If you manage your time well, working while studying can allow you to graduate with far less, or even no student debt. While this sounds outstanding in theory, once you’re in the thick of college life, finding time for work can be easier said than done. The trick lies in getting the freedom and flexibility of the digital world to work in your favor.
Since you’re a student, it’s easy to assume you don’t yet have anything of value to teach. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Many online tutoring companies seek out recent high school graduates as they are best-placed to help the next round of senior students prepare for final exams.
You may also pick up work tutoring in subjects you’ve excelled in, particularly as you progress through your college education. As a bonus, teaching is one of the best ways to lock information into your long-term memory. In this way, tutoring may also help you be a better student.
Data entry
This work line will appeal to those who want to take a break from having to overthink. Sure, you do need to concentrate and have a high level of attention to detail with data entry. Conversely, you don’t need to problem solve, making it a surprisingly lovely study break. Check out sites like Flexjobs and CapitalTyping to get started.
Crowdsourced work
Sites like Appen and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk allow remote workers to sign up and participate in projects if and when they have the time. Though you don’t get a guarantee of hours, the pay is quite good (particularly with Appen). Additionally, you have the flexibility to take or leave jobs, depending on your schedule. You will have to qualify for each of these programs. However, once you do, they are among the best flexible online income sources for students.
User testing
User testing involves reviewing websites and apps, usually with a specific set of tasks to complete. The company will give you the software to download, and you’ll use this to record your sessions. The tricky part is that you need to narrate your entire experience (with no awkward silences), so the client understands how intuitive their website design is for users. The pay usually works out to around US$30-45 per hour, which is pretty amazing for a flexible student job.
Translating
Many students allow the second language they learned in high school to atrophy. Too many lose the valuable skill of being bilingual, wasting all those years of study. A great way to further your language skills while funding your college education is to qualify to be a freelance translator. You will need to add a translation class to your course load and pass a fluency test. However, once you’ve done this, you’ll unlock a world of flexible work options that will give you an incredibly useful experience for life beyond graduation.
In addition to being flexible and paying well, each of these online jobs offers the opportunity to develop skills and experience that will be valuable in your post-college career. Choose the one that suits your personality and talents the best. You’ll be setting yourself up for financial freedom and success.
