College is expensive. How many times have you heard that? Yet, it is true. It can be tough to get through college, especially if you have massive student loan debts. But with numerous online jobs for college students out there, you can use some to pay off your debt or fund your education.
Online jobs can be lucrative, pay well, and develop you for a successful career. But you have to choose the right ones and be willing to do the work. We’ve compiled these online jobs for college students to help you mitigate the various struggles you go through.
However, remember that the following online jobs are not always easy to get. However, when you get the job, there’s a high chance you can set up a business or a career after college. We’ve also included easy-to-get jobs to help you get by.
Let’s begin.
The Best Online Jobs For College Students
1. Online Tutor
Are you performing better in college? It’s easy to think that others are doing well, but most students find it challenging to get good grades. That’s where you can seize the opportunity and help them out. And all you need to do is teach them what you know.
Of course, you don’t have to restrict yourself to your fellow college students. You can also teach from elementary to high school. There are numerous kids there who need your help.
Fortunately, the internet has made it easier, so you’ll not be limited to your local geographic area. You can teach people anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection.
Now, if you’re not good at academics, you can focus on areas you’re good at. For example, concentrate on extracurricular talents and offer to consult or tutor courses in music, social media, fashion, nutrition, art, etc.
The average salary can be from $13-20 per hour or more. You can apply via any of the online tutoring companies or online sites like Tutor.com or Wyzant. Another option is to create an online course and sell them through Udemy, Skillshare, or your website.
2. Social Media Manager
Thousands of businesses need to maintain a presence on various social platforms to engage with their followers and spread their brand awareness. It can be a fun way for you to make money on a flexible schedule.
Unfortunately (but fortunately for you), most companies don’t know anything about social media. Some don’t even have the time to manage their social media handles, and that’s where you come in as a social media marketer.
You use your knowledge of social media and best marketing practices to get your client’s desired results. We advise that you focus on social media platforms you’re comfortable with. Then show you can grow your client’s business and get more customers.
The average salary can start from $20 to $25 per hour, checking the profiles on Upwork. It’s the standard rate for freelance social media marketing. However, some freelancers charge as much as $70 per hour.
How To Begin
One way to start is to upload your resume on various job boards. But it’s better to contact local businesses directly. Better yet, get in touch with a company you patronize already. Pay attention to social platforms you love, know everything you can to boost your pay.
So if you’re always on Twitter, amp up your experience. If you spend most of your time on Instagram, put your skills to use. Then develop a plan to connect with customers. Some businesses may not have thought about exploring the platforms, making you a vital part of the team.
3. Freelance Writer
Social media managers promote content that promotes sales and builds relationships for companies. Freelance writers write the content.
That means there’s a huge need for writers now, as numerous businesses focus on building long-term relationships with their target audience. And they do that by providing top-quality content.
The best freelance writers stay up-to-date with marketing research and trends. Staying current helps them to determine the type of content that works best and at what time. In addition, freelance writers are skilled at communicating complex ideas. Not only that, but they do it in a way that best converts in a specific content format.
How To Get Started
You can use bidding sites to get content gigs. However, if you want to be well paid, that may not be the best choice. And that’s because hundreds of writers compete on the same projects, and you might have to under-quote yourself to get the gig.
So you need to venture out and market yourself to find your clients. It’s one of the best online jobs for college students out there.
The average salary differs. But you can get paid from $50 to $500+ per article.
4. Resume Writer
Writing resumes is not as simple as it looks. Most people find it difficult to express themselves. However, if you’re good at writing resumes and have received lots of interest from companies based on your resume, you can offer your services to people.
Your services can help client’s resumes to colorfully bring out their accomplishments and the value they can bring to the organization. Other similar online jobs for college students are writing services for LinkedIn Profiles.
Many recruiters search for potential employees using the LinkedIn platform. So that can be another area to look at.
The average salary is from $15-25 per hour. And you can find online resume writing jobs on various platforms such as ResumeEdge, WriterBay. However, as said earlier, you’ll face lots of competition, and your applications may not get answered.
What you can do instead is to reach out to your existing network for potential clients, such as friends searching for internships and summer jobs.
5. Freelance Web Designer
Like freelance writers, you need to market your services to make a sustainable income. Unfortunately, sites that take care of the marketing for you usually come with a high price, as you’ll be expected to work for a low price. In the end, you may lose money on the deals you take.
So for you to stand out, you need to market yourself directly to potential clients. You need to prove that you have the skills and ability to design great and seamless websites.
Now companies pay attention to image, but they often focus more on the results. And independent freelance web designers are usually the ones who get what works in Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and user experience.
In other words, these types of freelance web designers know how to develop sites that drive visitors to various pages on the website.
The average salary is about $78,175 per year, according to Glassdoor. And the best way to get freelance jobs is to network and pitch to businesses directly. For example, you can Google marketing agencies and see if there’s any work available.
6. Online Surveys
Online surveys are the best way to make extra money in your spare time. You don’t need any skills, and the only thing you need is the internet, and of course, a PC. So even though you can’t make a significant amount of money, it can be a productive way to spend your time.
Most surveys pay from $1-$3 and often take a short time to complete. In addition, you’re usually limited to a specific number per day. So you can see the only surveys as extra spending more; it’s not meant to replace your income.
Keep in mind that numerous survey sites have a minimum payout amount. For example, some websites require you to have at least $10 in your account before you can withdraw your money.
7. Become An Online Influencer
Lots of businesses are willing to pay you to promote their products and services on social media. So if you have a large TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram following, you can take advantage of it.
