When it comes to online jobs for college students, the best opportunities provide solid pay, flexible hours and the chance to acquire valuable experience.
Of those three criteria, the last one is the most important. The work you do while in college can bolster both your skillset and your resume, helping you be more competitive in the job market (and make more money) upon graduation.
Fortunately, there are plenty of online jobs, and even travel jobs, that check off all three of those boxes.
In this post, we list the best of the bunch and provide specific examples of the top niches within each category.
- Writing and Editing
- Web Design
- Video Production
- Audio and Music Production
- Graphic Design
- Voice and Screen Performance
- Administrative Jobs
- Virtual Assistant
- Social Media Management
- E-Commerce
- Online Tutoring
#1. Writing and Editing
One of the most flexible types of online work for college students is writing and editing.
No experience is required to get a writing or editing job, they’re open to every major, and you can fit most of them around your busy class schedule.
Writing jobs look good on your resume, too; they show initiative and entrepreneurial drive, and they help you develop skills that’ll further your success in the workplace.
Let’s look at a few online job opportunities in the writing and editing field.
Freelance Writer
Businesses need good writing, but many don’t have time to update their blogs or write marketing materials. So they turn to freelancers for their content needs.
Getting started as a freelance writer can be difficult if you don’t have any experience. Most freelance writers are hired on one website (Upwork), and the competition for work can be fierce. But once you have a couple of satisfied clients under your belt, getting good-paying jobs is fairly easy. This is the strategy one of The Ways To Wealth’s contributors, Jenni Sisson, used to become a highly-paid writer on Upwork with no experience.
Picking a freelance writing niche will make this process even easier, because you can use your existing knowledge to overcome your lack of experience. In other words, you can leverage your major.
For example, if you’re studying business, chances are that you have more topic area knowledge about economics and personal finance than the majority of freelancers in the marketplace — even if you’re only halfway through your bachelor’s degree.
What it Pays
Freelance writing rates depend on the type of writing you perform, the amount of experience you have, and your subject matter expertise. In general, expect to start at around four or five cents per word. Write 5,000 words per week, and you’ll put up to $1,000 a month in your pocket.
If you write for clients in your field of study, you may be able to command higher rates. And as you gain expertise, you can branch out to more advanced writing — such as copywriting — and raise your rates to the equivalent of 15 cents per word or more.
With that in mind, you don’t have to only charge per word. Hourly and project-based pricing are other methods you can use.
If you prefer a more stable source of income, you can work out a retainer deal in which you perform a set amount of work for your client in exchange for a fixed sum of money each month.
What You Need
A common misconception is that you need to be a published writer to land clients. The truth is you don’t need any experience to get started.
What you do need is strong writing skills and a portfolio.
Your portfolio doesn’t have to be client work — you can create a few sample pieces from scratch and show those to prospects. Clients care about the results you can bring them more than they care about whether or not you have bylines.
As for material items, you’ll need a computer and an internet connection. A laptop is preferable so that you can work from anywhere.
You might also want to sign up for writing software such as Grammarly and Hemingway App to ensure your pieces are polished.
Five Great Writing Niches
- Articles and blog posts: Businesses need blog and website content to build an audience and drive traffic to their site. Writing blog posts for business is among the more accessible types of freelance writing jobs — it generally involves researching, outlining, writing, and revising articles. Some clients ask you to generate ideas and gather research, while others provide everything so that you only have to write and edit.
- Bios: Whether it’s a musician, an author or a company, your client needs a bio to explain who they are and what they do. Bio writing tends to involve interviews and other methods of learning about your subject, and then crafting a compelling story that aligns with their desired goals. Bio writing can be time-consuming because of the research involved, but it can also be lucrative.
- Podcast show notes: Podcast shows notes are written summaries of a podcast episode that have two purposes: First, they’re meant to persuade readers to listen. Second, they’re posted to the podcast’s website and used to generate organic search traffic. Podcasts take a lot more work to produce than it seems, so podcasters hire freelancers to take care of their show notes.
