Even if you’re using scholarships, or savings to pay for tuition, there is value in starting a college side hustle and earn an extra income. Somehow you like the idea of getting a side hustle but you really don’t know how to get started. No worries, we have great ideas that will benefit you. In this article, you will learn how you can better your skillset and also earn a little extra cash with a side hustle even while you quarantine in this COVID-19 period. Taking a side hustle as a college student gives you the opportunity to explore your passions. Most of these jobs are freelance-based, so they’re easier to commit to since you can set your own hours and work from anywhere, fitting in work before, after, or in between classes. Take advantage of this rare opportunity and start up something.
Why Side Hustle for College Students?
A side hustle is a short-term work you can do in your spare time. You can work at night, over the weekend, and even in the comfort of your home. Working a side hustle is basically, turning your interests, talents, and skills into potential sources of income. A side hustle is flexible, you are in control of your schedule; determine when and for how long you’ll work that is why it is perfect for students.
How Do I Start Side Hustle?
Starting a side hustle in today’s world is not much of a challenge as technology advancement has taken care of a lot of things. You don’t necessarily need to jump one interview for another or tie yourself to one gig. To get started on a good note, first, identify the skills that can translate into a side gig, ask yourself questions like, What am I good at? Is there anything I can do that allows me to get paid going about my day-to-day routine? Next, find a good platform that will connect you to your potential clients or audience. Once you’re able to fix that, you’re essentially on the path to becoming your own boss.
What Are The Top 30 Side Hustle Ideas For College Students?
There are more than a thousand creative side hustle ideas for college students. Instead of being a starving college student, living on borrowed money, take advantage of the following flexible side hustles to put a real plate of dinner on the table.
#1 Photography
Photography is a great side hustle idea for students. It is basically, the art, application, and practice of light with a camera, usually via a digital sensor or film, to create an image. If you’ve got an eye and some decent equipment, you can turn your hobby into some extra cash. To start taking pictures, all you need is a camera, which can be anything from a basic smartphone to an advanced DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Nevertheless, photography equipment is not all that important – light, subject, emotion, and composition are all critical elements of a successful photograph.
#2 Freelance Writing
Another great side hustle idea is Freelance writing. This is the practice of writing for money while working on your own and not being employed by a company or organization. As a freelance writer, you produce whatever written text is needed by your clients, either working from home or in a rented office space. You can start by registering with services like Fiverr and Upwork; They can connect you with companies that need part-time and per-project freelance writers.
#3 Cover Letter/Resume Service:
With the high rate of job turnover and lots of people needing jobs, people request for experts to get them a decent resume or cover letter. Rendering cover Letter/resume service will allow you make a lot of money by helping other people improve their odds.
#4 Housesitting
Housesitting is one of the easiest side hustle ideas for students. It is the act of staying in someone’s house while they are away in order to keep it safe. Most house-sitting jobs will demand you taking care of a pet; although it comes with additional pay, it does take time out of your life- You’re committing your time to ensure the pets are well fed. You can start by connecting with online services as Care.com make.
#5 Painting Service
Painting service is another good side hustle for college students. You can schedule time on weekends and during the summer to paint houses or join a painting company. It can pay well if you have the right connection.
#6 Makeup Artist
Another legit side hustle for college students is rendering makeup services. If you are skilled and can deliver a quality service, you can do makeup for weddings and make about $300 to $400 per service.
#7 Food Delivery
Food delivery is another legit side hustle idea one can adopt. You simply register with any eatery or restaurant then deliver food. Clients that need these services are within the campus. All you do is wait for an order to come in, pick up said order from the restaurant, and deliver.
#8 Tutoring
For those talented in subjects like math, chemistry, French, or another subject that tends to stump others. Tutoring will make the best side hustle for you as a college student. If you have true knowledge of a subject in demand, you will earn big bucks for tutoring services because parents are willing to pay. Check out; 10 Online Tutoring Jobs for College Students
#9 Lawn and Gardening Services
This service is a great side hustle idea for students who enjoy spending time outdoors. To get started, you may have to invest in a weed whacker and mower. You don’t need to worry because your investments will pay off quickly. After acquiring the working tools, advertise to local homeowners, and you’ll likely find that they’re much more willing to pay a college student than one of those large landscaping companies.
#10 Houses and/or Offices Cleaner
If you can handle dust and grime, then cleaning homes and offices can prove to be a good side hustle. Dozens of businesses, families with busy parents, or the elderly need cleaners to take care of their surroundings. You don’t necessarily need to register with a cleaning or waste management agency, you can advertise yourself and work alone so as to choose your own rate either per hour or per room.
#11 Fitness/Personal Trainer
This is a very lucrative and legit side hustle for college students. You can offer an average of 45 minutes sessions. Also, people need an expert to guide them every step of the way in exercise prescription and instruction. You can motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to them. To get started, advertise at local gyms and music stores, community websites, and schools, then choose your own hours and rates.
#12 Review apps and websites
As a college student, you can get paid to write app reviews and also participate in focus groups through sites like Apperwall and UserTesting.com.
