The 10 Best Jobs For College Students – How To Survive Student Life
It goes without saying that college can be a tough financial time for a lot of students.
Tuition, textbooks, the cost of living, and maintaining a semblance of a social life is expensive. It isn't surprising that a tonne of college students go into debt, live paycheck to paycheck, or constantly stress over money.
Now, I was fairly broke for a lot of college. So were most of my friends.
To get by, I used a variety of college side hustles, started a blog, and also worked for 3 years as a Starbucks barista on my campus. A lot of my friends did the same sort of thing.
College is a time where you should hustle, learn voraciously, and try something new.
But, if you need to support yourself and put food on the table, that responsibility obviously takes precedent.
If you're looking for ways to make money in college, please consider some of the following jobs for college students as a way to make ends meet.
Trust me, I've tried a lot of ways to make money as a student, and so did my friends. The following college job ideas are a great place to start if you don't know where to begin.
Let's get to it!
Why You Should Consider An Online Job As A Student
Since this is WebMonkey after all, I'm going to start by outlining some of the reasons online work is the best sort of job for college students looking to boost their monthly income.
Obviously, if you desperately need money, you have to take what you can get.
However, if you have some time to search, I'd recommend looking for an online job due to the following reasons.
There are several benefits to finding an online job as a college student that beat working in retail.
1. Time and Flexibility
Many online jobs or contract based work enable you to set your own working hours and remain flexible.
As a student, the ability to work around demanding class schedules or exams is also a blessing. Online jobs can enable students to earn decent money while also focusing on maintaining their grades.
2. Payment
While this is not always true, online jobs generally pay more money per hour than minimum wage jobs.
Granted, online jobs for students can require a different set of skills and job hunting ability than working at a local restaurant, but the effort and skills you need for these job is reflected in the hourly pay.
Personally, obtaining higher hourly pay was one of the greatest motivators that made me work a number of these jobs throughout school.
3. Knowledge
Pursuing higher education isn't just a means to and end or a way to find a job. Rather, furthering your education is really a way to learn new skills and develop as a person.
By finding a challenging and rewarding online job to make money online throughout school, you can truly put your knowledge to the test and learn something along the way.
I have learned far more about business, marketing, sales, and life by experimenting with work or challenges outside of the classroom. If college is a time to grow and expand your knowledge, working an online job can definitely help achieve that purpose.
The Best Online Jobs for College Students
If you're ready to jump into the world of online work, these are some of the jobs I recommend most often.
1. Content Writing
I cover content writing in my post on how to become a freelance writer, and it's always my first recommendation in terms of jobs for college students.
I've written content as a contract writer at different points in college, and I'm now a full-time freelance writer because of the experience.
Businesses are always looking for help with their content marketing. Whether it's article writing, business blogging, or some other form of content creation, writing is always in demand.
Furthermore, content writing jobs can teach you a variety of skills, including:
- How to write content with SEO best practices in mind (search engine optimization).
- How to take part in a content marketing strategy from a business perspective.
- Enhanced writing ability.
- New information. You'll be surprised at what you can learn from content writing.
Additionally, content writing is a great job for college students because you can usually find gigs that pay at least $15-$20/hour (if you write fairly quickly).
I truly think that writing is one of the best part time jobs for college students from a financial and skill development perspective.
Extra Reading – The 20 Best Jobs For Introverts.
2. Editing
While editing work or proofreading contracts wouldn't be my own go-to work from home job, editing jobs are a great online job for college students with a strong skill set in languages.
College is a competitive environment, and this is what makes editing work especially lucrative for students.
If you are a skilled writer, you can find work proofreading essays, critiquing resumes, or helping others to hone their writing abilities. All you have to do is reach out to your fellow student body on forums or job posting websites and offer your services.
Additionally, you can also find editing work for businesses. From website editing to article proof reading, there's always a need for a qualified second pair of eyes to do some review.
3. Website Testing & Quality Assurance
Testing websites and providing real-time quality assurance for businesses is valuable. Therefore, it's no surprise that you can make money online (even as a student) through user testing or QA.