- Press releases: When a company engages in a significant undertaking — such as opening a new location or launching a product — they need press releases to spread the news to the media. Much of the work involves learning about the company and finding a newsworthy angle. But it’s not all corporate announcements. Musicians send out press releases whenever they drop a new single or album, nonprofits send out press releases about their new initiatives, and so on.
- Scripts: Most freelance scriptwriting jobs involve writing video sales letters (VSLs) and YouTube scripts. VSLs are videos that pitch a product or service — wander down any online sales funnel, and you’ll see one. These can pay quite well because they drive sales for the client. YouTube scripts may pay less, but there’s a lot of work available.
Resource: Tips and strategies for getting your first client on Upwork.
Blogging
Blogging provides less upfront earnings than freelance writing but much more scalability, because you can write a post today and continue making money off of it forever. As a blogger, you own everything you produce and you can exploit many different types of revenue streams.
And on top of that, it allows you to build authority and credibility within a niche, which can help you advance in your career field.
What it Pays
When you start your blog, you probably won’t make any money for a number of months. However, once you start building momentum, it can be a significant source of income — and since it doesn’t require your day-to-day involvement, it can be considered passive income.
Many blogs earn six figures per year or more, although it depends on your skills in digital marketing, your motivation, the niche you choose and the monetization strategies (like affiliate marketing or creating online courses) that you pursue.
In general, it’s not unreasonable to shoot for earning $1,000 to $2,000 per month with a moderately successful blog that you work on for 10 to 20 hours per week.
What You Need
The first thing you need is a concept. There are millions of blogs covering every niche imaginable, and if you want to stand out you have to bring something unique to the table. So choose a niche and then think about how you can offer a slightly different perspective on that topic than everything else in the marketplace.
The second thing you need is the blog itself. Fortunately, starting a blog is cheap and easy. You’ll need a web hosting account and a domain name, and you’ll need to spend a few minutes learning how to use WordPress, the main blogging platform.
Editing
Like writing, editing has multiple specialties and niches that you can choose from.
- Blogs: Blogs hire editors to work with freelance writers. You’ll be in charge of providing feedback on each draft, helping the writers align the post with the blog’s tone, and improving the flow of the writing itself.
- Postgraduate dissertations: The dissertation is perhaps the most critical component in attaining a graduate degree, so grad students spare no expense to ensure theirs is polished. Editing grad student dissertations is a great way to build connections in your field and gain a sneak peek at what you’d experience if you were to pursue graduate studies.
- Creative writers: This can be a great option if you’re studying English, creative writing, or a similar discipline. You’ll help your clients revise their poetry and fiction, providing not only edits but also critiques and narrative feedback,
What it Pays
As a beginning editor, you can expect to earn $25 to $35 per hour. However, you can earn significantly more than that if you build specialized skills. For example, editors with SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge routinely earn $50+ per hour, because they know how to increase the value of the content they’re working on.
What You Need
Editors must have tremendous attention to detail as well as an excellent grasp of the English language. You may consider brushing up by grabbing a book or two on grammar, writing, word choice and the mechanics of different types of writing. You’ll also need strong organizational skills, as different clients will have different goals, tones of voice, etc.
Proofreading
Are you an English major, or do you just love to read? If so, you’ll be happy to know that you can make good money by proofreading everything from books to blogs.
While editors are tasked with making structural changes that improve the flow and readability of the text, proofreaders have a simpler (though no less important) job; they meticulously scour a project for grammar, punctuation and layout errors (and fix the ones they find).
What it Pays
Proofreading is less skill-intensive than editing, so it pays less. Most entry-level proofreaders will earn between $10 and $20 per hour, while those with more experience can land in the $20 to $30 range.
What You Need
An obsessive attention to detail. As a proofreader, your job is to catch things that other people have missed and ensure that the project is perfect and ready for publication.
Resource: How to Become a Proofreader.
#2. Web Design, Development and Maintenance
Websites are nearly mandatory for business success today, making web design, development and maintenance services a lucrative online gig for students.
It sounds intimidating, but the truth is that many potential clients have relatively low expectations — primarily small businesses without a website. These businesses would rather shell out good money to have a website built for them than allocate valuable time learning how to build a website themselves.
