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10 Side Hustles for Busy College Students

By U.S. News & World Report

One of the ways to graduate from college debt free (or at least minimize student loan balances) is to do some type of side hustle during your college years. Side hustles are a bit different than typical jobs in that you’ve got some flexibility in where, when and how you work.

Side hustle jobs can help college students make some serious cash to pay for whichever financial needs they have knocking at their dorm room door.

[See: A Guide to Launching Your Side Business.]

How to Find Your Side Hustle Niche

First, assess your skills, interests and availability. Identify your skills by determining:

— What types of services or skills you’re good at

— What types of services or skills you have experience with

— What types of services or skills you enjoy

From there, list how you can use those skills to help others. Successful side hustling often relies on finding and fulfilling a need for people.

Next, determine which days and hours you are available to complete the work. This is vital. With class and study times to navigate, you want to be sure you can balance both.

[See: How to Live on $13,000 a Year.]

Here’s a roundup of side hustle jobs that may jibe with your skill sets and interests.

Tutoring

Are you a math genius? A science whiz? An English expert? Chances are there are fellow students right on campus who need tutoring help in your area of expertise. Advertise your tutoring help on school and dorm billboards and websites, and help your fellow students get better grades all while earning some serious cash.

Online Consulting

That skill you’re good at? You may be able to turn it into an online consulting business. Ideas for consulting businesses might include social media consulting, marketing consulting or consulting with students on how best to utilize study time.

Selling Your Creations Online

If you’re a crafty or artsy person, you may be able to make money by selling your creations online. If art is your thing, sell commissioned work on Twitter or on Etsy. If you’re great at woodworking and have the tools, you can set up shop online. There’s no limit to the possible side hustles for the creative person.

Virtual Assistant

Are you a great support person? Do you follow directions well? Use your skills to become a virtual assistant for a blogger, business owner or entrepreneur. Sites such as Upwork and Indeed have listings for virtual assistant positions that can be performed right from your dorm room or apartment. Among the pros? These positions often offer flexible hours, meaning you can balance them with your school schedule.

House/Dorm Cleaning

If you like cleaning and are good at it, college is the perfect time to start your own housekeeping business. Many college students don’t have the time or the care to keep their dorm or rental rooms clean. Create a housekeeping services brochure (complete with which tasks you will and won’t do) along with your prices and available times, and offer a valuable service for fellow students (or even neighborhood families) who need help keeping things clean and organized.

[See: 10 Oddly Practical Things You Can Rent.]

Work for Agent Anything

Agent Anything is a company committed to helping people get small tasks done while simultaneously offering students employment opportunities. The company takes the information on the task or tasks clients want completed, and then assigns a student to complete them. Some of the available tasks include:

— Assembling things, such as entertainment centers or kids’ toys

— Doing computer-related tasks, such as reformatting documents

— Making delivery runs for local residents

Sites like Agent Anything have a per-job pay rate posted along with the details of the gig. That way, you know exactly what you’re signing up for before accepting the opportunity.

Use Your Car for Side Hustling

Pizza places and other restaurants are always looking for delivery people, and companies like Uber and Lyft are eager to sign people up to taxi others around. There’s also newspaper delivery and task-running jobs available to those with a car that gets decent gas mileage.

Complete Online Surveys

While you won’t get rich doing web searches and taking online surveys, sites such as Opinion Outpost, Harris Poll and Nielson Digital Voice will pay you for taking just a few minutes to complete online surveys. Some companies, like Digital Voice, will pay you simply for doing what you always do online; they’re interested in monitoring peoples’ search habits in order to help businesses maximize their reach.

Graphic Designer

If you’ve got graphic design expertise, there’s no end to the businesses looking for graphic design help. You can work as a freelance web graphic designer or work creating content for a local company near your school.

Child or Pet Care

Child and pet care needs are likely highly available in the neighborhoods surrounding your school. If you enjoy caring for pets and/or children, create your own business and advertise at local coffee shops and grocery stores or by distributing fliers to houses near your school. Be sure to let potential clients know your availability to ensure your schedule fits their needs before they take time to contact you directly.

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10 Side Hustles for Busy College Students originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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