I graduated with over $130,000 in student loans, so I know how expensive it is to go to college. If you’re looking for online jobs for college students, you’ve come to the right place.
College is definitely not cheap.
Waiting tables has been a go-to job for most college students mainly because it’s flexible and the pay is decent.
But did you know that you can also earn extra money working anywhere anytime? Even if you only have a few hours a week to spare.
Work at home jobs are everywhere and not just for IT professionals. You just have to know where to look. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Best Online Jobs For College Students
1. Survey Sites
You won’t get rich taking online surveys, but you can earn $200-$500 a month by focusing on the right surveys. It’s super easy and you can do them while watching Netflix.
Is this even legit? Why would anyone pay you to do surveys?
Market research and paid online surveys are what drive the decisions of some of the biggest brands in the world. There are many online surveys out there and it might be difficult to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones.
Quick Tip: Never pay to join a survey site. A legitimate survey site should be FREE for you to join.
To maximize your earning potential, you should sign up for multiple survey sites as each site only sends you 1-2 surveys a day or maybe even just 1 per week.
Here are some of the top survey sites:
- SwagBucks ($10 Sign-up bonus)
- InboxDollars ($5 Sign-up bonus)
- MyPoints(Earn $5 after you take 5 surveys)
- Survey Junkie
Related: 12 Highest Paid Online Surveys [Up to $50/survey]
2. Proofread
Any English major students out there or anyone who is good at spotting grammar and punctuation?
If you love correcting people’s grammar and punctuation, then this might be for you. Your job is just to correct grammar and punctuation errors. Proofreading is not about re-writing sentences to make them sound better.
Caitlin Pyle, the expert proofreader, has created a FREE Proofreading Workshop for you to learn more about online proofreading.
Related: 30 Work At Home Proofreading Jobs For Beginners
3. Transcription
Can you type fast? Like working alone? Then this might be for you.
Transcriptionists are very high in demand. Your job is to turn TV shows, podcasts, medical reports, etc. into written text.
Is it for everybody? Sadly, NO.
A few years ago, I came across transcription as a possible work at home career when I was googling for a career change. I tried medical transcription (I have a background in healthcare) and I was so bored out of my mind.
I would still do it again though if I’m out of a job and need extra money.
If you’re interested, check out this FREE mini-course offered by TranscribeAnywhere. The course will give you a better sense if this might be a good fit for you.
Related: 16 Online Transcription Jobs For Beginners
4. Blogging
Blogging is my absolute favorite side hustle. There are many ways for you to earn money blogging such as ads (most common for new bloggers), affiliate marketing, create courses, eBook, services, and so much more.
I’d be lying if I said it was easy though. While you can earn a full-time income blogging, it is not without a lot of hard work and dedication.
It took me 10 years to even start my first blog and I wish I had started a lot sooner. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, but it is so rewarding when you finally make your first dollar.
Don’t be like me and wait a decade to get started! Start today and begin building your blog. If you need help coming up with a blog name, check this post out.
I love how easy it is to start a blog today. You can have it up and running in less than 30 minutes. Check out my other post on how to set up a blog from start to finish in 30 minutes.
Related: How I Made My First $205.92 Blogging
5. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is another popular work at home gig for someone that loves writing. This is a great way to build your portfolio to help further your career.
The Wherever Writer is a travel blogger. She earns a full-time income working as a freelance writer on top of making a killing from her popular blog.
You can get paid $100+ for writing an article. How great is that for a college student?
Learn more about how to get clients and become a paid freelance writer.
6. Virtual Assistant
Growing up, I wanted to be either an admin assistant or a waitress. Weird right? Don’t ask me why – but that was what I wanted to do growing up.
Virtual assistant is a great gig for college students. I wish it was around when I was in college. Maybe it was, but I just didn’t know about it.
A lot of companies and big bloggers pay for virtual assistants to help with their social media accounts, create images for Pinterest, send emails, answer blog comments, etc.
Being a virtual assistant has many great benefits on top of getting paid handsomely. You get to learn how to run an online business from other big bloggers.
Don’t think you have any skills to offer as a virtual assistant? You might have some hidden talents that you have yet to discover. Check out these 150+ services you can offer as a virtual assistant.
7. Scoping
Do you know what scoping is? Not a lot of people do.
Scoping is editing court transcripts.
If you’ve ever served as a juror or watched Law and Order, then you know that there is always someone in the courtroom next to the judge typing down everything that is being said. Additionally, the courtroom is also being recorded for audio when it’s in session.
Your job as a scopist is to edit the transcript to match with the audio. Easy enough right?
You do need excellent punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary skills.
Sign up for the FREE intro scoping course to learn more about it.
8. Online Tutoring
My sister-in-law made $50/hr tutoring this one kid every Saturday while going to school to be a teacher. The money was great, but it wasn’t online tutoring.
Online tutoring allows you to have a flexible schedule and you never even have to leave your house. You get to help kids all over the world and get paid up to $25-$30 an hour.
Here are some places to get you started:
- Magic Ears (Teach English online)
- Course Hero (All subjects)
- Chegg Tutors (All subjects)
- Tutor (All subjects)
9. Test Websites
Testing websites is one of the easiest ways to earn a few hundred dollars a month. All you need is a microphone, a computer, and able to follow instructions in English.
In order for you to get accepted, you have to go through a screening process. They want to make sure that you’re able to understand and follow instructions.
To maximize your chance of getting approved, you need a good working microphone, provide high-quality feedback on the website by speaking your thoughts clearly out loud. Once you’re done, they’ll ask you to provide a short written response.
The pay is usually $10 for 10-20 minutes of work. They pay via PayPal.
Here are some places to get you started:
- User Testing (Earn up to $60/test)
- PineCone Research (Up to $7 per each product test, $5 per each review or opinion)
10. Offer a Service
Fiverr is a great place to start your freelance business. Fiverr is my go to place for logo designs.
Other services that I have seen on Fiverr include make videos, write papers, design logos, SEO, blog design, etc.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like you can make a lot of money since most services start out at $5. But you can make a lot more with all the added services.
Conclusion
There you have it – 10 easy ways for college students to earn extra money online.
It’s hard juggling between a job, going to classes, and studying for exams. Eliminate that extra stress by trying to fit everything on your schedule. These online jobs give you a flexible schedule to work around your classes.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of the above methods or have one to add to the list!
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