And for these types of projects, you typically won’t need to build a website from scratch. Clients will pay you to set them up with a WordPress blog or a Shopify store, which are essentially turn-key solutions — all you have to do is customize the design to their specifications.
What it Pays
When working on one-off tasks, entry-level web developers can earn $20 per hour or more, with rates quickly increasing as your skills improve (you could reach $70 or more per hour while you’re still in school). These types of projects might include fixing parts of a website that are broken and making design customizations.
But providing full website solutions is the more lucrative option. Many clients on Upwork will pay $1,000 or more for a simple but working blog or e-commerce site. And if you know what you’re doing, that can work out to a very attractive hourly rate.
What You Need
You can get started in web design and development with little to no coding knowledge. Knowledge of WordPress, Wix or other platforms will be sufficient for building simple websites for small business clients.
Learning coding languages like HTML and CSS allows you to charge more, though. Consider signing up for a class in one of the languages mentioned above if you aren’t already studying computer science or a related field.
A great way to demonstrate your potential to clients is by creating your own website and making it look good. This provides a way for clients to contact you, but they can also observe your web design/development talents first-hand.
Three Great Web Development Niches
- Unbounce: This is a web-based application for building landing pages that is very popular with small business owners. Add copywriting and design skills to your repertoire and you’ll be able to generate much more revenue for your clients — and boost your rates accordingly.
- Shopify: Used by small and medium-sized businesses to sell products online. Many clients will pay you not only for the initial setup of the site, but also for ongoing site maintenance, like adding products.
- WordPress: The most popular blogging platform has, in recent years, also become the most popular platform for building general websites. Aside from creating the web pages and content, a successful WordPress developer should know how to pick themes and plugins that fit the client’s goals. Knowing CSS helps you further customize client sites.
#3. Video Production
Photography and film students can leverage their skills and knowledge into a video production role. Video is one of the most popular forms of content on the internet, so there’s plenty of opportunity here.
What it Pays
According to Upwork, video editors can start anywhere between $20 and $45 per hour. That’s substantial money for a college student pursuing an artistic endeavor.
As you sharpen your skills, you can push that number even higher.
If you’re interested in pursuing this work further, see if there’s a film club on campus. Joining them will help you improve your abilities and build connections.
What You Need
First and foremost, you’ll need to know the basics of video production and editing. Being artistic, detail-oriented, and having a knack for storytelling will also be helpful.
Of course, you also need video editing software. Adobe Premiere Pro is the go-to solution, and while it’s expensive, you may have free or discounted access to the Adobe Creative Suite through your college or university.
A video portfolio will help you land clients. Photography and videography majors can likely leverage past coursework. If you aren’t in one of these majors, you can create some samples from scratch. As with writing, clients care more about what you can do than your qualifications or past clients.
Five Great Video Production Niches
- Book trailers: There has been an explosion in self-published e-books in recent years, and most authors who are serious about marketing their work create video trailers to try and drum up attention. Your job here is to create a video that builds hype and leads to sales.
- Lyric videos: Up-and-coming musicians don’t always have the budget for a true music video. Lyric videos enable them to add a visual element to their music at a lower price.
- Short-form video editing: A strong trend is repurposing long-form videos an influencer may create on YouTube for platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
- Subtitles and captions: Subtitles are essential for videos that will be shared on social media, but few people know how to add them, how to make them look good, and — most importantly — how to make them line up with the audio track. There’s tremendous demand in this niche, although the pay can be relatively low.
- Video editing: Video editors need to understand technical details like lighting, coloration, framing, cuts and types of shots and angles. You’ll also need access to quality video editing software, like Adobe’s Premiere Pro and/or Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
- Whiteboards: Whiteboard videos involve drawing images on a whiteboard to accompany the video’s narration. Educational organizations and YouTube channels commonly use these, but businesses also make them for marketing purposes. This is a great niche if you’re talented at drawing and/or digital animation.
#4. Audio and Music Production
As recently as the turn of the century, the overwhelming majority of professional audio production took place in multi-million-dollar recording studios, and producers needed to know how to leverage massive soundboards and other highly technical equipment. But today, all you need is a MacBook, some relatively inexpensive software, a little bit of equipment and a little bit of know-how.
