to make money even while you’re asleep, and your hourly earnings could exceed $500.
Benefits
- You help fellow students learn the subjects you have already learned by sharing your digital product.
- Once you create a digital product, you can keep selling it to anyone anywhere online(saving a lot of time and effort).
Drawbacks
- No drawbacks as you are sharing about things you know/love.
2. Start A Blog
College students often consider blogging as a lucrative side hustle since it allows them to work remotely. A fascinating feature of blogging is its potential to indirectly enhance your existing job.
Sharing your work with employers can showcase your problem-solving abilities and past projects, potentially making you stand out among a pool of resumes when applying for a new full-time job.
Cost to start
To launch a blog, you’ll need to make some initial expenditures of approximately $34.50 to $65.40, which cover expenses like domain registration, website hosting services, and more.
How to get started
Select a name for your blog and obtain hosting. Templates are available on platforms such as Blogger, WordPress, and FreshLearn.
Difficulty: Easy
Skills required
No particular proficiency is required.
Expected pay
Earning an additional $500 to $2,000 per month through blogging during your initial year is quite feasible. Subsequently, in the following years once you have garnered a significant audience and subscribers, it’s possible to elevate your income to beyond $100,000.
Benefits
- This is something you can quickly build on the side with just a few hours of work per week.
- A blog gives people a reason to visit your website and creates a sense of community with common problems or interests.
Drawbacks
- A good blog requires regular updates.
- Technical issues like expired SSL certificates, plugin conflicts, and coding problems will cause issues with the blog.
3. Start A Newsletter
Sending out newsletters is a creative approach for generating income with minimal investment of time and energy. Whether you enjoy writing on a variety of subjects, managing a blog, or maintaining a website, launching a newsletter offers the potential to earn financial rewards.
Cost to start: $0
How to get started
- Choose a newsletter platform like Revue, Substack , Buttondown , etc.
- Select a topic to write on.
- Build your email list of all the users who sign up to receive your email newsletter.
- Start creating your newsletters.
Difficulty:
Starting a newsletter is a simple task.
Skills required
No specific abilities are necessary.
Expected pay
Most paid newsletters are priced at an average of $11 per month, with few going below $5 per month, such as Career Capital.
Benefits
- It helps you build a digital family and strengthen relationships.
- Newsletters are a time-saving strategy as you have to select a specific topic and send out emails on a defined schedule. You also can schedule them in advance, so they can go live automatically when the time comes.
Drawbacks
- No drawbacks as you are sharing knowledge with the world.
4. Become A Freelance Writer
If you possess swift writing skills, freelance writing can be a hassle-free means of earning income. There are several establishments seeking writers for numerous writing genres like technical writing, blog writing, social media content, email writing, etc.
Cost to start: $0
How to get started
Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and similar sites are available for registration to immediately start freelance writing and receive payment.
Difficulty:
Becoming a freelance writer is simple but it relies on your writing abilities and background.
Skills required
To succeed in this side hustle, it is important to possess writing skills and a strong command of grammar.
Expected pay
It is possible for part-time writers to earn $1,000 per month since decent earnings can be made by good writers, who typically earn an average of slightly over $63,000 annually.
Benefits
- You don’t need any formal training to write.
- You can write on your own time and virtually from anywhere.
- As a freelance writer, you can learn about new topics.
Drawbacks
- There can be inconsistent income.
- Overworking is another problem that freelancers face.
5. Build A Directory Website
One of the simplest online side hustles for students is running a directory website, which showcases a variety of products and services for visitors to peruse. Earning passive income through this type of website can be achieved in several ways, including charging for listings and selling ad space. Plus, students can avoid commuting while generating revenue.
Cost to start
The expenses of creating a directory website can range from $12 to $100, encompassing the costs of website design and hosting.
How to get started
- Choose a website platform like WordPress
- Select a hosting provider and a domain name
- Install a directory theme to control your site’s looks
- Decide how to monetize your site
Difficulty:
Constructing a directory website is a simple task.
Skills required
There is no need for any skills.
Expected pay
On average, you can earn between $0 and $1000 each day for a month.
Benefits
- You can work from anywhere.
- Unlimited income potential.
Drawbacks
- Competition is high when it comes to your directory website-making business.
6. Become A Virtual Bookkeeper
A bookkeeper is indispensable for every small internet-based enterprise as they manage and monitor the finances, enabling the business owner to concentrate on operating the business efficiently. Given that all financial transactions can be tracked online, proficient bookkeepers are able to handle multiple clients and earn a decent supplementary income while working remotely from home.
Cost to start : $0
How to get started
Register on widely-used online platforms for freelancers. You will frequently come across different kinds of bookkeeping positions advertised on various websites, such as Indeed and FlexJobs. The work opportunities available can vary from short-term assignments to more extended undertakings.
Difficulty: Medium to Hard
Skills required
Starting as a bookkeeper is much more feasible than pursuing other related professions since a person can begin this career with only a high school diploma or associate’s degree.
Expected pay
By working with 3-4 clients, a bookkeeper who is working part-time for 10 hours per week can add an extra $10,000 to their yearly earnings. The hourly rates for bookkeepers who are at an entry-level are typically around $18.50 per hour.
Benefits
- Great opportunity and excellent employment potential for new bookkeepers and those with experience.
- They are needed in a variety of businesses.
- Bookkeepers can advance to accountants and earn a higher salary with the proper knowledge.
Drawbacks
- Work very long hours during peak seasons.
- High level of stress.
