College is expensive. For many people, it’s the first time they’re living alone, without the same financial support from parents or relatives that they’ve been accustomed to throughout their life. Now, the conventional wisdom is to take a regular job. However, many students who do take on employment often find balancing their work-life with their education a challenge.
Working a regular job alongside your studies can not only disadvantage your academic performance but can also mean you miss out on many of the things that make college such an enriching experience. Do you really want to spend every waking moment at school or work? Probably not!
Fortunately, in the age of the internet, there are all kinds of side hustles that can make earning a little extra cash easier than ever before. Here are five of the best ideas for college students looking to earn a bit on the side.
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Tutor
Tutoring has never been more accessible than it is today. For college students, this provides an excellent opportunity to make some extra cash. The fact that you’re on campus too means that you’ll have a ready supply of potential clients to share your skills with. Wherever your abilities lie, you can explore turning your talents into an easy side hustle.
Students on campus might want to learn an instrument, a second language, or may need help with some part of their academic programme that they’re weaker in. If you think your skills are marketable, why not stick up posters around college advertising your services as a tutor and see how you get on? We recommend doing cheap taster classes to begin with and then increasing the price to a level that finds a balance between financial reward for yourself and good value for your students.
You can also be an online tutor too. There are many platforms that allow foreign students to brush up on their English language speaking and listening skills. You’ll also find that many of them do not require their tutors to have formal education and will allow you to pick and choose the hours that suit you. All you need is a decent grasp of the English language, a stable internet connection, a webcam, and a microphone to get started!
Odd Jobs
The internet has made it easy to turn a skill into a small business. If you’ve some non-academic ability that people demand, you can use a service like TaskRabbit to advertise yourself to the people in the surrounding area.
Tasks that people will pay you to complete can range from low-skilled jobs, like delivering groceries, walking dogs, cleaning, or running various errands, to those demanding some experience. The kind of positions out there requiring skills might be decorating, garden work, or furniture assembly.
Don’t just consider those jobs listed above as the only ones available though. There are all kinds of weird and wonderful positions that busy, elderly, or those with mobility issues need help with. The secret to using a marketplace-type service like TaskRabbit is to start with low-paying, simple jobs to build up a strong profile. Once you’ve received some nice feedback for your work, you’ll find that people are much more willing to take you on for more demanding roles. Obviously, the more demanding the task, the bigger the financial reward you can expect!
Slot Streamer
The rise of video streaming platforms has made it possible to earn a lot of money by broadcasting footage of yourself doing all sorts of things. One that appeals to a lot of folks is online slot streaming.
The reason for the appeal of slot streaming is that broadcasting your gambling kind of offers two potential revenue streams. The first is by playing the games themselves. You’ll be betting with your own money and wins will also be your own. Streaming can be very lucrative if you choose the correct online casino and slots with high RTP ratings. You can also use casino bonuses to make your bankroll go that much further.
The second potential revenue stream is to become an affiliate marketer for online casinos. If you manage to generate a large following on the streaming platform you choose, online casinos will offer to pay you for attracting customers to their platform. Typically, you’ll receive a percentage of the funds your followers bet at the casino via your links. You’ll just have to recommend that they join the casino you have a deal with.
The key to making slot streaming lucrative is to be genuinely entertaining. People don’t just watch slot streamers to see the reels spinning. They want someone to be informed on the games they’re playing and to present the information with a bit of charisma. Since online gambling is still a male-dominated industry, being a smoking hot female gambler could also help you to attract plenty of followers too.
Street Performance
If you’ve got some talent that often amazes people but don’t fancy yourself as a teacher, perhaps you could take it to the streets. Street performance is often associated with scruffy individuals who have no other options, as well as a paltry few copper coins in an upside-down hat. However, depending on your skills, it really doesn’t have to be.
The first step to becoming a profitable street performer is obviously having some talent that will make people stop their high street shopping to take in your artistry for a few minutes. The second is to get registered with the authorities. Whilst you could try to do it without registering, you’ll find that you’ll get moved from the spots with the most foot traffic if you don’t have the right paperwork with you. You may also be fined for trying to perform without permission.
Seriously talented street performers positioned in popular spots in big cities can actually make the kind of money that would make professionals jealous. Rates of up to $90 an hour are possible. As a college student, you probably have the advantage of already being based in a highly populated metropolis and can turn up for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to earn a bit of extra cash.
Obviously, most street performers are musicians but they don’t have to be. If you have some breath-taking circus skills, like juggling or fire eating, or are a talented artist, either of these can easily be turned into a worthy side hustle too.
Proof Reader
As a college student, you’ll likely have many friends who are writing academic essays in subjects they have a huge amount of knowledge in. However, not every student can express their ideas as clearly as they might like on paper. A gifted scientist might understand the relationship between all the elements on the periodic table but writing 3,000 words that will impress the professors may well be beyond their capabilities.
If you’re a strong writer, you can advertise your services as a proof reader to your classmates. Look for those that seem to get poor grades in their assignments but clearly demonstrate a high level of understanding in their subjects. You could also wait around science and mathematics departments with a stack of business cards ready to hand out. These faculties will likely yield the best results since you’ll often find that those with scientific brains struggle more with linguistics.
Whilst this is not always the case, it makes a lot more sense than waiting around the English department, which will no doubt be full of passionate wordsmiths.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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