You can easily do this work from your dorm room, your parents’ house, or wherever you happen to be. And if you’re talented, the pay can be quite good.
What it Pays
How much you can earn depends on the type of work you perform. When doing basic audio editing — like eliminating background noise, boosting audio volume, or adjusting sound quality — you can expect to earn between $20 and $40 per hour. For more specialized one-off projects — like recording song demos — the price typically falls into the $75 to $150 range for beginners.
What You Need
The general consensus is that MacBooks are ideal for audio production, but you can also use a Windows computer. You’ll need some type of audio recording software, such as Pro Tools, which is the industry standard for music production. However, Pro Tools is expensive, so consider opting for Adobe Audition, which you can usually get for free (or heavily discounted) from your college or university. You’ll also need the wires, adapters and equipment specific to the type of work you want to perform.
Five Great Audio Production Niches
- Edit podcasts: Podcasters will pay you to edit, mix and master their episodes, ensuring that they sound crisp and loud, that all the speakers are at the same volume level, and so on.
- Make beats: If music production sounds more like your thing, check out the BeatStars marketplace, where up-and-coming artists pay around $20 per track.
- Produce song demos: A more lucrative form of music production is recording song demos. Songwriters need semi-professional recordings to pitch their music to artists, so they’ll hire you to transform their work tape (which is usually a rough recording of them performing a song with just a guitar or piano), so that you can re-record it — either by playing the instruments yourself or using synthesized instruments via a program like GarageBand. If you can sing, that’s a major plus. If not, you may need to hire a vocalist to perform the track. (You should have no trouble finding willing singers on campus.)
- Transcribe music: If you know how to read and write sheet music, people will pay you to transcribe their songs (or other songs) from audio to formal notation. If you understand guitar tablature and/or the Nashville Numbers System, you can also make money by transcribing songs into those shorthand formats.
- Write songs: People will pay you to write custom music for them. Sometimes, this means writing advertising jingles. But other times, it’s composing original music for film projects, or composing music specifically for artists to perform. When writing songs, you can opt for a work-for-hire contract, in which you get paid a set fee but don’t own any part of the song. Or, you can opt for a co-writing agreement, in which you own a part of the song and are thus entitled to any future royalties.
#5. Graphic Design and Visual Arts
Graphic design and visual arts, alongside gigs such as writing and web development, is one of the most popular and accessible online jobs you can start as a student. You can make simple logos for a few bucks, or you can take on more complex projects such as marketing brochures.
What it Pays
Payscale found that graphic designers typically start at about $15 per hour, with average rates up to $30 per hour.
Similar to other freelance jobs, billing by project instead of by hour may be more profitable. You can indeed raise your rates, but you’re limited by the number of hours in the day. Billing by project ensures you’re only limited by the speed at which you work.
What You Need
Graphic design majors have a head start, but you can land clients from within any major if you pick up some skills through courses online or at your school. In addition to understanding the theory and principles behind graphic design, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with programs like Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator.
After learning the principles of graphic design and mastering the basics of a few computer programs, you’ll need to make a portfolio of samples before you can start working for clients.
Your portfolio can be simple, but tailor it to the type of work you want. For example, create several logos for imaginary companies.
Consider making a website as well. Not only does a website make you appear more professional to clients — and provide them a way to reach you — but a fantastic design for your website can speak for itself.
Learn more: How to make money as a graphic designer.
Five Great Graphic Design Niches
- Album, podcast and mixtape cover art: Whether it’s a podcast or a music album, cover art makes a statement. It gives the listener an insight into what the content is about and what type of person the content creator is.
- Brand style guides: If you’re more advanced in graphic design, you can work with brands to develop their style guides. This type of work aims to create a cohesive and distinct brand feel. Developing style guides involves picking the color palette, deciding on fonts, determining how to use imagery and more. An understanding of marketing and psychology will be helpful here.
- Book covers and layouts: Book covers give readers a first impression of the book’s story or subject matter. You’ll have to interview your client — the author — as well as draw inspiration from similar books. You can work on e-books, physical books or both, but the biggest and most accessible market is e-book cover design.
