Trust me, as a college student, it royally sucks to find yourself in debt constantly. So, with the “broke college student” stereotype swiftly fading away, students are constantly on the lookout for how to make more money in college without a job to disrupt study time.
With the increasing conflict between studying to ace exams and making some money to complement student loans, finding a side hustle that doesn’t encroach into class or study time has become necessary.
Delivering pizza or waiting at a local fast food is no longer your only option. There are a bunch of other side hustles for a college student
However, if you find yourself having the “what-if?” syndrome, not to worry. I have listed very doable ways for you – basically your hobbies.
Stay with me through this post as I walk you through 10 legit ways to make money in college without a job. Feel free to click on any of the links in the table of contents that instantly catches your fancy.
How To Make Money In College Without A Job
There are numerous ways for college students to make some extra income, from part-time jobs to apps and websites that let you make money online from your dorm or apartment, there are a bunch of options that still avail your time to study.
#1. Become A Freelancer
This is not necessarily the easiest way to make money in college without a job. There are some hassles involved in pulling this one through. From finding clients to writing proposals, meeting deadlines, managing invoices, and most importantly, finding the clients; it can be quite demanding.
However, you get to learn profitable skills, sharpen your already existing skills, and develop valuable connections (possibly lifelong) with clients.
Freelance sites like Fiverr and Freelancer offer freelancing opportunities where you could meet your potential clients.
There are several freelancing opportunities on the internet as people constantly seek to outsource their tasks to willing freelancers. Tasks like content writing, graphic designing, and programming are given out to freelancers at an agreed-upon price.
These jobs could make you a lot of money in college depending on your availability, skill level, and the rates you charge.
#2. Offer Local Helpful Services
Services like babysitting, pet sitting, and dog walking, can earn you some good money in college. Whether you choose to look after school-aged kids or pets, you would make some extra cash this way. Try looking for your clients first within your circle as parents are more inclined to trust someone they already know.
This will not cost you anything; you can also study while you babysit or pet sit.
Also, you can consider handling some menial jobs around like mowing a yard or removing brush from the property. These simple tasks could also help you earn some money in college without a job during the summer break.
The upside to this is already existing platforms to help you market your services. Check apps like TaskRabbit, UrbanSitter, and Handy, Wag! Rover, Gigwalk, Care.com.
#3. Sell Your Knowledge
Do you know the hard work you put into your studies can also make you extra money in college, even without a job? A lot of students have a hard time understanding certain courses, especially Maths and Science. You can leverage their need for knowledge and make some money for yourself.
Tell your friends and get them to help you print and share your fliers, and post on social media groups on campus to create awareness.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be academic knowledge though. You can also teach how to play instruments like the guitar or piano, or arts and crafts to either children, students, and adults.
Selling your knowledge with a niche topic on sites like Udemy or Skillshare is also a viable option.
#4. Donate Your Plasma
Though it sounds a bit extreme, you can make some extra cash by donating your plasma. Plasma is the viscous and clear part of the blood, and it is very important for treating people with various chronic diseases.
So, you would be helping people in need of it while undeniably making some money as well.
You just need to go for a physical (so try not to have any strange illnesses). The process is almost painless as just a tiny needle is inserted into your arm, and you stay there for about an hour.
Some plasma places will allow you to donate twice a week, and depending on the plasma clinics, you can earn an extra $50-$100.
You may experience bruising or tenderness afterward at the spot where the needle was inserted. However, it will heal after some time.
Surely, it’s a very possible means of making money in college without a job. Though it doesn’t pay much, you could you may stumble on a survey with a large payout. Plus, eventually, the little payouts sum up to a substantial amount.
You would only need to share your opinions. There are a variety of sites where you can take these surveys and get paid. However, not all of them are legit. I would suggest Survey Junkie and Swagbucks as they provide you with legit surveys and also pay you for your opinions.
Consider putting the time between classes, and time in queues at the DMV or the grocery stores to good use and make some money.
#6. Teach English Online
If you are a sound English speaker, you can teach English to students in non-English speaking places like China. You’d just need to secure a position in any of the companies that teach English. Most times, these companies already have lesson plans for you.
There will always be parents in places where English isn’t widely spoken looking to give their kids an edge with the knowledge of the English language. So, your services will always be in demand.
Though it is sometimes required that you first have a bachelor’s degree, QKids is an exception.
You get a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment knowing that you gave a sound education to a child (whilst smiling to the bank).
#7. Buy And Resell Textbooks
Here’s a fact.
College textbooks are as vital as they are expensive. So, the question is “as a college student looking to make money without a job, how can I leverage on this to earn more money?”
Now, at the end of a semester, you may decide to give out your textbooks or sell them at ridiculously low prices. But, have you considered profiting from these sales?
Here’s how you can take it up a notch.
You can progress from just your collection, to buy textbooks from sites like eBay, or campus book rentals, and then resell them on BookScouter.
Pro Tip: Ensure you check the prices of the books on BookScouter using their ISBN. Only buy books you know you can sell at prices higher than you got them for.
This would help you know which books would be profitable.
#8. Be On Your Favorite Tv Game Show
If you are not camera shy and you can ace the game shows you see on tv, you should consider being on those shows yourself.
It is not as difficult as you think. You need to get a full guide to becoming a game show contestant to understand how to be a part of cash-winning tv game shows like “Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, “The Price is Right” and others.
#9. Sell Your Instagram-Worthy Pictures
With a smartphone and a decent eye for photography, you can also make some money for yourself. With an app like Foap, you only have to take a quality photo and upload it to its marketplace.
When someone buys the license to your photo – at $10; you make $5 on each purchase.
So, if you sell about 10 pictures at $5 each, you make $50 doing something you enjoy.
#10. Become A YouTube Video Blogger
You can earn some money as a YouTube blogger with your video skill. According to recent statistics, people watch more videos on YouTube than they search on Google.
Furthermore, with the introduced YouTube Partner Program you can make money even as a college student without a job simply by uploading videos.
You will receive a percentage of the advertising revenue collected per 1,000 views. It’s projected that video bloggers on YouTube get roughly $7.60 for every 1,000 views of their videos.
You have to work on introducing engaging stories, improving virality and subscriber base and you could very well continue to make money on each video.
Conclusion
Waiting at a local fast food is not the only way for college students to make extra money. There are several other ways for you to make help yourself financially. You only need to make up your mind and follow through with it.
Most of the listed possibilities here are hobbies, so, by all means, go ahead and make your choice!
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