Being a college student is an immensely challenging life stage—physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and, most importantly, financially. As you light your way further to your adulting journey and imminently approach having a career, it’s crucial to develop financial responsibility as your head start into the real world.
As students, most rely on their parents’ financial support through allowances, while some have to support themselves alone. Regardless of your situation, you can step up your finances and start earning money while you’re still studying. Having extra money during your university life will prove advantageous whenever you’re in need
In this article, you’ll learn five ways to make money while you’re still not a professional yourself:
1. Organize A College Fundraising
College clubs and organizations highlight college life. If you’re part of an organization in school which is looking for ways to raise money for a purpose, your group can organize a college fundraising to achieve your monetary goal faster. A college fundraising program may involve raising a set amount of money for your organization’s activity or donations to charities and nonprofit organizations.
When planning for a fundraising event in your college, it’s paramount to ask your dean’s permission first and work out any involved paperwork. Here are some enjoyable, college-friendly fundraising ideas your group can try out:
- Sports competition
- Food sales
- Direct sales
- Online auctions
- Table game tournaments
- Gaming marathon
- Raffle and giveaway
College fundraising proves that earning money isn’t all about keeping and spending the money for yourself, but also pursuing a more significant intent.
2. Become A Tutor
Many students in different educational levels face academic struggles, such as failing marks due to insufficient comprehension of their lessons. If you’re an academically gifted college student who can make time for a tutoring job, you can be an academic tutor online or offline.
However, as you don’t have enough qualifications to be an academic tutor, you might not get the highest-paying tutoring jobs out there. However, tutoring still offers substantial help to your finances.
For offline tutoring, you can find tutees within your university to teach subjects that you excel at. If you have the skill and patience, you can also try your hand with kindergarten to high school students.
Meanwhile, offline tutoring provides better convenience and flexibility as you can attend to your tutee’s needs without meeting with them personally. With the right choice of online tutoring platforms, you can also find promising, high-paying tutoring roles with hourly rates between USD$10 to USD$25.
3. Get A Work-Study Job
If you’re in utmost financial need, the Federal Student Aid helps financially-challenged, enrolled college students to get part-time jobs. This financial assistance program is known as the work-study job which can be a valuable target of income for college students struggling to make their ends meet.
Work-study jobs can be on-campus or off-campus. If you’re assigned inside the campus, you can work as a library assistant, campus tour guide, or even a tutor. In off-campus roles, you’ll be assigned to work for public agencies or nonprofit organizations, as long as your responsibilities support the public’s interest.
Your income, or work-study award, depends on your application, the school’s funding level, and level of financial need. You’ll receive your award every month paid at an hourly rate, which shouldn’t exceed the number of hours agreed on your Federal Work-Study award.
4. Apply For A Scholarship
There are plenty of financial assistance programs for college students if you’re keen and motivated to find one. Aside from applying for a work-study program, you can apply for a scholarship providing several financial opportunities. Although some scholarships don’t directly pay out money, these programs can help you pay off your tuition, while some programs also give out financial rewards.
These are the most common types of scholarships and which students they’re perfect for:
- Academic achievement: Students with academic excellence as proved by their grades
- Athletic achievement: Students particularly good at sports
- Financial needs: Students from low-income families
- Personal background: Underrepresented students involving gender, race, and ethnicity
- Community service: Students who have a genuine heart for volunteerism
- Workplace or military affiliation: Students whose immediate relatives work for specific companies or have a military background
With numerous scholarships that you’ll encounter during your hunt, it can be overwhelming to narrow down your applications. As a general tip, choose scholarships requiring your possessed qualities and traits. Also, applying early can give you an advantage over other applicants. There are plenty of ways to help you land a scholarship successfully.
5. Find A Part-Time Job
As you neither have the time nor professional qualifications for a full-time job, applying for part-time employment is your best choice if you don’t prefer or are not qualified for the options discussed above. Out of all income-generating methods for college students, part-time jobs offer the most options with varying tasks and responsibilities, salary, time flexibility, and career opportunities.
The work-study job can also be classified in this category. Additionally, there are other part-time job opportunities where you can earn decent money from:
- Traditional Part-Time Employment: These jobs include working in commercial establishments, including grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, clothing stores, and more, in part-time shifts.
- Paid Internships: As industry experience has become a compelling requirement in many career opportunities today, students need professional learning experience related to their career, and they can find this in internships. When looking for an internship, never accept an unpaid one.
- Side Hustles and Gig Work: If you can’t find traditional employment with consistent work hours, you can try side hustles and gig work available short-term, seasonal, or according to contract. Some examples include acting and modeling, freelance writing, valet parking, driving, moving help, and answering online surveys.
- Part-Time Entrepreneurship: If you have a mind for entrepreneurship, you can set up a profitable business where you can be your own boss. But, keep in mind that starting a small business requires proper planning and never-ending commitment and patience.
- Summer Employment: Summer employment is only available during summer breaks. These jobs are perfect for students who have hectic schedules. Because it’s seasonal, summer employment can be done along with other income opportunities discussed here Some of the best companies and establishments that offer summer jobs are movie theaters, amusement parks, construction, landscaping, museums, local parks, zoos, and summer camps.
Key Takeaways
With many opportunities and rewards available for college students, you can achieve the most friendly, convenient, and flexible option while juggling your schoolwork.
It can be easy and unnoticeable to get immersed in your job as you’re seeing the results of your hard work in the form of financial rewards. However, prioritize your studies above everything, as this will help you the most to advance your career and earning potential.