Going back to school can be the best decision in your life in the long term. In the short term, though, you still a job and money to make it through those college years. Getting a stable job is tough because classes and studying will take up an unpredictable amount of time. Thus, one of the best ways to survive college is to find freelance work. Here are some of the best student freelance jobs.
1. Become a blogger
This is what I did three years ago and I still do it today. It won’t buy me a house but it pays the bills and really that’s all that’s important. There are a lot of places that are hiring bloggers. You just have to have a good grasp on the English language and you have to like writing. The best site to find blogging jobs is ProBlogger.net. Best of luck!
2. Landscaping
Yard work of various types are great for students. You can work during pretty much any time when it’s daylight because the equipment is too loud for night time work. You can go totally freelance and do things like mow lawns and make a decent amount or work as a freelancer for a landscaping business and make a decent amount of money. If you love the outdoors and manual labor, this is a great job for you.
3. On-Campus IT Support
A great way to work around your hectic college schedule is to actually work for your college. Thanks to it being the digital revolution, people who know how to set up, fix, and otherwise maintain computers is becoming a valuable job skill. If you can get into the IT department at your school, you’ll gain real life experience and we hear it looks good on a resume.
4. Graphic Designer
One of the more frequent requests for freelance work is for graphic design. Companies, small business owners, and other individuals are always looking for someone to design their website banner, company logo, or other graphical assets. You find jobs on a variety of websites, take them, and then do the work. You get money, a gold star on your resume (especially if you’re studying for something in graphics), and it’s fun!
5. Become a freelancer in almost anything
There are websites out there like Freelancer.com that is a cornucopia of work. We mentioned graphic design earlier but these freelance style sites can be for anyone. Developing mobile apps, creating websites, blogging, video editing, graphic design, and pretty much any other type of online work can be found on these types of sites. They work and once you earn a good reputation, you can get jobs pretty easily.
6. Do some online tutoring
You are in school to learn so why not help others who are in school to learn. Chances are you’re good in at least one school subject. Chances are there are others who need help in that subject and will pay you to teach them. Tutors can make a decent living and you can determine your own hours. Plus you’re helping someone else learn and that gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
7. Social media specialist
There are actually companies out there that will pay you to make their social networking profiles sparkle. You’ll be responsible for making posts, interacting with people, and making social media profiles stand out above the rest. It’s both an easy and a hard job at the same time. On one hand you hang out on social media all the time but then the downside is that you hang out on social media all the time. If you can handle it, it’s a good opportunity and it looks good on resumes.
8. Flip furniture
This is a little unique but you can make quite a bit of money out of it. Especially if you live near or on campus. You simply go find furniture that people are throwing away such as tables, chairs, couches, etc and you refurbish them. It requires a little money to start because you’ll need tools and whatnot. However, you can get a couch for free on the curb, clean it up, and resell it for a few bucks. It’s not frequent money but you can also grab a bunch of discarded stuff at the end of the school year when students move home and have a lucrative summer job.
9. Sell stuff at fairs, festivals, and social events
If you’re a maker of bracelets, painter of paintings, or knitter of clothing items, then pretty much any large social event is a change to make money. Most cities have festivals, fairs, carnivals, and other large social events. You simply set up a booth with your wares and get people to buy your items. You can make a pretty penny this way if you’re persistent and chances are that you’re doing something you love.
10. Become a photographer or a videographer
These days a lot of people have pretty nice DSLR cameras. You can use that fun little hobby item as a professional item if you so choose. There are a load of people who are looking for photographers and videographers to shoot events like weddings, large social events, concerts, school events, and other things. It can pay a lot if you’re good at it and you can use these events to start a portfolio if you ever decide to do this professionally. Plus, it lets you accept the jobs you want at the hours you want so it doesn’t interfere with studying.
11. Become a freelance programmer
This one requires some expertise in computer programming but if you happen to know at least one language there is always a job out there for you. Many companies hire web developers or mobile app developers to either help out or spearhead apps. The development cycle can be anywhere from a few days to several months and you’re doing something you enjoy. Also, freelance development is extremely attractive on a resume.
12. You can do some home improvement
Practically every home improvement contractor on this planet will hire college students. You’ll be painting houses, laying down carpet, installing bathtubs, and other things like that. Obviously, you’ll be working with someone who is licensed and bonded (we hope) who will do the super technical stuff. However, it doesn’t take a degree or a certification to paint a house. They can pay pretty well and it is a year-round job so you don’t have to worry about your money drying up at the end of the season.
13. Volunteer to work events
Most large events require temporary people to work them. For instance, working security at a concert hall during a show or working cleanup after a large social event. These jobs can pay hundreds of dollars for a weekend’s worth of work depending on the event and what you end up doing. Since there is always an event going on then you always have a chance to find some work.
14. Pet-sit or babysit
There are people everywhere that are looking to get rid of their pet or their kid for an evening to get out and have a little fun. Where there are people who need a break, there is money to be made. It isn’t a whole bunch of money, but it’s enough to keep a few bucks in your pocket. Plus, if you have repeat customers, you won’t have to work so hard to find new work because you’ll always have people who will call you to sit their little critters.
15. Become a marketer or a promoter
Perhaps the hardest job on this list is also potentially one of the most rewarding. Marketing and promoting use vastly different methods but invariably perform the same task. They get people aware of something so they can go spend money on it. Promoters are people that hand out flyers for concerts or show up at bars or pubs with promotional items to get people aware of a product. Marketers do pretty much the same thing except there’s less leg work and a much larger audience. It can be a lot of work but it can also make a lot of money.
Becoming a freelancer is difficult. It takes a while to build your portfolio so it may take some time to make some real money. If you have a little trouble starting out, don’t get discouraged. It’ll get better if you keep trying!
Featured photo credit: Nerd Wallet via assets.nerdwallet.com
