Goals. When you think about your goals, you also think about how are you going to achieve your goals. For most, going to college is the popular route to take on and to make money in college isn't the first thing students think of.
But, going to college is no easy task. You have to take the SAT or ACT, write essays, ask for recommendations, etc. Then, there’s the big question about money.
Going to college is really expensive. You have to constantly deal about tuition fees, books, & other school-related expenses.
For some, this could be a challenge that often leads to dropping out of classes.
In a poll released by Citigroup, nearly 4 out of 5 college students work part-time while studying for their degrees. On the other hand, only 18 percent pay their way through school.
10 Flexible Ways To Make Money In College
So, here are 10 flexible ways to make money in college without having to drop out of your classes:
1. Share your opinions & get paid for doing it.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Very High
Nowadays, we tend to give our thoughts on just about anything & everything. We do it everywhere. We comment on posts on Facebook & Instagram. We re-tweet & respond on Twitter.
So, why not earn extra money while you’re at it?
If you come to think of it, you can take surveys while waiting for your classes in between or waiting for your professor to come to class or just whenever you have a free time.
There are a lot of paid survey sites to choose from but my favorites are Survey Club, Survey Junkie, and Ipsos Panel. I call these the “Golden Trifecta”.
- Survey Club members can earn as much as $115/survey for focus groups or quick surveys. One member made $4,000 in a month.
- Survey Junkie is known for its full transparency on payouts and length of surveys. Not to mention, the ease of making $10 or more in a few minutes.
- Ipsos Panel has engaging survey questions that will probably make you think twice before answering. One member earned $40 for answering a short, silly & fun questions. Assuming that you’ll be earning that much in a day, you could earn as high as $1,200/month.
Related: 25 Best Survey Sites To Make $600/Month or More
2. Start a blog.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Extremely High
College can really be stressful and one way you can do to de-stress is by blogging & make money doing it.
It’s like having to write a diary but only done online & with other people reading it out.
You can start by spending a couple of hours blogging about your college experiences or something else you are passionate about & who knows, others might even relate to you.
Eventually, you can earn money through your blog. As a matter of fact, some bloggers earn as much as $175,000/month.
Two years ago, I started this blog with not a lot of money & experience. Take note, you don’t have to be rich or experienced to run a profitable blog.
Now, I earn at least $20,000/month & working only 5 hours/month.
You can now start blogging for only $2.95/mo – my negotiated price – exclusively for my readers. There is virtually zero risk & high reward with blogging. That cost is just a cup of coffee.
Click here to start blogging and be on your way to making money.
Related: Jan-Feb Blog Income Report: How I Made Over $65,300 from Blogging
3. Shop online and get cash back.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: High
As a college student, there might be a lot of things going on for you.
Juggling between school and your social life, shopping online might be the easiest & most convenient way when buying things.
Did you know that MyPoints is an all-in-one site that is best known for its cash back feature for shopping online? When you spend $20 or more, you’ll receive a $10 cash back.
It’s one of my favorite ways of saving money because you get a cash back every time you buy something. Also, if you use this on top of a coupon, you’d be saving more money.
You can also use MyPoints to earn extra money by answering surveys. You can get an extra $5 for taking the first five surveys & a chance to earn $50/survey.
Click here to start using MyPoints for FREE.
Related: How To Save Money: 16 Genius Ways To Add $10,000 In A Year
4. Get money back on groceries.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Extremely High
Everyone loves good food. But it could really take a large chunk off of your budget especially for college students living and making decisions on their own.
If you’re spending too much on groceries, Ibotta is the key.
Ibotta is the hottest new money-saving app that can help you save tons of money on all the biggest brands – including groceries & even the store brand ones.
Last year alone, my family spent $150/month on groceries, and I earned over $700 using the app.
And if you happen to have a night out with your friends or just have a laid-back dinner out, Ibotta is the perfect way to save money while having fun.
Why? It's because Ibotta partnered up with restaurants and has a cash back & rebates on restaurant meals and other things.
Click here to open your Ibotta account for FREE.
Related: Ibotta Review: The App That Made Me $383.25 in 4 Months
5. Drive with Lyft.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Medium to Very High
What would your college life be without all those partying & drinking every Friday or Saturday night? Boring?
