30 Perfect Side Hustles for College Students To Earn Extra Income

When considering some great side hustle options, college students should take into consideration how this activity can play a positive role in getting a job post-graduation. Students should focus on their major, as well as full-time career goals. Tuition is expensive and student loans can stack up so making some extra income on the side can come in handy.

30 Best Side Hustles for College Students

One of the best approaches for college students choosing a side gig is to steer clear of typical laundry lists of jobs. Scott Gibney, educational and career consultant at Gibney Solutions LLC, said college students need a game plan to think strategically about a side hustle to maximize their college experience.

“The career path for new college graduates has been altered as corporations now look for students to have proven skill sets. This may also include having a year or more of experience,” said Gibney. “A student will need to show how they have taken the academic theory learned in school and successfully applied it to real-life activities.”

Here are 30 great side jobs college students should consider to make some extra cash:

1. Freelance Writer

Are you majoring in communications? There’s a wide range of side hustles you may explore that allow you to take your skills to the next level. For example, if you are a journalism major you could offer your services for freelancing writing or editing.

Similarly, Gibney said that marketing majors can provide social media solutions to local businesses such as creating content for a variety of social media platforms and sharing what they know about engaging audiences and measuring content performance. Students majoring in public relations can recommend and develop a public relations strategy for small businesses. Communications majors may work in this side hustle on campus or at the company depending on their preference.

2. Graphic Designer

If you’re studying graphic design, you may be able to find a side hustle that allows you to share and show off your skills across a wide variety of forms ranging from branding to editorial design. This can include everything from creating menus for restaurants to designing fliers or newsletters for businesses.

3. Virtual Assistant

Strong organizational skills or administrative experience are needed as a virtual assistant or virtual administrative assistant. If this skillset applies to you then you could potentially operate as high-level support for businesses or business heads. This works well for college students as it can be done remotely so you can plan around your class schedule or work on weekends.

If becoming a virtual assistant sounds like it may be a good side gig for you, here are some duties you might be asked to perform:

Schedule organization
Conference calls and interoffice communications
Correspond through phones and emails
Set and plan meetings

4. Delivery Driver

The side hustle of delivering food or other goods has grown in earning potential exponentially over the last several years. All you need is a reliable form of transportation and then sign up with one of the numerous gig apps to get started. You can set your schedule and make above-average money through some of these popular delivery-driving gig app options:

Uber Eats
Grubhub
Seamless
Instacart
DoorDash

5. Rideshare Driver

If you are one of the lucky college students to have a car, driving for apps such as Lyft or Uber can be a great money maker. College campuses are often high-volume areas for rideshare opportunities as many students don’t have cars. This also greatly cuts down on parking hassles or drunk driving in general.

6. Social Media Manager

Social media platforms allow you to think bigger than just reaching your immediate college campus. Many people need help with monetizing or organizing their accounts. As a social media manager, you would be in charge of expanding your client’s online presence and brand awareness.

If you have a strong knack for creating content you can help others increase sales or attract new customers through their accounts and get paid for it. With the evolving nuances of social media as well as affiliate marketing you could pursue this as a side hustle or even turn it into a full-time career.

7. Cleaning Houses

Cleaning houses or even starting a cleaning business is a low-cost idea with very little overhead and a lot of flexibility. Not only is it an in-demand way to make some quick cash but you can also set up recurring gigs on a schedule around your school responsibilities to make consistent extra income for a side hustle.

8. Coder

Gibney said those pursuing a computer science degree may consider helping with coding a merchant’s website or supporting other technology.

Additionally, Gibney said that many of these side hustles can be done on or off campus depending on the student’s preference. Computer science majors, for example, may provide most of their support from their dorm rooms.

9. Photography or Selling Stock Photos

Photography can be an ideal freelance job to get you some extra money. Weddings, family photoshoots and parties are fertile ground for photographers and are events where can even get paid in cash. If you are an avid photographer, you can also sell your photos to websites like Shutterstock for a commission.

10. Babysit

Babysitting is one of the original side hustle professions and has the potential to be quite lucrative. It is not just for neighborhood teenagers anymore, and your rate of pay increases the more children you watch so be sure to price your fee competitively to ensure you maximize your earning potential. This is great for college students who are good with children or going into professions such as teaching or social work.

11. Housesit

Becoming a house-sitter can be convenient for poor students as you would be getting paid but you are also getting free room and board for the duration of your stay. You can set times to housesit when you are in between homes, need to save on rent, or just get out of the dorms for a bit.

12. Pet Sit

Many pet owners look to have their furry friends attended to while vacationing or even if they are out of town on business for an extended period. This can be a regular gig or a good way to get free room and board for a couple of weeks. If you are good with animals, you can set your rate and pick up a few clients in your neighborhood for a great way to score some bonus income.

13. Dog Walking

>A quick way to earn some cash for books or fun money is to walk dogs for people you know or who live near you. You walk more than one at a time to up your earning potential. Research your area to see what other people are charging to walk dogs so you can price yourself competitively and start scooping up clients.

14. Complete Online Surveys

You can make some extra money in your spare time by filling out surveys online. There is also a variety of online activities for you to complete besides surveys such as watching videos or filling out questionnaires for the chance to earn cash, gift cards, or other rewards. It’s a great side hustle for busy college students as you can pick and choose which ones you do and when you do them.

