When you find yourself in pre-adult purgatory aka that stage between still being reliant on your parents for an allowance and being expected to be independent and self-sufficient (we’ve all been there), it seems every dollar is a struggle. Congratulations! Welcome to college life! You just can’t seem to have enough wallet juice to power you through the week. So maybe, it’s time for you to consider getting a side gig. Let’s talk about online jobs for college students, either full time or part time, and find out which one best suit you. The best online jobs for college students are those that offer flexibility, are relatively easy to execute, and most importantly, pay well. One thing is for sure, your schedule will be changing like the seasons and your free time is rarely fixed to a specific window of time. So what you’re looking for is something you can schedule based on your course load and that you can do basically anytime and anywhere. Remember, your education is the priority so whatever you choose to do, it must work around your school timetable. Balance is key. Sure, there are other legitimate ways to earn that extra buck; you can get part time jobs like bussing tables or interning for the newest start-up company at the corner. But you can’t beat a gig that you can do from home or at your favorite café whilst sipping your hazelnut, double shot espresso, extra whip frappuccino.
Let’s dive right in!
Best Online Jobs for College Students in 2020
Online tutor
Expected pay: $13 - 20+ per hour or more
This is a natural fit. Some students just naturally excel at certain subjects so it’s not going to be too much of a stretch for you to offer to accept tutoring jobs to help struggling students to get their grades up. This is also not limited to your academic strengths, but also your extracurricular talents.
How to get started
Platforms like Wyzant, Chegg and Tutor.com are a great place to start. Or take the entrepreneurial approach and market your course through websites like Skillshare, Udemy, or even your very own site.
Social Media Manager
Expected pay: $15 - 40 per hour
Being born in the digital age comes with many perks and no generation is more internet savvy than yours. That includes almost having an inherent talent in social media management. Finally, all those hours on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube finally pay off. As a social media manager, you follow the online trends, curate content, create lead, interact with customers, and basically drive the social media presence of the company.
How to get started
There are a lot of small businesses around your neighborhood that can greatly benefit from having a more active social media presence. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with them and offer your service. Focus the platforms that you are most comfortable with or on what platforms best deliver results for their company and be sure to provide a clear strategy on how you will achieve this.
Blogging or Freelance Writing
Expected pay: Varies. $18 - 500+ per article
Same Difference. It’s all about capitalizing on your writing skills and your ability to engage your readers. In case you didn’t know, blogging can be a highly successful income generator. A successful blog with a high readership and engagement rate can bring in $100,000 per month. No, you didn’t read that wrong. There are 5 zeroes after the 1. Freelance writing can also be equally lucrative, so if you have a unique narrative style or just an engaging way of telling stories, this could be an excellent source of income for you.
Additionally, you can explore other avenues that are related to writing like copywriting, editing, proofreading, and resume writing, to name a few.
How to get started
Blogging and Copywriting – Problogger is a great place to check out existing available work exclusively for blogging and copywriting. Or start your own blog; focusing on things that you are passionate about. When you’re ready, head on over to HostGator to start your blogging career. Freelance Writing or Editing – There’s no shortage of freelance editing jobs and there are many sites that collate various editing jobs to choose from. Upwork and FreelanceWriting.com are excellent platforms to help you connect to potential customers. Proofreading – Start with Proofread Anywhere where you get access to a free introductory workshop, so you can gauge if proofreading fits your skillset and schedule.
Virtual Assistant
Expected pay: $15 - $20 per hour
There is a wide range of jobs that fall into this category like online data entry jobs, customer service support, and email marketing. The more specialized the skill, the higher the pay. Your experience also plays into your hourly or daily rate so don’t be discouraged when you start out. The more jobs you take on, the more experience you’ll acquire and that equates to higher rates.
How to get started
If you’re unsure of what skills you can offer, check out websites like Zirtual, PeoplePerHour, and VANetworking.com to see what kinds of jobs available and what services are needed. From there you can easily identify your strong points. Then, simply create your profile and start connecting with clients.
Search Engine Evaluator
Expected pay: $12 - $15 per hour
Although we love to assume that Google knows all, it’s not that simple. Search engines like Yahoo, Bing, and yes even the mighty Google, still rely on humans to provide real feedback on the quality, accuracy, and usefulness of search results. This is how they can correct errors and provide accurate and relevant search results.
How to get started
Search engine jobs by the handful at these sites: Leapforce, Lionbridge, iSoftStone, ZeroChaos, and Appen Butler Hill.
Transcriptionist
Expected pay: $15 - $25 per hour or more
You’re an excellent listener and your friends love you for it. Now you can monetize that sharp ear into a money-making part time job. It is an extremely flexible job and if you can find a quiet place to work at, you’re golden. Some fields like legal and medical industries pay more but require specialized backgrounds so take that into consideration when applying for these transcription jobs.
How to get started
Plenty of sites offer transcription jobs like Transcribe Me, Rev, Tigerfish, and Quicktate.
Survey Taker
Expected pay: $2 - $20 per survey
This job requires little to no experience and not a lot of time investment. Paid online surveys help companies collect important consumer data that they can use to improve their products or services. It’s also one of the more fun ways to earn extra income since there are many ways to get your opinion like watching videos, taking surveys, browsing the web, and even playing games!
How to get started
Simply create an account on the many websites that offer this job like Swagbucks, American Consumer Opinion, and Survey Junkie. Keep in mind you won’t be eligible for every survey available but the more websites you sign up at, the higher your earning potential.
Amazon Mechanical Turk – Expected pay: Varies. $6 - $20+ per hour
Basically, you do odd jobs for Amazon. Simple enough right? Different groups (called “requesters”) like businesses, universities, researchers, and consumer groups post a variety of different tasks (called HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks) that need to be completed at an allotted time. There are literally hundreds of HITs available at any given time and each HIT has a price that it pays upon completion.
How to get started
Mturk.com is the go-to site to get started. There are jobs available immediately upon signing up and there are some jobs that require completion of a certain number of HITs before you can qualify to apply for them.
Conclusion
Working online is not just a great way to earn money for college students. You can do it simultaneously while going to class or do a couple as summer jobs. For others, it can easily translate to a full-time career. It’s also a great way to develop your skills and build a work history that’s a huge plus once you graduate and are ready to become a full-fledged, card carrying adult.