It’s one of the best online jobs for college students to make extra income. And for some businesses or campaigns, all you need is a few thousand active followers. If you don’t have many followers, you can start a blog, a vlog, podcast and get involved on major social media platforms.
It may take years to build a large and active audience, but the results can be worth it. However, if you already have such an audience, you can treat it as a business. Then, as your audience grows, you can sell them products and services from companies while you make a living out of it.
The average salary changes from person to person, and that also includes the nature of the campaign. Some influencers can earn six figures each month. One way to make your income is through affiliate income.
Affiliate income is the unique discount link or code you share with your fans or followers. Then, when they buy a product using that code or link, you get a percentage of whatever they purchased. It’s undoubtedly one of the best online jobs for college students.
8. Search Engine Evaluator
Search engines such as Bing and Google depend on user feedback to update their algorithms. But, unfortunately, regardless of their regular updates, search engines have numerous errors. So they rely on real humans to check search results and give feedback on usefulness, accuracy, and quality. That’s where you come in.
You can be part of the people who can let the company know what they need to improve. The average salary is from $12-15$ per hour, and you can start work at Lionbridge or Leapforce.
9. Niche Blogger
Niche blogging is one of the best online jobs for college students that can earn you significant income. You can be an expert on a topic that provides clear value to your readers. If you can create a go-to information source, you can earn money through sponsored posts, relevant advertising, and affiliate marketing.
However, you’ll need good time management and a good strategy. When you do that, you can write quality articles and promote your blog during your spare time. The first thing to do is to create a website.
There are numerous hosting alternatives you can choose from. You can check out Bluehost since it’s the most popular hosting platform. You’ll pay as little as $2.95 per month.
The average salary varies, but it’s a lucrative field if you take the time and do it well.
10. Virtual Recruiter
If you’re good at connecting people, you can put your connections and skills to work by working as a virtual recruiter. What you’ll do is link freelancers or employees with the right jobs.
You’ll work between a company and prospective new hires as a liaison. You’ll perform activities, such as screen readers, negotiate salaries, available post jobs, and conduct preliminary interviews.
Since it’s freelance work, you can begin using virtual recruiter job listings on various sites like Upwork, Freelancer, etc. You can also search on LinkedIn or contact companies directly.
Your average salary can be about $50,000 each year as a full-time employee. Contractors can get about $20-30 per hour, or you can set a commission rate as a freelancer. Virtual recruiter is among the best online jobs for college students.
11. Freelance Editor
Another excellent opportunity to look at is freelance editing, and it’s pretty broad. It includes everything from editing full-length books to short articles. Aside from that, you can decide to specialize in a specific topic like finance. Check out finance news on the internet to learn more!
You can make your schedule, set your rates, and choose your gigs. An inexperienced editor can charge from $350-$500. But you can charge more than that when you get the experience, or a client pays you to edit numerous articles per month.
The simplest way to get a job in college is to edit works for your friends. You can also build your portfolio and let people know who you are on various social platforms.
12. Audio Transcription
Even though AI (Artificial Intelligence) is getting better at interpreting human speech, it’s still not perfect. And that’s why companies still need people to listen to audio and turn them into written words. It’s a flexible online job for college students that can get you extra money every month.
The average salary can be about $0.36 per minute of transcribing audio. So if you transcribe 10 hours of audio each week, you can get $216 per week or $864 per month. But, of course, an experienced transcriptionist can earn more than that.
You can apply to websites such as Transcription Outsourcing or Rev. You’ll pass through a transcription assessment, and if you make it, you’ll qualify to start the work.
13. Textbook Flipper
Textbooks are expensive, costing over hundreds of dollars. But what do you do when you complete your courses? Many students resell them to their campus bookstores for a few dollars. But there’s a way to get more money than that.
You can buy textbooks at a discount and sell them for profit. You can use bookselling sites like Bookscouter, Abebooks.com, Textbookrush.com, etc. Besides that, you can search for the best price on your books to increase how much you get back.
Another option is to search for cheap textbooks to flip to get extra cash by selling them to your coursemates. It’s one of the best online jobs for college students to consider. It might not make you rich, but you can make significant extra income.
The average salary varies based on the types and how many textbooks you sell.
14. Amazon Seller
If you want online jobs for college students that can earn you good money, consider Amazon. There are numerous options for you to choose from. For example, you can join Amazon Affiliates to make money through your social media or blog, reselling your books, or selling products as a wholesaler.
There’s no limit to how much you can earn when you sell on Amazon. If you take advantage of numerous programs, you can make it into a beneficial online side hustle. However, remember to follow the rules and guidelines, or you can be dismissed from working at Amazon.
The average salary varies, but there’s no doubt you can make a living out of it.
15. PowerPoint Presentation Designer
Yes. If you have skills in PowerPoint presentations, you can use that skill to earn money. Unfortunately, most keynote speakers and businesses don’t have time to create presentations so that you can do it for them.
You can list your services on freelance websites such as Freelancer or Upwork. You can also set up a storefront as a professional slide designer.
The average salary varies, but it can be about $10-$20 per slide.
Final Thoughts On Online Jobs For College Students
There are so many online jobs for college students, so you don’t have an excuse to get a side gig. You may need to know which areas work for you and when you find the right job, you go all out. You have to be determined because the benefits are numerous. First, you can make extra payments on your student loans, which can help you get out of debt faster. Then, you can enjoy your life, free from loan debt.
