Multiple streams of income for college students

Are you looking to create multiple streams of income as a college student?

That’s a great idea!

There are a lot of ways to make money while in college, and side hustles can help you pay for books, tuition, and more.

Tutoring

Tutoring is a great way to kill two birds with one stone: earn money and get work experience in your field. There are many places where you can find tutoring opportunities, from campus-based programs, to student tutoring companies, and beyond. Tutors can work in person or online. You can even tutor for test prep and make tons of money (if you’re good at it). Plus, there’s no better feeling than helping other students succeed!

Selling your notes

The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that what you’re doing doesn’t violate any school rules. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re at most universities, but it’s important to double-check just in case.

Once that’s out of the way, there are two ways you can sell your notes: to other students and online.

The first method is the easiest, especially if you already have a group of friends who are taking the same classes as you. Once you’ve taken your notes after class, all it takes is putting up some flyers in areas where people will see them and asking around (your friends are an excellent start). Online, there are sites like StudySoup that allow students to buy and sell their study materials.

Photography

You can take photographs of events, weddings, and special occasions.
You can also take photographs of nature, animals, and other things you find interesting.
There are a number of photo websites that allow you to sell your photos online. The most popular ones are Fine Art America and SmugMug.

Data entry

It pays to be precise when entering data into your computer. Pay close attention to whether you’re entering data in from the keyboard, the mouse, or both. When using a keyboard, be conscious of the location of your fingers on the keys and make sure that you don’t accidentally hit a key with your pinky finger (or any other part of your hand). Also pay attention to which keys are depressible and which are not. If you’ve ever noticed that certain keys on your keyboard never seem to work no matter how hard you press them, then it’s probably because they’re depressed keys.

When using a normal computer mouse, keep in mind how far you have to move it—if it takes too much movement, then there might be one or more obstacles between where the cursor is and where you want it to go. All things being equal, something closer is better than something farther away.

Babysitting or dog walking

Babysitting or dog walking. If you enjoy working with children or animals, this can be a fun way to make some extra money. The hours are flexible and you can set your own rates, which means that you can charge more if you’re willing to work late nights or early mornings. Dog walking is also a great way to get exercise.

If you’d like to pursue this option, start by talking to your friends and family members and asking them if they know anyone who might need help caring for their kids or pets. Once word gets around that you’re looking for gigs, it won’t take long before people start contacting you about potential jobs (particularly if they’ve heard good things about your babysitting skills).

Grocery shopping service

When you’re setting up your service, think of two streams of income. First, the obvious one: delivering groceries to clients who place orders via their smartphones. The first part is finding good customers, which is not hard if you live near a college campus or are in a college town where people don’t eat at home much and tend to order delivery from their favorite fast-food restaurant. You can advertise on social media and through flyers around campus or work during the summer—just make sure you deliver to nearby people and not too far for everyone to get food within 30 minutes.

The second stream of income will come from negotiating with clients for better prices (Tip: If you have even a decent credit score, that’s not difficult). That’s where it gets tricky because you’ll have to be able to deliver an order quickly and efficiently so that your client doesn’t change their mind about ordering something different after hearing about how cheap the delivery fee is. Make sure you mention this during your initial phone call with potential new customers.

Website testing

Website testing is where you get paid to offer feedback about a website’s usability. You can do this from anywhere in the world and it only takes 30 minutes or less to complete.

To be able to do website testing, all you need is a computer and internet access. If you have those things covered, then you’re good to go!

You’ll usually get paid $10-$15 per site test, which means if it takes only 10 minutes to make that money, then it’s worth doing. The great thing about this side hustle is that almost anyone can do it since there are no special skills required.

There are several companies that offer opportunities for website testers:

User Testing — User Testing pays $10 flat for every completed test, which usually takes between 15-20 minutes. They don’t follow any patterns or specific routes within their tests, but they will ask detailed questions of your experience with the website and using the internet in general so be prepared for a lot of typing!

Start a YouTube Channel

While not a great option for everyone, starting a YouTube channel is probably one of the most beneficial ways to make money while attending college. With that being said, it’s important to understand what exactly you’re getting into before you decide to create a channel.

As with anything, there are good and bad sides to this particular income stream. The positive side is definitely the potential; depending on how much time and effort you put in, you could end up making hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month from your channel. Additionally, if you can grow your audience enough, you may also be able to turn your channel into a full-time job after graduation!

