Many students struggle to make ends meet with very restricted budgets. Even the most fiscally responsible ones can find themselves staring at an empty bank account when hit with an unexpected expense.
That’s why a lot of students take up part-time jobs to help supplement their monthly expenses. But another thing that students have other than very little money is very little time. It can be difficult to hold down a steady job with class schedules, exams, and having a barely functioning social life.
That’s why a lot of them are looking for flexible jobs that aren’t too restrictive. With this being the age of the internet, thankfully, these kinds of jobs are not hard to find! With just a computer, an internet, and sheer determination – you could find jobs that interest you, can be done in your own time, and even pay quite well.
There are a number of freelance job websites and even several other places where you look for them. Not only will you be making money right now, but doing a freelance job can also help you acquire valuable skills that will make you a prime candidate when you enter the “real” job market. So, here are some online freelance jobs that students can do to become financially independent.
1. Freelance Writer
One of the best jobs for students to take up is freelance writing. Given that you’re in college, you’re probably already well-versed in writing assignments. This would be the same – except you’d get paid for them!
Freelance writing is very flexible, from picking when and how much you work to the topics you want to try about. And once you get a bit of experience, it can pay quite well too. Companies look to outsource jobs like content writing and even some blogs curate content from a variety of different writers.
To get started, you could build a small portfolio of samples or offer to do the first project for free. If you already maintain your own blog, that can prove to be a great place to point to your potential clients, or you could consider starting one now. Freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork have tons of job listings for writers as well. If you already have some experience, you can even go to magazines or newspapers directly and offer your services.
Not only does writing give you a great opportunity to make money, but it’s also one of those jobs that will add a lot of value to your resume, especially if you’re planning to go into content writing, journalism, or something similar.
2. Virtual Assistant
There are a lot of very busy people in the world who can’t exactly afford to get themselves an actual assistant, so that’s where you come in! A virtual assistant’s job is to do everything that can be done for their employer that doesn’t actually require them to be there in person. So, you would be in-charge of jobs like replying to emails, booking appointments, etc.
To look for virtual assistant jobs, you could list your services on websites like Fiverr and Upwork or register yourself at a VA agency like Zirtual. You can earn anywhere from $16 per hour to $10,000 per month doing this!
3. Social Media Manager
As young people, we already spend a lot of time on social media anyway, so why not find a way to start making money with it? Companies often look to outsource the job of managing their social media pages. While large companies might choose to have an in-house SM manager, smaller companies looking to cut corners are the perfect place for you to get started. If you have an active social media page with a good amount of engagement, you can use it to pitch yourself to these companies.
This is a job that you can do throughout the day, liking and replying to comments in between classes, drafting and scheduling posts for later when you have free time, etc. And it can be quite fun, too!
4. Online Tutoring
If you are doing well in college, you could consider offering your services to fellow college students as well. While this might seem simple enough to do in person, taking your services online allows you to cast a wider net. You can find clients from around the country (or even the world if timings align), and you don’t have to limit your services to college students only. Kids from elementary school all the way to high school could be your potential customer base. You can choose what subjects you want to teach and how many students to take on.
On average, you can earn around $15-20 per hour. Websites like tutor.com and wyzant make this job so much easier! With the current global pandemic, more people are looking for tutors online rather than in-person as they try to limit physical contact, so now’s the perfect time to get into it!
5. Voiceover Creator
Have you ever been told you have a nice voice? Are you a smooth talker? Then voiceover creating may just be the perfect job for you! Naturally good speakers with pleasant-sounding voices can make quite an income in this field since the need for such creators is increasing by the day. Media companies look for people to lend their voices to tings like commercials, informational videos, website promos, and more.
And it’s not exactly difficult to get started either since all the equipment you need is a headset, a basic microphone, and audio recording software for your laptop or computer. Even as a newbie you can earn around $35 for an hour of work!
6. Transcriptionist
A transcriptionist’s job is to listen to audio files and type out everything that is said. This means that anybody can apply for such jobs – as long as you have good focus and can type fast. Accuracy is the most important aspect of this job, so if you have an eye (or ear) for detail, you would be the ideal candidate for the job.
You can find transcribing jobs on websites like TranscribeMe and Rev. They pay anywhere from $15 to $25 per hour of work.