Whether you test apps that are still in development, newly launched websites, or other services, there are many websites that can pay you to provide your feedback and time.
Some of the most popular user testing websites include:
- User Testing.
- TestingTime.
- TryMyUI.
- Validately.
You'll probably have to sign up with several user testing websites to receive enough invitations every month to pay the bills. However, it isn't uncommon for many testing jobs to pay $20/hour.
Check out my post on 13 ways to make money testing websites for more ideas!
4. Graphic Design Or Web Design
If you have some skill with design, access to a computer, and know how to use photo editing/design software, working as a freelance graphic design artist is a great part time college job.
Website graphics, advertisement banner creation, or logo design are just some of the main jobs available for freelance artists.
Many jobs will pay a flat rate per contract, while others pay hourly. Whatever the pay scheduling, graphic design jobs are fairly lucrative due to how specialized the required skill set is.
My friend works as a freelance designer and programmer, and he's able to support himself when we travel to various places like Florida or, more recently, Colombia.
However, graphic design work is especially great job for college students because every job you complete can be added to your portfolio of work.
If you're looking to secure future freelance work or even a full-time design job, having a collection of your past work could prove invaluable.
Extra Reading – How To Make $100 A Day With PayPal.
5. Social Media Management
While making money online as a social media manager is less common than working as a content writer or graphic designer, it can still be an excellent job for college students looking to make money and acquire new skills.
Social media is not going anywhere. There are currently 2.6 billion social media users and user growth is showing no signs of slowing.
Finding work as a social media manager can be as straightforward as managing social media pages for a family friend who runs a business.
Alternatively, you can take initiative and approach local businesses that are currently not active on social media and propose a management plan that suits their needs.
Be prepared for rejection, but also keep an open mind. You'd be surprised at how many businesses want to launch their social media presence but lack the knowledge on how to do so.
When approaching businesses to pitch social media management services, be sure to:
- Research the businesses you plan on approaching: know their target market, goals, and current social media usage.
- Prepare an outline of why managed social media can help their business.
- Define your pricing and what you will deliver: cover post frequency, projected growth, and how you will reach business goals.
I've done some work as a social media manager or paid advertising specialist throughout college, and generally earned $100/month per social media platform. So, if you can manage 3 platforms for a local business, you can earn around $200-$300 a month.
Extra reading – How To Make Money On Pinterest.
6. Tutoring
When it comes to online jobs for college students, tutoring is one of the more reliable options out there.
There are dozens of online tutoring platforms that seek native English speakers to help teach children in countries like China. You can find jobs tutoring in other subjects, of course, but ESL-tutors are in highest demand.
Tutoring English is a great online job for students because you will mostly be tutoring children in much different time zones than where you live (if you're in North America or Europe).
While this means you will have some brutally early mornings, you will never have to miss work or class!
Some popular ESL tutoring companies include:
- VIPKID.
- GoGo Kid.
- Cambly.
- SayABC.
Pay is pretty competitive for online tutoring jobs, and many websites pay between $15-$22/hour!
Check out my post of the best 11 tutoring jobs to learn more!
How To Find Online Work As A Student
Finding an online job as a college student might seem daunting. However, there are a number of common ways you can go about finding online work as a college student.
LinkedIn is an incredible platform designed for professionals and B2B networking, and now has over 500 million users.
When it comes to finding work online, LinkedIn is always a great place to begin.
LinkedIn is great for developing your own online resume, and it also provides users with direct access to major companies and top job postings.
If you don't have a LinkedIn account, create one for free today and start submitting your resume to freelance job postings!
Reddit For Hire
While Reddit is a great place to find memes and cool articles, there's also a considerable amount of work that can be found on Reddit.
r/forhire is Reddit's job marketplace where users can post ‘hiring' or ‘for hire' links and outline what kind of work they are looking for or able to provide.
Some of the most common posts on For Hire include:
- Content writing jobs.
- Graphic design.
- SEO consulting.
- Programming.
- Tutoring.
- Web design.