- Business cards and stationery: Business card and stationery design may seem trivial, but attractive design can make a company much more memorable — meaning more leads. Understanding the business’s brand style and voice is crucial for being a successful business card/stationery graphic designer.
- Photoshop editing: People need pictures photoshopped for many different reasons — from cleaning up the lighting and color in personal photos to removing backgrounds from product pictures. Whatever it may be, mastering Photoshop will keep your services in demand — although there’s a lot of competition here from the developing world, so the rates for this work aren’t always the highest in the field.
#6. Voice and Screen Performance
You don’t need to be a theater major to make money by putting yourself on-screen (or on-speaker, in the case of audio gigs). Demand for original video and audio content is surging, and producing high-quality videos and recordings is easier than ever.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys being the center of attention, these gigs might be right up your alley.
What it Pays
Payscale says that voice actors can expect around $15 an hour to start. However, most voice actors are paid per job. For non-broadcast work — such as audiobooks — companies may pay by total word count.
As for screen actors, you can start a bit higher at about $17.50, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, that figure reflects people who work in more traditional roles and our research suggests the amount you can make through one-off freelance projects is significantly higher.
What You Need
If you’re going the screen performance route, you’ll need access to cameras and camera peripherals, as well as video editing equipment. Voice performers will need recording equipment such as headphones and microphones. Basic equipment will be fine; there’s no need to spend a fortune on an industry-leading mic.
Three Great Performance Niches
- Audiobook narration: Audiobooks give people a way to enjoy written works on the go, such as while driving or working out. You’ll need to be adept at voice acting and have a strong understanding of the books you’re narrating. ACX, owned by Amazon, is a great platform on which you can audition for audiobook roles. You can get paid on a per-finished-hour basis, or you can share 50% of the royalties.
- Screencast videos: Screencasts are a common format for app and software tutorials. You’ll have to understand the program you’re explaining before making the video, as well as be good at teaching others.
- YouTube channel: YouTube requires a bit of additional video production and business skills — think of it more like starting a blog than a freelance gig — but it can be a rewarding pursuit if you’re motivated and talented (here’s how much you can make as a YouTuber). There are many types of content that work well on the platform, such as product reviews, “unboxing” videos, makeup tutorials, streaming video games, and almost anything else you can think of.
#7. Administrative Jobs
Businesses like to outsource various low-level tasks to online workers, creating many administrative job opportunities for you.
What it Pays
Pay varies by job type. However, you can expect to start at around $10 to $12 per hour for many remote administrative jobs. After working for a while, you may be able to either get a raise or leverage your experience for a higher-paying job somewhere else.
What You Need
Like your potential earnings, the exact skills you’ll need will vary based on the type of administrative job you take. In general, however, you’ll need organizational, time management and communication skills.
The ability to type fast will also be helpful — allowing you to complete work more quickly.
Four Great Administrative Niches
- Data entry: If you’re OK with repetitive work, data entry is a solid job choice. Given the low level of skill required, you could easily fit this job in between classes.
- Search engine evaluation: Search engine evaluators help make sure search results for various search engines are relevant and useful.
- Transcription: Transcription is the act of turning audio into text. Medicine is a big field for this as doctors often need medical transcriptionists to type up their audio notes. But you can also find plenty of freelance work transcribing random videos and audio records.
- Translation: If you’re studying a foreign language and you’re far into your coursework, consider a translation job. Online translation jobs involve converting texts to the target language and taking customer service calls in other languages. The most in-demand languages are Spanish, Russian and Arabic, but you can likely find jobs in any language your school offers.
Resource: Data entry is often called “online typing.” Here’s a list of companies that hire in the field.
#8. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants handle several administrative, creative or technical tasks for their clients remotely. Despite the increased competition you’ll face as a result of more people pursuing work-from-home opportunities, there’s still room for you to launch a virtual assistant business.
What it Pays
According to Indeed.com, the average virtual assistant in the U.S. makes $16.62 per hour. You’ll likely make less than that with no experience, but your pay will rise as you gain experience.
