Struggling to pay for college expenses? These flexible jobs can help! Via Shutterstock.
As college classes start I’ve begun to hear my little sister’s complaints: “I’m so poor.” The broke college student isn’t a joke, it’s a reality for many students, especially those who don’t work during the school year. While many people are still undecided about whether students should work during college, there are jobs that help boost your bank account without cutting into study time.
Throughout college, I worked many part-time jobs and internships.That’s part of the reason why I was able to graduate college debt-free. If you want to manage school and work, finding a job that works with your schedule is key. Here are five jobs that will help you pay your bills while keeping your grades high.
5 Flexible Jobs for College Students
1. Resident Assistant – My best friend was an “RA” for three years during college and the position helped her pay for a large chunk of her college tuition. The school paid for her room and board as well as her meal plan in exchange for her position as an RA. She was also paid for working holidays, events, and summer programs. While the job does entail weekly office hours and weekends spent monitoring the dorm, there is often a lot of down-time where she was able to do homework or study while on shift. Even better, a position as an RA looks great on a resume. Working as a resident assistant helps to improve your leadership, time management, and problem solving skills, which are useful in any field.
2. Paid Internships – Most of my jobs during college were paid internships. These are great because they’re made for college students which means they’re willing to work around (and understanding of) your schedule. These jobs often pay more than minimum wage (mine ranged from $10-$15 an hour) and are great resume boosters. Internships are also a great way to network with people in your field. I met Julia (Bargain Babe!) during a school internship, which led to my job here.
3. Babysitter – A babysitter is another flexible job. Throughout college I babysat for neighbors and family friends on the weekends. Often, I would only watch the children for a few hours before it was bedtime. Once they were in bed I was able to work on homework, catch up on school reading, or just relax. If you are good with kids, babysitting is also a fun summer job. Many of my friends saved money for tuition by working as babysitters or nannies during school vacation periods. If you’re looking to find a babysitting job a great resource is care.com. Just create a profile that includes your skills, fee, and the distance your willing to travel and wait for the offers to come rolling in!
4. Freelance Writing – I wish that I’d known about the opportunities for freelance writing during college! There are many different sites that offer freelance writing gigs. These are perfect for college students because the jobs are often just one or two posts a week. It’s a great way to make a quick $50 for only a few hours of work. Also, there are a variety of topics to choose from so your job will be much less boring than working at your local coffee shop. One of my favorite sites to look for freelance jobs is indeed.com. They frequently update their job board and many of the jobs are perfect for those looking to work an extra few hours a week. Also, freelance jobs aren’t limited to writing. There are jobs online for graphic design, tech, editing and more! Search your field for freelance jobs and you’re sure to find one that fits you.
5. Dog Sitter/House Sitter – My friend Chris has been working as a dog sitter on weekends to pay for his grad school. That’s his only job! According to Chris, the key to making money as a dog sitter relies on getting a large number of clients. The more experience you have the more you can charge and the more calls you’ll get to dog sit. You can make up to $100 per day just to walk, feed, and play with pets. Sweet deal! Start off by letting family and friends know you’re available. You can also post flyers or create a profile on sites like Rover.com. House sitting is also an easy and fun job. My friend Alexa made $500 for staying in her parent’s friend’s beach house for a week. She was required to water the plants, take out the garbage, and sleep at the house every night. Otherwise, she could do as she pleased. While these jobs often are less reliable sources of income they’re a great way to make money quickly.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Other flexible jobs are tutoring, restaurant work, giving music or art lessons if you are talented and various jobs on campus (I used to work in the school library).
Those are some great ideas @Myke! I had many friends who worked in those jobs during college. Also, one of my best friends worked in the tech office because he was studying computer science. That was a great job because it paid well and it looked awesome on his resume! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My son has worked as a writing center tutor and as a lab assistant for Astronomy…. Both have been great jobs for him and look fantastic on a resume. It was really nice that they moved some of the writing center work to on-line, so he was able to do it as his summer job here at home, with no commute and flexible hours!
Wow! I would’ve loved to have an online job during college. That sounds amazing!
Freelancing is definitely the way to go – I think it’s by far the most flexible of all the things you have listed here. Although another thing you could at to this list now would be driving for Uber/UberEats.
great
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