Suman Karki

Being a student, you might struggle with a busy schedule and tight finances. As tuition fees rise, and living expenses soar, students often seek side hustles to earn money to supplement their income without compromising their academic performance.

Luckily, there are various ways to make money online that let students earn extra cash while keeping their studies on track.

Say goodbye to late-night shifts that interfere with your lectures. Whether you’re skilled at writing or have a knack for social media, there’s an ideal online job waiting for you that perfectly aligns with your talents and schedule.

So, let’s explore the top 10 online jobs available on the internet for students like you to earn extra money.

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is one of the popular online jobs available for students in which they can showcase their writing talent, and earn a flexible income. The demand for online content is increasing steadily as businesses and publications are constantly seeking good-quality writers to create blog posts, articles, website copy, and more.

Students can create written content for clients on a project-by-project basis including a wide range of topics and formats (blog articles, press releases, social media posts, product descriptions, copywriting, and so on).

To start freelancing, students can join popular platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and Content Mills. After creating an account, and getting approved, they can choose products, set their rates, and work from anywhere with an internet connection.

As a freelance writer, students can earn somewhere between $15 and $40 per hour depending on their specialty, and experience. Beginner students can start with lower rates, and build a portfolio to gain positive reviews before seeking higher pay rates.

Online Tutoring

Teaching online has become one of the popular ways to make money in today’s digital landscape. The demand for personalized education is growing rapidly requiring qualified tutors who can provide quality support and instruction to students.

If you are a student and can help other students by offering online tutoring services, you can join various platforms like Tutor.com, Chegg Tutors, Wyzant, and VIPKid.

Some popular tutoring platforms are listed below.

In addition, students may join platforms like Upwork, and Fiverr to find online tutoring opportunities.

With online tutoring, students can make anywhere from $15 to $50 per hour depending on platform, experience, or commission structure.

  • General Tutoring Platforms:
    • Range: $15 – $40 per hour
    • Examples: Chegg Tutors, TutorMe, Wyzant (These often depend on the platform’s set rates or commission structure)
  • Language Learning Platforms:
    • Range: $15 – $25 per hour
    • Example: Preply (May vary depending on the language and your experience)

Social Media Management

Social Media platforms are becoming more than just a requirement for businesses, and organizations. Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media have become a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and boost sales.

social-media-marketing-career-skeducates

Due to the increasing popularity of social media, the demand for social media managers has skyrocketed hence, offering a gateway for students to earn money online.

Social media management involves overseeing and executing a company’s social media strategy to achieve specific marketing objectives. This includes creating and curating content, engaging with followers, monitoring analytics, and managing advertising campaigns across various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Students who are looking to earn money with social media management need to learn skills related to creating compelling visual, and written content.

Projects related to social media management can be acquired via freelancing platforms (Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer), LinkedIn, Remote.co, Social Media Management Tools (Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social), and personal branding.

How much money can students make through Social Media Management?

Here’s a rough idea of what students might expect:

  • Freelance Platforms:
    • Range: $14 – $35 per hour (This is a common range on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr)
  • Entry-Level Social Media Manager Roles:
    • Range: $30,000 – $45,000 per year (This is a national average in the US. Rates may vary depending on location and company size)

Graphic Design

Graphic Design is one of the most sought, and in-demand skills that allows students to earn a good amount of money by showcasing their design creativity.

qualifications-for-graphic-design-skeducates

Businesses today rely heavily on captivating graphics to communicate their message effectively.

Creating appealing visual content using digital tools, and software represents graphic design. Examples include designing logos, website graphics, digital advertisements, infographics, brochures, ebooks, social media posts, and more.

Graphic designers combine elements such as typography, color, imagery, and layout to create visually appealing and engaging designs that resonate with their target audience.

If you know how to use software like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Canva, Sketch, Procreate, and other tools, you can start your graphic design journey online, and earn money.

Search for graphic design-related projects on Fiverr, Dribbble, 99Designs, Behance, Upwork, Freelancer, and other online platforms.

How much can you earn with Graphic Design?

Here’s a breakdown of potential earnings for student graphic designers:

  • Hourly Rates: Students might start at $10-$20 per hour on freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr.
  • Per Project Rates: Simple graphic design projects like social media posts could range from $15-$50, while more complex projects like logos could be $100-$300+.

Data Entry

Data Entry is another lucrative way of making money online especially for students seeking flexibility, and ease of entry into remote work. Inputting data, processing, analyzing, and organizing data into digital formats to make it accessible, and usable for various purposes comes under data entry jobs.

As a student, you can execute various data entry tasks including typing text, entering numerical data, updating databases, transcribing documents, and digitizing records.

It is a foundational component of many businesses and organizations across industries, facilitating the management and analysis of large volumes of information.

Students can find data entry job opportunities via Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Remote.co, and Crowdsource platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, and Clickworker.

What is the average earning with Data Entry Jobs?

Here’s a general idea of what students might expect:

  • Hourly Rate: For basic data entry jobs, expect $10-$15 per hour.
  • Per Project Rate: Simple data entry projects might pay $2-$5, while more complex ones could be $10-$20.
  • Per Keystroke: This is less common, but some platforms pay a small amount per keystroke typed, which can be good for very fast typists. Rates might be around $0.001-$0.005 per keystroke.

Virtual Assistant

Emerging as a dynamic, and flexible online job option, Virtual Assistance (VA) is gaining popularity. It has also become one of the best ways for students seeking to support businesses and make money online.

Virtual Assistants (VAs) offer various services covering administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients from remote locations. The responsibilities of VAs include email management, scheduling appointments, handling customer queries, conducting research, creating presentations, and handling other business operations.