To do this though, you need more than just viewers—you need subscribers. The longer someone subscribes to your channel, the more YouTube will be willing to pay for their advertisement space (because they know that if someone has subscribed it means they’ll actually see those ads). Viewers are nice and all but subscribers are the golden ticket here because they’re what unlocks the real value of being on YouTube.

Make money blogging

Blogging is a popular way to make money online. It does take some time to get going, but there are many online courses to help you learn how to make money blogging. Many bloggers use affiliate marketing to make money.

Affiliate marketing is writing about products and services you use and like, providing links to those products and services, then getting paid a commission if someone buys the product or service based on your recommendation.

If you want more information on how to get started with blogging in general, Problogger has a great post that goes over the basics of starting a blog here.

Create an online course or e-book

If you’re an expert in a specific area, then you can create and sell an online course. Creating and selling your own course is one of the most effective ways to make money online as a college student.

You will have to become an expert in a specific topic or subject matter and create lessons around it.

You will also need to select a platform such as Udemy, Skillshare or Teachable to host your lessons. Most platforms will allow you to earn up to 50% of the revenue from each sale for each lesson that you sell.

The price range for creating an online course starts at $1,000 and can go up to $10,000 per course depending on what type of content is being taught or sold within the course.

People are always looking for new skills and knowledge so creating courses is always popular when it comes to making money online as a college student.

Rent out your car or parking space

Renting out your car is one of the easiest ways to make extra money. It’s a win-win situation: You get to make some extra cash, and the renter gets a vehicle that they need. Just be sure to exercise caution when choosing the person you want to rent your vehicle out to, as it’s important that they are responsible and follow all laws.

Before you rent out your car, check with your insurance company. Find out if you’re covered in case something goes wrong. Your local laws may have restrictions on renting vehicles for commercial purposes, so make sure you are aware of those before you list your ride on an online marketplace.

The good news is there are many reliable markets available where others can find cars for rent and easily schedule times to use them (and pay through the service). Some of these sites allow renters to find cars based on location and need.

Even better, listing your vehicle is free! Make sure it’s in good condition before listing it so that renters will be more interested in booking your car as opposed to anyone else’s!

Drive for Uber or Lyft

With the help of a new smartphone app, you can make money driving passengers around town. It’s easy to get started and doesn’t require you to have any previous experience. In fact, it’s ideal for those who have recently graduated from college but aren’t quite ready for a full-time job (or are even working part time) yet.

The process is very straightforward. First, download the Uber or Lyft app on your phone and register as an owner-driver. Then, you’ll need to obtain an account ID and a driver name/license number with your DMV (if applicable). Once approved by Uber or Lyft, you can start delivering rides in your own car—and soon enough be earning some extra cash while doing something enjoyable on your own free time!

Start an Etsy Shop

Etsy is a popular marketplace for the sale of handmade goods and supplies. You can sell a wide range of items depending on your niche. Some examples include but are not limited to:

Handmade items (jewelry, scarves, hats, etc.)
Vintage or antique items
Craft supplies (beads, paintbrushes, yarn, etc.)

Start an Etsy Shop

Doing online surveys can be a relatively quick way to earn enough to afford a few extras. Harris Poll Online, for exam

ple, awards points for the completion of online surveys, which can take between five and 25 minutes to fill out. Survey takers accumulate points and can redeem them for gift cards from retailers such as Amazon and Starbucks. Other online outfits that will pay you to take surveys include SurveyClub, Global Test Market and Swagbucks. There’s no cost to sign up.

Taking surveys is fairly straightforward: It’s a more flexible alternative to part-time jobs in that it doesn’t require your presence at all times like some side jobs may; the hours are flexible; and you don’t have a boss telling you what you need to do. You do have deadlines but if you work ahead its not an issue. The more time you put into it the more money you will make (duh). I also enjoy being able to help people by giving my opinion on things in exchange for cash or gift cards because who doesn’t like something free?

Become an Amazon Delivery Partner or Flex Driver

Amazon Flex is a new gig that allows you to deliver packages on your own time. Amazon Flex gives you the opportunity to make an extra $18-$25 per hour, depending on where you live.

There are a few things that you need before getting started:

You must be at least 21 years old.
You also need a vehicle, driver’s license and insurance.
You will need a smartphone as well, as Amazon uses an app to track all of your deliveries.
On top of this, there is also a background check involved with Amazon Flex before you become approved for the program.