15. Put Ads on Your Car

One of the easiest and most passive ways to earn income is to find a company willing to pay you for advertising space on your car. Once you do, you can get the magnet or mesh to attach to your car and drive around making some dough.

16. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you promote a certain product on your website or social media page, and if someone purchases it, you’ll receive a commission. Essentially, you would post an affiliate link on one of your social media platforms, websites, or blog posts and if any of your followers click on it and it leads to a sale or other form of desired action you earn a commission which is great for students who enjoy creating content and have a strong following.

17. Fashion Assistant

What’s available to students who are studying a fashion major? Gibney recommends students pursuing a career in the fashion field offer to create and host a fashion show at local dress shops.

These students might even be able to pivot this hustle into a fashion assistant role at the shop, dabbling in a bit of everything from providing sewing assistance to helping out with fittings.

18. Online Tutoring

Having just gone through the subjects yourself, online tutoring for high school students or younger could be right up your alley to make some extra cash. You could grow a student base or online followers willing to pay for your guidance and lessons. Tutoring students online in areas such as SAT preparation or other school curricula is quite in demand so it is a solid side gig plan.

19. Party Planning

Throwing parties cannot only make you money but also make you pretty popular around campus. If you have a talent for organizing shindigs, you can freelance party plan for school organizations or even student body groups, especially if you have nights and weekends free. You’ll be responsible for finding vendors, coordinating payments, being onsite to ensure things run smoothly on the big day, and assisting with cleanup.

20. Lawnmowing and Landscaping

Lawn mowing can be a seasonal side gig or a regular occupation depending on where you live. You can also often use the equipment of the person who hired you to save you that expense. Groundskeeping has multiple opportunities in gardening, landscaping, and more, especially for seasonal work for when you have summers off.

21. Grocery Shopper

Completing tasks for people or running errands for those who can’t or don’t want to can earn you some passive income. Grocery shopping services exist, including Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and services run by individual grocery chains can take care of the details, while all you have to do is sign up to be a shopper and deliverer. Be aware that some of these services may require you to have transportation.

22. Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping, also known as secret shopping, is when you go into restaurants or other service-based businesses and gauge the quality of customer service and overall experience at their locations for companies.

You’ll be hired through a third party to visit an assigned retail store or restaurant and report back on areas such as the cleanliness of the location, employees’ product knowledge, and how you were treated. Mystery or secret shoppers earn an average of $25 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter.

23. Lifeguarding

>If you are a strong swimmer, you can monetize this skill by lifeguarding at campus pools or seasonally in the summer in public recreational spaces. This side hustle is great to make money, especially if you live near a beach or in a warmer climate.

24. Paint Houses

When people are moving to a new space or looking to upgrade or freshen up their current one, they need a house painter so this side hustle can be in high demand. As it can be a time-consuming process, many people prefer to hire someone else to do it which primes you for potential customers. You can schedule a few jobs per month to make sure you’re getting some consistent pay.

25. Edit Papers

Perfect for English, creative writing, or journalism majors, you can make some money proofreading or editing your classmates’ papers or other assignments. You can charge per project or even per page. If you set a reasonable rate, there will be great word of mouth to help you pick up other customers on campus.

26. Write Cover Letters or Resumes

Many of your fellow students and peers are about to graduate and may need help writing cover letters or resumes as it’s nearly impossible to get a new job without those parts of the application. Though you can set your rates, resume writers can earn an average of $50 to $100 for a basic resume and up to $300 for an executive-level client, according to Indeed. This will also help you hone your skills during your own job search after graduation.

27. Online Focus Groups

A great way to earn an hourly rate that can range anywhere from $20 to $200 is by participating in a focus group. Many duties or responsibilities depend on the group or company, which also affects the pay rate. Tasks may include:

Filling out surveys
Doing market research
Answering questions about a product
Giving feedback directly to the company about products or services

28. Start a Dropshipping Business

One of the more recent and more lucrative side hustles to pop up is Dropshipping. This is when you handle online orders that don’t require the retailer or seller involved to maintain a physical product inventory. You are the middleman for distribution, and it is all done remotely with little to no overhead.

It’s pretty straightforward as customers simply place orders with a retailer or seller, the order is sent to a third party, and that party fulfills and ships the order. You don’t even have to store any of the inventory which means you have the potential to make a lot of money, though income will vary based on product and volume.

29. Start an Etsy Shop

If you’re a talented painter, photographer, graphic designer, knitter, or any other type of artisan, starting an Etsy Shop is a way to get paid for doing work you’re truly passionate about. Though selling your items does cost a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee, and a 3% plus $0.25 payment processing fee, it also allows you to reach buyers from a wide market and grow your entrepreneurial skills at the same time.

30. Tour Guide

What kinds of side hustles are available to those studying art, music, or theater majors? Gibney said this is a common question he is asked for how these majors can get started in their fields. There are plenty of side hustle opportunities available to these students.

“Art majors can provide support to their local galleries with exhibits or tours,” said Gibney.

Students studying for theater degrees can introduce themselves to production staff at the local playhouse. They may offer to help with the business aspects of a production or to introduce acts.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Perfect Side Hustles for College Students To Earn Extra Income