But, if you’re not into drinking and partying but have a car & likes to drive around, then, might as well use your car to drive students from one point to another, and get paid for it.
This can be very profitable especially when you live around the campus where there is a lot of partying and drinking happening.
Driving with Lyft also gives you the ability to be your own boss.
You get to decide when, where and how to earn money. This is a great opportunity because you can just do it in your spare time.
If you don’t have a car, Lyft also has a flexible rental with the Lyft Drive Express.
Click here to starting driving for Lyft and get paid well.
Related: 14 Clever Saving Techniques To Save Money Fast
6. Get paid to watch videos.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: High
One of the things that people never get tired of doing is watching shows.
But being paid to watch it, is actually possible. Yes, you read that right. There is a legit way of getting paid to watch videos online.
InboxDollars is a popular platform and one of the few sites that will pay you to watch funny videos, latest news, and events, movie previews, among others.
You can actually earn as much as $200 a month just by watching videos through InboxDollars and that’s a big amount of money for just watching online videos.
Again, you can do this during your free time.
Had I known this before, I would have made tons of money just by watching TV commercials. Heck, I could be counting my money in the bank right now.
Click here to open a FREE account with InboxDollars.
Related: Surveys For Cash Only: 20 Sites To Make You $500/Month Or More
7. Use money-making apps.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Extremely High
In today’s world, you can do pretty much anything from a smartphone.
So, why not grab the opportunity to earn extra cash without having to do anything?
Actually, there are mobile apps that can help you earn money anywhere for free. Some can give you more than others.
Here are some of the ones I love based on their functionality & money-making potential:
- Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel: Neilsen pays $50/year to keep its app installed on your device & let it run in the background. Plus, who wouldn’t want a shot at $10,000 each month?
- Shoptracker: Get $3 each month for just two minutes of your time. It’s not a lot but its actually better than nothing.
- eBates: eBates share their commission from their partner stores to you as cash back. You get an automatic cash back for shopping online & get as much as 40% cash back at over 2,500 stores.
Related: 10 Best Money Making Apps To Make You $1,000+
8. Be a tutor or babysitter.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Medium
Two of the most common ways to earn extra cash in college is either tutoring or babysitting.
Bear in mind that you need the patience to do either of these.
- Tutoring: If you’re a smarty-pants, then tutoring might an ideal way for you to earn extra cash. You can tutor your fellow students or younger kids. You can spend a few hours here & there on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis depending on your agreement.
- Babysitting: One of the easiest and yet sometimes difficult way to earn money while in college is through babysitting kids. Where parents don’t have someone to look after their kids while they’re in the office or just doing a couple’s night.
Related: 6 Genius Ways On How To Get Free Netflix Account (Forever)
9. Work as a Barista or Waiter.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Medium
For most college students, this is the most popular way to earn extra money.
Whether you’re a coffee lover or a foodie, you can be a barista at your favorite coffee shop or wait tables at your favorite diner or fast food chain.
You don’t need to have the experience to land either of those jobs. Although you have to follow certain schedules for your shift, you can earn really good from it.
You can get a first-hand taste of what it’s really like working in the food & beverage industry. This can also help you develop your interpersonal skills, which can be a good use for you in the long run.
10. Be an online freelance worker.
“Make Money In College” Effectiveness Meter: Medium
When you have time but don’t know how to spend your free time and want to earn money, then, you might consider working as an online freelancer.
There are a lot of opportunities in the online industry. You can be a graphic designer, web designer, SEO expert, Virtual Assistant, Content Writer or Copywriter, and a lot more.
Some companies or clients prefer someone with experience, but there are still others who’s willing to hire someone who’s inexperienced.
As long as you have the determination & the right mindset, the possibilities of earning are endless.
This is a good start & training ground to apply what you have learned & currently learning in college. What’s better is that you can do it only for a couple of hours in a week as long as you can deliver what is expected of you.
Related: Make Money Blogging : The Simple Guide
Final thoughts:
You don't have to be broke or drown into student loan debt when you can make money in college through one of the side hustles mentioned above.
It's all about taking the initiative in doing it. Rather than go to the party and waste your time, you can work on your terms and time and make a lot of money in the process.
Which ones of the side hustles above are you going to try? Which ones have you done so far?