Organizational skills, good communication, time management, and technical proficiency are the key skills needed to become a Virtual Assistant.

If you have the required skills, and can offer Virtual Assistance to businesses, you can find related jobs on Upwork, Indeed, Remote.co, Fiverr or you can leverage personal, and professional networks.

How much can you make as a Virtual Assistant?

Here’s a breakdown of potential earnings for student virtual assistants:

  • Freelance Rates:
    • Range: $15 – $30 per hour (This is a common range on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr)
  • Remote VA Positions:
    • Range: $12 – $20 per hour (This is a national average in the US. Rates may vary depending on location and company size)

Transcription Jobs

If you have strong listening, and typing skills, transcription jobs are waiting for you. It is an easy way to make money online as you need to convert audio or video recordings to written text making the content accessible, and searchable for various purposes.

Transcriptionists are required to listen to audio or video recordings that might be in the form of interviews, meetings, lectures, podcasts, webinars, or other recorded materials. They need to accurately type out the spoken content in written form.

rev

As a transcriptionist, you can use tools and software such as Express Scribe, or TranscribeMe that offers features like playback control, foot pedal support, and text expansion to enhance transcription efficiency.

Transcription jobs can be found on websites like Rev.com, TranscribeMe, GoTranscript, Scribie, and so on.

Here is the general idea of what students might expect to earn via Transcription Jobs.

  • Hourly Rate: For beginners, expect $7.50-$15 per hour. Experienced transcriptionists can earn $18-$25+ per hour.
  • Per Minute Rate: Rates can vary, but beginners might start at $0.10-$0.15 per minute transcribed.
  • Per Project Rate: Simple projects could pay $10-$20, while complex ones involving legal jargon or medical terminology might be $50-$100+.

Online Surveys and Reviews

Participating in online surveys, and reviews is by far one of the easiest ways to make money online, especially for students who are just starting. Students can spend their spare time answering questions about products, services, brands, or general topics and get compensated.

prolific

In addition, students can earn more by writing reviews about services, products, businesses, movies, or other items online. Companies use this feedback to gather insights, make informed decisions, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Some popular websites offering surveys and feedback jobs are listed below.

  • Prolific: https://www.prolific.com/ (Focuses on academic and market research surveys, offering competitive payouts)
  • UserTesting: https://www.usertesting.com/ (Website testing platform where users record themselves navigating websites and providing feedback, offering good pay per test)
  • Swagbucks: https://www.swagbucks.com/ (Offers surveys, online shopping rewards, watching videos, and more, with points redeemable for cash or gift cards)
  • InboxDollars: https://www.inboxdollars.com/ (Offers surveys, reading emails, playing games, and more, with earnings redeemable for cash or gift cards)
  • LifePoints: https://www.lifepointspanel.com/en-us (Offers surveys on various topics, with points redeemable for cash or gift cards)

How much can you earn?

Here’s a general idea of what students might expect:

  • Established Survey Sites: On sites like MTurk, Swagbucks, or InboxDollars, earnings typically range from $0.25 to $2.00 per survey. However, some surveys might pay less, and reaching the payout threshold can take time.
  • Higher-Paying Options: Platforms like Prolific or UserTesting can offer $5 to $20 per survey or test, but these opportunities are often less frequent.

Blogging

I have listed blogging not only as a job for students but as a chance to build an online business. Blogging offers an exciting opportunity for students to express their creativity, share their passions, and generate ample revenue.

Blogging involves creating and publishing content on a specific topic or niche regularly. Bloggers share their insights, experiences, opinions, and expertise through written articles, images, videos, and other multimedia formats. \

how-to-start-a-blog-and-make-money

Blogs can cover a wide range of topics, including travel, fashion, food, technology, lifestyle, personal development, and more. Once you start gaining enough traffic on your blog, you can monetize it with display ads, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing.

Depending on the niche, you can make more than $100,000 per month from blogging. However, you must focus on achieving your first $100 and then slowly scale your revenue.

If you are worried about how to get started with blogging, here is our detailed guide: How to start a blog, and make money?

E-Commerce

E-commerce is one of the growing business models, and students can start their online businesses with minimal investments and overhead costs. Those students with enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, and selling products/services online can start exploring the power of e-commerce.

E-commerce, short for electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services over the Internet. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including online retail stores, digital product sales, dropshipping, affiliate marketing, and more.

Students can create their e-commerce businesses, sell products they create or source, and reach customers worldwide through online marketplaces and their websites.

Some popular E-commerce options for students include Dropshipping, selling handmade products (crafts, artwork, accessories, home decor), digital products (e-books, online courses, software, digital artwork), and affiliate marketing.

Likewise, popular platforms to get started include Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, and Amazon FBA.

Regarding earnings, there is no limit on how much can students earn with E-commerce. With consistent effort and strategic planning, earnings can potentially reach $1,000 to $5,000 per month as the business grows and attracts a loyal customer base.

Highly successful student e-commerce ventures, with a strong brand presence and effective marketing strategies, have the potential to reach even higher earnings, exceeding $5,000 per month.

Final Takeaway

Here we go! We have explored the top 10 online job opportunities for aspiring students like you who are always progressive, and have the zeal to make extra cash while continuing their academic journey.

This list has hopefully opened your eyes to the vast potential for earning money and gaining valuable skills while juggling your studies.

Success doesn’t happen overnight! So, don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies that ignite your passion, and resonate with your skillset. Keep on working consistently, and smartly, one day you’ll succeed.