Though college years can be the best time of every student’s life, they can also be marked by difficulties that prevent the student from making the most of that period. Apart from the inevitable hard work, studying, researching and meeting all sorts of deadlines, a lot of students also face serious financial constraints, which add additional pressure to the existing workload.
Luckily, there are now more options for students to make some extra cash while studying than ever before. What’s more, there’s an increasing number of jobs that students can do from their home or even dorm room, which allows them more flexibility in terms of working hours and also a much wider potential market to look for an employer.
Let’s take a look at some options that require various skills and come with moderate or significant financial compensations.
Online tutoring
Tutoring has been a popular choice for a long time, but it was with the development of modern technology that it has really made a huge breakthrough internationally. Instead of receiving students at your home or working with them in the kitchen, all you now need is a good internet connection, a computer and a headset.
Whether you can help someone improve their language skills or understand complex math formulas, your market is no longer limited to your neighborhood, which significantly increases your chances of getting a job.
Transcription
One of the jobs that have also become much more global is making transcripts of audio recordings. Truth be told, there are various types of software that do the same job with little or more success, but there is a strong demand for people able to perform this task.
For some kinds of recordings, such as medical or legal, you need to get a certificate which testifies that you understand the basics of the relevant field. However, if you manage to obtain such a certificate, you’ll be rewarded with a well-paid job.
Online surveys
Another way to make money online is to conduct paid surveys. Many companies are interested in finding out as much as possible about the habits and opinions of their target groups and are ready to pay to get hold of such valuable information.
You are required to carefully answer the prepared questions and be honest about your answers and you’ll be rewarded with a small amount of money or a coupon. As you can see, this is not a job that’s going to help you save for a trip to Europe for example, but it might contribute to your budget.
Content writing
If your English is really good and you have a penchant for writing, you might want to consider becoming a content writer, i.e. someone who is hired to create content on a particular subject. The agency that hires you will give you instructions and a deadline you have to meet.
The benefit of this job is that you have a lot of freedom to organize your day and you don’t need to have contact with other people (a great advantage for those less sociable). Finally, you don’t have to look for clients, but simply make sure you produce quality content before the deadline.
Virtual receptionists
Many small companies can’t afford to hire a person to be available 24/7 to provide assistance to their clients and respond to phone calls and e-mails, which is why they opt for a virtual receptionist/assistant, who is again provided by an agency.
Virtual receptionists mainly communicate with customers over the phone or via e-mail, which means they need to have great people skills. Also, they need a basic training to know what the company does and what kind of information people most commonly ask for.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of options for students who wish to make some extra money without having to leave their room. All it takes are a computer, a stable internet connection and a certain set of skills, which depends on the job you’re after.
No matter how much you can make doing these jobs, you’re bound to enjoy having at least a bit more money in the bank to help you make the most of your student days.
Emma Miller is a marketer and a writer from Sydney. Her focus is digital marketing, social media, start-ups and latest trends.
All views and opinions of guest authors are theirs alone and are not representative of the views of Petersons.com.