Specializing in a few virtual assistant tasks helps you gain experience in those skills — allowing you to command higher rates and find more clients.
What You Need
Virtual assistants need several skills to succeed, but perhaps the most important is the ability to work in a self-directed manner. When clients hire a VA, their primary goal is to take responsibilities and tasks off of their own shoulders.
If you’re the kind of person who needs specific instructions to carry out tasks, and who always has questions about those instructions, this might not be the right fit. On the other hand, if you’re comfortable rolling with the flow and solving an array of challenges on your own, you can bring significant value to the table.
Six Key Virtual Assistant Skills
- Scheduling and correspondence: Scheduling meetings and calls is time-consuming for your client. To schedule successfully, you have to understand your client and their priorities. Additionally, you must be organized and skilled at maintaining correspondence with several parties at once.
- Bookkeeping: Businesses need to keep the books, but don’t always need a full-time employee to do so. Bookkeeping tasks include documenting payables and receivables, tracking receipts, logging employee reimbursements, performing bank reconciliations and preparing tax documentation for the accountant. If you’re an accounting major, bookkeeping tasks could sharpen your in-class learning. Online bookkeeping is also a great side hustle in its own right — learn more in our article, Work at Home Bookkeeping Jobs: A Beginner’s Guide.
- Content creation and management: Some businesses just need you to manage their content, such as their website, blog posts and newsletters. Others ask that you write this content as well. If you have above-average writing skills, you can offer the latter and charge a lot more.
- Customer service: Some businesses task their virtual assistants with answering customer queries and handling other customer service tasks. Problem-solving skills and a friendly disposition will be a huge help.
- Project management: Project management is a whole field by itself, but if you’ve picked up some basic project management skills in school, you can still be of value to your client.
- Social media management: Social media is an integral part of marketing. You’ll have to know how to promote content on social media, engage with potential customers and evaluate the performance of posts.
You can find free certification courses for many of these skills online. Get certified in a skill and leverage that in your client search.
Resource: How to Become a Virtual Assistant.
#9. Social Media Management
As a social media manager, you’ll manage your client’s or employer’s presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
What it Pays
Without any previous work experience, you can expect about $12 to $15 per hour to start. You may be able to leverage any marketing classwork into a slightly higher rate.
If you take a traditional job, you’ll sacrifice the ability to raise your rates faster in exchange for a guaranteed paycheck. If you launch a social media management business, you’ll have to pursue leads, but you’ll get to decide what you charge your clients.
What You Need
Aside from knowing social media platforms inside and out, social media management jobs require sharp research and writing skills. You must be able to understand your target audience well and “speak their language.”
Analytics is another skill to have. A large part of your job will be analyzing the performance of social media posts.
You’ll also need to learn how to market your services and manage your time.
Three Great Social Media Niches
- Content creation: Social media managers that are good at writing go the content creation route. You’ll have to know your clients’ respective brands and audiences well so that your posts resonate with them, and to specialize in this you’ll also need some level of graphic/video design skills.
- Pinterest VA: Product-based businesses often sell on Pinterest — a hybrid between a search engine and a social media platform. As a Pinterest VA, your goal is to optimize your clients’ Pinterest pages to drive traffic and increase sales.
- Facebook Ads: Facebook ads are a primary source of traffic for many websites, and if you know how to draft good ones — and target them effectively — you can dramatically increase your clients’ sales (and thus make some serious money).
#10. E-Commerce
As e-commerce continues to grow, it’s a great field to get some experience in while you’re in college. While there are a lot of administrative roles you can fill within the industry — such as working as a virtual assistant for a store owner — one option to consider is becoming a reseller.
Starting a reselling business can be a profitable venture without a lot of startup costs, which also allows you the flexibility to work on your own schedule.
Reselling involves buying products at a low price on one platform and reselling them at a higher price on a different platform. This can be done online, through platforms such as eBay and Amazon, or in person at flea markets or garage sales. Alternatively, you can buy stuff offline and then resell it online (or vice versa).
What it Pays
The amount you can earn from a reselling side hustle will vary depending on the items you choose to sell and the demand for those items. However, with a bit of experience, it’s possible to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.