#13 Babysitting/Childcare
Babysitting is a good side hustle idea for students that love kids. Parents need people who can take care of their kids while they are away for their personal business. This kind of service will require a background check and first aid certification before you can work. Find babysitting jobs via sites and apps such as Bubble, UrbanSitter, and SitterCity.
#14. Become a translator
If you understand and can also fluently speak another language, you can use your skill to earn some cash. You can work anywhere. Translation services typically require you to pass a test before you can get matched to or approved for a job. You can connect with potential clients through sites such as UpWork, Translators Café, and Gengo.
#15. Sell old textbooks
This is a common side hustle that pays. You simply turn your old books into cash by selling via online providers. You can utilize platforms like TextBookRush, Chegg, BookScouter, and Cash4Books. To get started, you register, enter the book’s ISBN, get a price quote, sell it, and ship it using free shipping labels from the vendors.
#16. Drive service
Offering Drive service will make a great side hustle if you’re fortunate enough to own a car. You are in control of your own schedule; As a driver, you’d pick up passengers anytime you can- could be in between classes, on the weekend, only on certain days. Popular companies like Uber and Lyft offer ride-sharing services. To register, you must meet specified driving requirements, carry the proper insurance.
#17. Moving Advertisement
This is apparently the easiest of all side hustle ideas for students listed in this article. All you need is to Connect with a company willing to pay you to advertise their name on your car, add the magnet, or mesh to your car, and drive around.
#18. Shovel Snow During the Winter
This service is recommendable for college students who live in a wintery climate. Shoveling snow may be a hard task to do but it pays well. Your role is to walk around a neighborhood offering to shovel driveways and walkways. Do not wait for the snowy day, always advertise your services in advance.
#19. Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing (SEM) is listed among the legit side hustle you should consider as a college student. It is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results. You can run paid adverts to companies and to get their website to appear on the first page of the search engine.
#20. Pool Cleaning Service
Pool cleaning is a great side hustle idea that can fetch you easy money, as long as you know how to do it. You don’t need to worry about how to get clients, check out online classified ads. There you will find existing pool cleaners looking for help with their existing projects.
#21. Graphic design
Graphic design is the most common legit side hustle that has helped a lot of college students pay for their educational expenses. Companies and individuals all over the world that are ready to offer you anything from $25 to $200 to design business cards and Logos for them.” You can also sell your services and designs on sites like Etsy, 99 Designs and Café Press allow side hustling designers to.
#22. Car Wash
If you are sure of providing professional interior car detailing services, you can take Car washing as a side hustle. If you want to operate a self-service system, you have to get a modern Conveyorized automatic car wash.
#23. Podcasting
If you find talking much easier, you can take up podcasting as a side hustle. A podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme. Just like with blogging, you choose a Niche for your Podcast and provide quality content.
#24. YouTube Video Blogger
Video blogging is highly lucrative and therefore will make a good side hustle for college students who have a gift for video. It’s estimated that video bloggers on YouTube get roughly $7.60 per 1,000 views of their videos. You get paid based on the advertisements displayed on your videos which means the more people that watch your videos, the more you get paid.
#25. Virtual Assistant
Another great way to earn money as a college student is to become a virtual assistant. You can earn several hundred dollars or more per month by responding to emails, handling basic writing and organization, research tasks, and more.
#26. Interior Decorator
If you enjoy furnishing or adorning a space with fashionable or beautiful things, you can turn your passion into money by offering interior decoration services. As an interior decorator, you will often paint walls, hangs wallpaper, selects and places furniture, installs window treatments, and adds accessories such as throw rugs.
#27. Become A DJ
DJ business is highly rewarding if you are good at small audio mixing with crossfader and cue functions to blend or transition from one song to another. You can DJ on weekends and work for parties and events. You start by investing to get a mixer and some speakers, but after that, you can profit.
#28. Laundry Service
Busy and demanding city life is making more people willing to pay laundry businesses to take care of their dirty laundry. As a college student, you can offer to get paid by washing, drying, and ironing clothes for all your friends and neighbors. You can also learn, How To Get Rid of Student Loans During The COVID Period
Benefits of Side Hustle For College Students
There are many reasons why college students are encouraged to take up a side hustle. Some of the reason include;
Challenges of Side Hustle for College Students
Although side hustle offers a lot of benefits to college students, it also has some major drawbacks. Working a side hustle (or multiple side hustles) could conflict with your academic activities. For instance, If you’re loaded up with 12, 15, or even 18 credits in a semester, taking on even the smallest part-time gig might get in the way of class, studying, homework, and other important stuff you can’t go without, like eating and sleeping. Other disadvantages of college side hustle include;
Conclusion
Earning an income as a full-time college student can be very challenging especially when you have a huge academic workload. However, taking on a side hustle is a way to make money without interfering with your studies if you plan well. You can also pay down your student loan debt, save some money, or get some extra pocket cash. Take advantage of the flexible side hustles ideas highlighted in this article and watch yourself graduate debt-free from school. Also, don’t ignore the career benefits that a side gig can bring you in the future.
Frequently Asked Question On Side Hustle Ideas for Students
If you know how to plan your schedule and create time for your studies, you will still maintain your performance. You don’t need anybody’s permission to take up aside hustle. Side hustle like Graphic design, Translating, and blogging allows people to work at the comfort of their home;
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