Seeing as most of the popular jobs on r/forhire are jobs I've included in my list of online jobs that pay, I couldn't write this post without mentioning Reddit.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make Money On Reddit.
Other Job Hunting Websites
If you're not finding work on LinkedIn or Reddit, you can try several other job posting websites or forums such as:
- Indeed.
- Monster.
- Kijiji or Craig's List.
- Workopolis.
- Glassdoor.
- Specific subreddits that fit your skillset (i.e. r/Blogging if you offer content writing, or r/SEO if you offer SEO consulting).
Extra reading – 32 Remote Job Sites To Get Started As A Freelancer.
The Best Part Time Jobs For College Students – Offline Ideas
If you're still on the hunt of a suitable college job or don't want to work online, there are still plenty of options you can turn to!
7. Any Campus Job
As I mentioned, I worked on campus as a Satrbucks Barista during my time in college.
However, finding any sort of job on campus is a great idea if you need to make money as a student.
Here's why:
- You're on campus so you can easily schedule shifts around class time.
- Campuses close during most major holidays and have more flexible hours that most retail jobs.
- You can find ways to save money with a campus job. Maybe your gym job gives a free membership, or your cafeteria job gives free meals on shifts?
You get the idea. Just be sure to apply early since anyone looking for a part time college job will be on the hunt.
8. Babysitting
In terms of part time college jobs that let you get homework done or relax a little, babysitting is at the top of the list.
If you have experience looking after kids and know a few families or friends in your college town that need a babysitter, keep the job at all cost throughout your college career.
After all, what other job will pay you to do your homework at 10:00pm when the kids you're watching are fast asleep? Not a bad gig.
If you don't know any families with kids, you can also look for work on websites like Care.com.
A lot of my friend worked as sitters during college, and while hours can be sporadic, it's good money.
9. Find A Gig Economy Job
We live in a time of immense opportunity when it comes to side hustling.
If you need money to get by but can't find a campus job, turning to various gig economy jobs is definitely the way to go.
Some of the most lucrative options for college students include:
- Delivering food with a company like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
- Completing odd jobs with apps like TaskRabbit.
- Delivering groceries with DoorDash or Postmates.
- Walk dogs with companies like Rover or Wag.
All of these jobs are flexible and have decent hourly pay. In fact, I'd say these are probably some of the best paying part time jobs for college students around.
Don't believe me? Well, my friend supported himself in downtown Toronto of all places by working as a bike food courier, so these companies do pay if you work late nights or hustle.
When in doubt, turn to the gig economy for work!
Extra Reading – 12 Ways to Make & Save Money Quickly.
10. Tutor (In Person)
I already mentioned online ESL tutoring as a viable job for college student.
However, you can still make decent money by tutoring students in subjects you are very knowledgeable in.
After you complete a course, make sure you keep the notes for it. Chances are, if you excelled in a particular subject, you can help younger classes of students down the line and earn a decent hourly wage while doing so.
School is competitive, and if people are scared of failing or want to do well, they'll be willing to pay for private tutoring help.
Final Thoughts
Surviving college isn't easy. Hell, I probably considered dropping out once a semester, if not more.
However, while times can get tough financially, there are plenty of side hustle opportunities or great jobs for college students you can turn to in order to make ends meet.
If you are looking to make money as a student and to develop your skills and resume, I'd recommend looking at different ways to make money online and the jobs on this list.
In contrast, if you need money immediately, find a campus job, a private arrangement like tutoring or babysitting, or make money through the gig economy.
Student life is tough, but you can get through it.
Just keep your head down, work hard, and make money where you can. Oh, and don't forget to have some fun while you're at it.
Thanks for reading! I hope this list of the best jobs for college students helps you get back on track with your finances.
If you prefer video or want even more ideas on ways to make money in college, be sure to checkout my latest YouTube video as well (and to subscribe, of course 😉 )
Extra Reading:
- My 23 Ways To Save More Money In College.
- My $20,000 College Side Hustles.
- 40 Easy Ways To Save Money In College – A great post by my friend Clint at Wallet Wise Guy.
