Best Work for Yourself During College

It is good to be aware of which jobs offer the highest salaries for college students. There’s no denying the fact that college is costly.

College Data reports that the average cost of a four-year public college education in a given state in 2022-2023 was $27,940. Four years at a private university in the same year averaged $57,570 in tuition and fees.

You’ll need some way to contribute to the costs. A good job throughout college could be a big boost. You might be surprised to learn that there are high-paying careers open to college graduates.

Is it your goal to earn $12, $15, or $25 an hour while you’re in school? Read on for a list of student work opportunities. Examine the options to see if any of them are a good fit for you to make money while attending college.

Best Work for Yourself During College

These first occupations are those that don’t require you to report to anyone except yourself. You’ll be an independent contractor for these assignments. In other words, you’ll have to manage your own finances by recording all of your transactions.

In addition, you must pay all applicable taxes. As a result, you should budget a certain percentage of your earnings as a contractor to send to the IRS.

Find out whether any of these suggestions for working independently interest you.

1. Nanny/Babysitter

The demand for babysitters and nannies is high in most major cities. PayScale reports that the median hourly income for nannies is $16.27. Nanny pay is variable from city to city, so you may make a lot more money.

Some college students, along with the families in the neighborhood who may also need a nanny, find themselves in need of the service.

This position may be ideal for you if you are reliable, enjoy working with youngsters, and have a passion for child care.

You can get hired by posting ads in your community or on Craigslist.

2. Be a Rideshare Driver

I’m sure you’ve heard of Uber by now. Perhaps you’ve used the Uber car service before. If you’re at least 21 years old and a licensed driver, driving with Uber is a convenient way to make money on your own schedule.

You can set your own hours if you want to work as a rideshare driver during college, provided you have your permit. You may accept passengers if you are available. If not, there’s no obligation to.

Riders have the opportunity to tip drivers, so providing excellent service can increase your earnings. Earning potential is context- and variable (when and how much you drive, for example).

The campuses of universities and colleges are a hotspot for rideshare drivers. This is necessary because a large percentage of university students do not bring cars to campus and must find other transportation to go to their destinations.

Even while many campuses are very walkable, it may not always be practical for students to go to particular destinations. Take into consideration being a rideshare driver if you appreciate interacting with new people and having the freedom to set your own schedule.

3. Tutor

According to PayScale, the national average hourly wage for tutors is $19.27. If you’re self-employed, tutoring is another career that gives you flexibility in your schedule.

To attract customers, promote your services on Craigslist and on school websites and bulletin boards. To succeed as a tutor, you should zero in on the academic areas in which you excel.

Think about becoming a math instructor if you’re really good at the subject. If you have a strong grasp of the English language, consider offering to help kids with their grammar and sentence structure.

As with good communication skills, patience is a major plus for anyone seeking a career as a tutor. Choose the age range that you wish to tutor. Do you want to work with pupils that are roughly the same age as you?

Instead, how about working with elementary school students as a tutor? Moreover, being a sole proprietor is not a prerequisite for working as a tutor.

Working alone as a tutor is ideal (and usually more lucrative), but you might also get work through a tutoring center. In most big cities, you can find a local tutoring center on every corner.

Online tutoring through a service like Course Hero is also an option.

4. Independent Visual Artist

Freelancing as a graphic designer affords you the flexibility to take on a variety of projects. According to PayScale, the median salary for a graphic designer is $30.14 an hour.

Graphic designers working alone can do anything from creating logos to making and selling t-shirts. Alternatively, you may offer your services to design logos for firms.

Freelancing allows you the flexibility to offer your services through platforms like Upwork. T-shirt, mug, and bag designs made by you could be sold on platforms like Redbubble.

It’s also possible to talk to the people who own business websites about improving their sites. Some website owners would see a significant rise in visitors from a redesign that made using the site simpler and more intuitive.

Freelancing as a graphic designer is one option, but there are other more traditional employment options available. Some businesses prefer to recruit designers who have earned degrees in the field, while others are willing to settle for less formal education.

5. Freelance Writer

Freelance writing can be a lucrative profession for those who have a knack for it. According to PayScale, freelance writers earn an average hourly wage of $24.51.

Many different types of work are available to you as a freelance writer. You have the option of writing for blog owners, company manuals, or even short fiction.

Freelance writing gigs may be found on sites like Upwork and Craigslist. You might also approach the managers or owners of your favorite blogs in search of employment opportunities.

You can also look for freelance writing jobs by submitting your work to your preferred news or entertainment websites. When you’re a freelance writer, you may set your own schedule.

This is great since it allows you to fit your work schedule around your other obligations, such as school.

Check out Earn More Writing if you want to find out more about how to make a living as a freelance writer. The course’s creator, Holly, makes more than $200,000 year from her writing work.

6. A Digital Companion Clever Contextual Helper

An administrative, technical, or artistic duty can be delegated to a virtual assistant, and they will handle it for you. As their name implies, virtual assistants perform their duties from afar. According to PayScale, the average hourly compensation for a virtual assistant is $17.32.

Work as a virtual assistant has the advantage of never becoming routine. This is because the duties you perform in this line of work tend to be quite varied.

Virtual assistant positions are often posted on websites like Upwork and Craigslist. In most cases, working as a virtual assistant means working alone, but occasionally you’ll come across an opportunity that requires a W-9.

7. Photographer

Do you take excellent pictures and have a good camera? If that’s the case, you could promote yourself as a photographer.

Taking pictures at college commencements can be enough work to keep you occupied all by itself, what with being both a photographer and a student. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to determine your own hourly fee while still earning the average photographer wage of $18.56.

Many of the expenses photographers face can be sidestepped if they hold their shoots in natural settings. There are almost no expenses because there is no requirement for an office or studio space.

8. Resume’ Writer

What is something that your fellow college students will want or need right away, even before they graduate? Put together a resume! This could be an excellent part-time job for a student with experience producing resumes.

Competent resume writers can charge whatever they choose for their services. I’ve seen resume writing services go for as little as $250 and as much as $5,000.

You need to know how to make people sparkle on paper if you want to be an excellent resume writer. Excellent writing skills are a must.

You must also have the ability to bring out the best in your customers. Get to know them better through interviews in order to unearth their latent expertise; then, polish their resumes to perfection.

Gain patrons by networking with other students and posting ads around campus.

9. Expert in Animal Care

If you have a soft spot in your heart for canines, felines, and other furry friends, you might enjoy a career in the pet care industry.

As a pet sitter, you may easily command $15 an hour or more. The hourly compensation for groomers is considerably more substantial.

As a pet care expert in business for yourself, you might provide services like these:

Exercising the dog
Dog walkers who also undertake yard work
Grooming a dog

By making a profile on such a site and outlining your qualifications, you can promote your offerings to a wide audience. Rover also allows users to determine their own pricing.