Ever wondered how that guy who never went near a book passed all his exams with flying colors? The answer is simple. He tutored his juniors from the first semester up; he got paid for it and his revisions were probably more interesting than yours. Tutoring is just one option; there are many more businesses you can start while still a student. Being innovative does pay and I don’t mean the money alone. Such businesses may well shape your entire future. Here are some tips to earn money while still at school or college:
- Be a personal coach – Are you a fitness freak who enjoys hanging out at the local gym? If the answer is yes, become a personal coach or fitness expert to a classmate. Amateur dietitians too can easily find a market.
- Be a painter – Painting is a job that requires only minimal capital. Get a brush or two, paints, a ladder and overalls, and you are ready to start. It may well progress to more paying dry walling jobs in the future.
- Be a fashion designer or a writer – For individuals suffering from the creative spark, both are good options. In fact, schooldays are the right time to start on a portfolio of your own.
- Dabble in real estate – Admittedly, this is one of the riskier options and requires some amount of natural flair, but many students do find it worthwhile. I knew a guy who bought himself a Mercedes at 23; he bought a house for 60k, refurbished it himself, and sold it for 110k.
- Start a cleaning and laundry service – No doubt this option will definitely attract many customers because not many people actually enjoy doing laundry. This can progress to a whole new business line in the future too.
- Start a ride service – For those who have a vehicle, travel regularly and enjoy driving, a ride service is an apt choice.
- Be an eco/green consultant – Do you feel incensed when you see forests disappearing and animals becoming extinct? If you do, go green and become an eco consultant. Read, write, and blog on the subject. Do your duty to the planet and earn money in the process.
So much for the physical, offline businesses; on the online front, business options are more diverse and interesting:
- Designing – If you are skilled at Photoshop or CorelDraw, you can shine at student parties and functions by designing brochures, banners, etc.
- Copyediting – This type of work does require some creative and language skills. However, the jobs are generally highly paying.
- Researching for term papers – You will find many clients for this service as very few enjoy researching or facts checking for their term assignments and the like.
- Designing websites – This is viable if you have an Internet connection and enjoy playing with colors and fonts.
- Developing content for websites – All websites need content writers. The jobs offer good payments and are highly flexible.
The idea is to play to your strengths. After all, the best lessons you learn are the ones outside the school.
Thanks for for the post. You have given many leads to students. Right, they can earn some money as well divert their career, and that is the most important issue in my opinion.
These are some great ideas. I think almost every college student could use some extra cash. I have a friend who writes articles for websites and is able to make some decent money.