What You Need
To get started with reselling, you’ll need:
- Items to resell. Source items through thrift store shopping, garage sales, or even buying items in bulk from wholesale distributors. See our list of best things to sell online for some ideas.
- A platform to sell your items. You can choose to sell your items through online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, or you can set up your own online store using a platform like Shopify.
- A way to take payment from buyers. This could be through PayPal, Stripe or another online payment processor.
- A way to ship your items to buyers. You’ll need to have access to shipping materials and a way to get your items to buyers, either through a local post office or through a fulfillment service like Fulfillment by Amazon.
The Best Reselling Niches
When it comes to choosing the best niche for your reselling business, it’s important to choose something that you’re passionate about and for which there is strong demand in the market. Some popular reselling niches include vintage clothing and accessories, collectibles, and specialized items like designer handbags and high-end sports memorabilia.
#11. Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is a great way for college students to make extra cash and gain valuable experience in their field of study. With the increasing popularity of online learning, there are now numerous websites that connect tutors with students who are looking for help with their studies.
What it Pays
The amount of money you can make as an online tutor will depend on a number of factors, including your qualifications, experience, and the subject that you’re tutoring. In general, college students can expect to earn between $15 and $25 per hour.
What You Need
As an online tutor, you’ll need strong knowledge of the subject you’re tutoring, as well as good communication and teaching skills. You’ll also need a reliable internet connection and a computer or laptop with a webcam and microphone.
Online Tutoring Job Sites for College Students
There are many websites that offer tutoring jobs for college students. Some specialize in specific skills, such as teaching English, while others are more varied.
Here are a couple of our favorites for college students.
- Tutorme.com. Requirements for this site are that you’re 18-years-old or older and enrolled at an accredited university. Tutorme works specifically with K-12 students in the U.S., in a range of subjects.
- CourseHero. A good fit for upperclassmen who excel in their field of study, as the company looks for tutors who are subject matter experts in their field.
See our complete list of tutoring jobs online for more platforms.
Bonus: Search for Remote Jobs the Right Way
Aside from the jobs and niches on this list, there are many companies looking to hire remote, part-time workers in other fields. What’s best is to find a job in an industry that interests you — preferably one that’s within your major.
A great place to start is by using Indeed’s advanced job search feature, which allows you to specify not only the field, but also the job level and whether or not you’re looking for on-site or remote work.
Another great option is FlexJobs, which is an online job board specifically dedicated to remote work opportunities. What’s great about FlexJobs is that every position on the site has been hand-screened, so you don’t have to worry about running into scams.
The downside is that it’s a membership site ($23.95 per month), though it may be worth it depending on the type of job you’re looking for. Fortunately, you can get a 14-day trial for just $2.95, with no obligation to stay subscribed after the trial period.
Learn more about how the site works, as well as its pros and cons, in our detailed FlexJobs review.
Online Jobs for College Students FAQ
There is no shortage of ways to make money online, many of which do not involve having a job like the ones we list above. Some options include online survey sites, as well as product testing and software testing through companies like UserTesting.com.
The best type of job is one that’s going to help you excel long-term, while making money short-term. Freelance writing is one job that allows you to gain experience in any field, while still paying a solid rate for your time.
Yes, but it requires you to have a job with a lot of flexibility. Many companies offer remote work options and are open to hiring college students for full-time positions. It may require some extra effort and time to search for these opportunities and convince the employer that you’re capable of handling a full-time remote job while in college, but it is possible.
The Best Online Jobs for College Students: Final Thoughts
Remember, the best online jobs when you’re a college student are those that offer not only good pay and a flexible schedule, but also the ability to learn skills that will make you more competitive once you graduate.
The amount of money you’ll earn during this period pales in comparison to what you’ll earn over the course of your lifetime, and it’s important to keep that fact in perspective; taking a job that pays a few dollars less per hour, but gives you the chance to develop skills within your field of study, is usually a better idea than opting for a higher-paying gig that has nothing to do with your career goals.
Financial Tips and Deals Every Friday
Join over 10,000 subscribers and stay ahead with personal finance insights, the best deals, and the best money-making opportunities every Friday.
