Work study and student hourly jobs are good ways for college students to make some spending cash but are often limited to 20 hour work weeks. Off campus jobs have various drawbacks ranging from not working with class schedules to using up time that should be spent doing homework. But college students need money. In addition to their class assignments, they are learning to become independent and self-reliant, which means going to Mom and Dad every time the bank account gets low isn’t an option anymore.
There are many options available for college students to make money, right from their dorm room or apartment. Some of these options are only practical for supplementing an existing income, others can bring in $500-$1000 per month, if one is willing to put in the work. Of course, not all opportunities are going to work for everyone – a home-based telesales business is probably not the best option for someone living in the dorms, because of the limitations placed on their phone usage and because of long vacations away from the dorm and the phone used to do the job, as most dormitories close down for winter breaks and some for summer breaks.
Below are five terrific opportunities for college students.
1. Mystery Shopper. Being a mystery shopper doesn’t often bring in a lot of money in terms of income or profit but if you are a person who enjoys eating out two or more times a week or are addicted to the mall, being a mystery shopper can help you save the money you would have spent on a dinner out so that you can spend it on something else. It works like this: Visit MysteryShop.org for opportunities in your area. If you see one that interests you, follow the instructions for getting involved. The cost of your meal or the cost of your purchase will be reimbursed to you, essentially giving you a free meal, pair of sneakers, tire rotation or any number of other consumer-based products and services.
2. Drive for Dollars. There are companies who will pay individuals to advertise their business. Generally, they require that the candidate drive a minimum of 100 miles or more per month so this opportunity is best for the commuter student (or worker for that matter). All you have to do is agree to place a sticker on your back windshield displaying the company’s name and contact information. The company fields all calls and inquiries, you have nothing to do with that. You are simply a moving billboard. Below you will find a list of sites where you can find out more about this opportunity.
3. Freelance writer or editor. This site, AssociatedContent.com, and Helium.com are both sites that pay writers for their work. There are other similar sites on the web, but both AC and Helium have been endorsed by money and job experts. The income varies based on several factors: frequency of submissions – naturally, the more you submit, the more bids you will be offered, the more bids, the more money you can make – quality of submissions – poor grammar, lack of necessary details, too many unnecessary details can all negatively affect a bid on an article, or possibly even get it rejected – and the popularity of chosen topics – topics that are too vague or obscure receive low “bids” because they don’t bring traffic to the site from search engines, topics that are too popular are more likely to get passed over as a researcher enters it into Google and gets back 125 pages of hits.
You don’t have to be an English or Journalism major to write for one of these sites. You simply have to have good written communication skills, or access to a tutoring or proofreading service, and an expertise in something. If writing non-fiction articles isn’t your thing, try editing. Apply for editing projects online at CyberEdit.com and EditFast.com.
4. Blogging. Perhaps you enjoy writing but your flare is more towards the editorial section of the newspaper. Set up a blog at Blogger.com and in the account preferences, allow AdSense ads on your blog. Every time one of your readers clicks on one of those ads, you make cash. At that point the only thing left for you to do is blog and advertise your blog. It really is that simple.
Blogit.com is a similar site except that instead of allowing ads on your blog, you pay a subscription fee each month. Each time a Blogit writer reads one of your blogs, you earn a percentage of their fee. For example, if Joe Smith subscribes at a rate of $10 per month and reads the posts of ten other Blogit members, each of those members receive a cut of $1 from Joe’s subscription fee; 20 members receive fifty cents. Advertising and frequency of posts is a big push with this site.
5. Online tutoring. Tutoring in a face-to-face situation can sometimes be very intimidating, to both the student and the tutor. Tutor.com offers an alternative to this discomfort by providing tutoring services online, seven days a week, year round. Qualified candidates need only have or be receiving a college education in English, math, science or social sciences, be 18 years of age, and have access to high speed internet. Visit Tutor.com to apply.