Build and sell websites.

If you have a creative side and know how to create websites, this is a great way to earn money. There are all kinds of websites that people need, from personal sites to small businesses and even non-profits.

The process goes something like this:

Choose an online platform such as WordPress or a drag-and-drop website builder like Weebly.
Pick out a free theme or purchase a premium theme.
Get hosting for your site and set it up on your chosen platform.
Design the site based on your client’s needs and desires—or just let them know what they want.
Market your services online or through word of mouth to help drum up business.

Try microtask sites.

If you’re looking for a way to earn side income and want an easy way to get started, try using a microtask site. Microtask sites are websites where you can complete certain tasks in exchange for money. The tasks are usually easy to do and only take a few minutes, but they don’t pay much (usually less than $10 per task). They’re perfect if you have some free time to kill and want to make some extra money!

Here are some of the most popular microtask sites:

Amazon Mechanical Turk (also called mTurk) is one of the largest microtask sites out there. You need to sign up through an invitation with your email address or phone number. Once you’re signed up, you can find and complete tasks on the website or through the mobile app. There are tons of different types of tasks available, from writing descriptions or reviews (called “Human Intelligence Tasks” or HITS) to taking surveys (called “Assignments”).
Clickworker provides similar opportunities as Amazon Mechanical Turk. You need to sign up online with your email address, physical address, and phone number before completing any tasks. There are thousands of HITS that pay between 0.5 cents and 8 dollars each!

Sell things you no longer need.

An easy way to make an extra $100 is to simply sell some things you no longer need. If you have a garage, consider having a garage sale. You can also try eBay and Craigslist for online sales. Newspapers, message boards and local classifieds (which are often free) can also help reach a community of buyers. Maybe even find a local consignment shop or pawn shop that works well for you.

Virtual assistant

If you have a laptop and an Internet connection, you can make money on the side as a virtual assistant. This is a work-from-home job that can be done on your own schedule in any location. Virtual assistants help busy professionals handle their errands and other administrative tasks. You can do anything from making phone calls and booking appointments to scheduling social media posts or planning travel arrangements.

Virtual assistants are paid anywhere from $15 to $50 per hour, depending on experience level and the number of hours worked per week, so this part time job could potentially turn into a lucrative full time gig. Browse sites like Upwork and Freelancer for virtual assistant jobs that interest you, then apply by sending along your résumé or work portfolio, if applicable.

Freelance

Freelance writing is one of the most common forms of earning extra income, and it’s a great one to get started with. There are a number of ways you can find freelance writing work:

Freelancing sites: Sites like Upwork and Problogger often have listings for freelance writers.
Social media: Using Twitter or Facebook to post a request for writers can be an effective way to find specific types of writers.
Company websites: Companies sometimes hire freelancers directly or use them to fill short term gaps in their marketing teams. Do a search on Google for companies that may need freelance copywriters, then send them an email asking if they need help—they may have work you can do!
Bloggers: Many blogs regularly employ guest bloggers. There’s no harm in sending your favorite blogger a quick note asking if they’d consider hiring you as a regular writer.
“Cold calls”: Send an email introducing yourself and offering your services to anyone with whom you’d like to work, even if they haven’t advertised for writers recently. It never hurts to ask!

Podcasting

Podcasting has become an exciting and easy way for anyone to create a unique audio experience like no other. Attending college can be hard enough when you’re trying to juggle all of your extracurricular activities, schoolwork, and maintaining a social life. But add on the fact that you want to make money from your podcast, and it’s almost impossible.

But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. We’re going to break down how exactly to get into podcasting so that it becomes easier for you in the future (and even easier for us because we won’t have homework anymore).

Affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is an online sales tactic that lets a product owner increase sales by allowing others targeting the same audience (referred to as an affiliate) to earn a commission by recommending the product to others. At the same time, it makes it possible for affiliates to earn money on product sales without creating products of their own.

Basically, you can sell someone else’s stuff without ever touching it. Pretty cool, right?

You can earn extra money as a college student for things you’re already doing. You can earn money by getting paid to do things you’re already doing.

Many of the things on this list don’t take a lot of time, don’t require much investment in equipment or money, and the best part is you can do them from the convenience of your own home! 🚀