5 Side Hustle Ideas For College Students To Earn Money

A full-time college student usually has 12 to 18 units, or more, in a semester. This academic responsibility makes it difficult for college students to earn additional income since a job might get in a way of your studying, assignments, class schedules, or worse, your basic necessities, like eating and sleeping.

Fortunately, there are many side hustle ideas for college students that allow them to have additional income without spreading themselves too thin. These side hustles may allow college students to pay down their student loans, save money, or simply having the convenience of extra pocket money.

What are side hustles? These are basically part-time freelance jobs so you don’t need to commit to a 9-5 work schedule as you can set your own working hours. That’s why side hustles are perfect for busy college students since it gives them the opportunity to work before, after, or even in-between classes.

All college students benefit from additional income. Hence, to help you get started, here are ways to make money in college:

1. Tutoring

Perhaps the most common side hustle for college students, tutoring is a flexible gig that’s both rewarding and pays well. Tutoring becomes really simple to do if you excel in a chosen field since you no longer have to extensively prepare for the topic. Also, some tutoring services happen within the campus, hence you don’t need to pay for transportation.

To gather more prospective tutees, make sure that your grades, particularly in a specific course/subject, would validate your standing. Also, it would be best if you’re able to acquire a recommendation from one of your teachers. Lastly, try advertising on sites, like Craigslist, or hang up fliers within your campus high school or elementary schools.

2. Babysitting

Some parents trust babysitting services to young adults, particularly at the college level. This is why babysitting, which is one of the oldest side hustles, is always sought after by college students.

Babysitting becomes enjoyable if you generally love taking care of children, especially if your major relates to them. Thus, if you don’t mind taking care of other people’s kids, try to plot out a schedule within your week to determine your availability to watch a child or two, allowing you to earn a little extra money.

3. Walk Dogs

If you don’t like watching other people’s children since you prefer animals, especially dogs, then there’s also a great side hustle for that. Since many pet owners, especially working individuals, are busy with their lives, they usually hire someone to watch over their pets, which means they need someone responsible, like a college student.

As a dog walker, it’s your responsibility to provide other people’s furry best friend the exercise and socialization they need.

4. Utilize Your Car

Rideshare platforms, like Uber and Lyft, have taken the transportation industry by storm. More and more people are now relying on these types of platforms than taxis or any public form of transportation to get from one place to another. This is because these platforms are relatively safer and convenient compared to the traditional type. Hence, if you own a car, register it on a rideshare platform that suits you.

Moreover, this side hustle is more convenient if drinking isn’t your thing; as always, drinking and driving don’t exactly match. College students that own a car can benefit from becoming a driver since they have the luxury of time to drive around passengers. If you have a long-vacant time, simply log in and start driving passengers from point A to B. Thus, being an Uber or Lyft driver won’t interfere with your class schedule, homework, or any school-related activities, making it one of the perfect side hustles for college students who own a decent car.

5. Work as an Assistant

Colleges usually provide additional funding to their teachers or professors to hire an assistant. An assistant’s role involves grading, data entry, researching, and test monitoring. Hence, if you have a bond with a professor, inquire if they’re looking for a helping hand.

Usually, an assistant’s working hours are flexible since professors understand that you have classes to attend to. Also, by becoming an assistant, you get to explore the professor’s specialty since you may need to grade papers or help them with their ongoing research.

Conclusion

There are still plenty of side hustle gigs that college students can do to earn extra money. For instance, in addition to the ones mentioned above, you can also try taking online surveys, delivering food, sell your class notes, or even sell your old clothes or items. Remember, when you have a side hustle, always balance your studies and your part-time work.

In addition to earning extra cash, having a side hustle would also allow you to have valuable lessons in life, especially the sense of being responsible and financially independent.

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