When you’re looking for a job as a student, you must ensure that it is not only reasonably-paid, but also allows you to develop skills that will benefit you in the long run.
Your job shouldn’t also be too demanding, otherwise it will pull away your focus from academics and become counter-productive.
So in this article, we’ve come up with jobs that are not too demanding, will pay you reasonably well, and will help you develop skills that will be useful when you begin your professional career.
If you’re a student, make sure to consider these 6 jobs.
Restaurant worker
According to Glassdoor, the average base pay of a waiter in the US is $34,337/year, which comes down to around $2800 per month. This is exclusive of tips, which make up a considerable amount of what a waiter makes.
If your interpersonal skills are strong and you’re an amiable person, working at a food service might be an ideal job for you. While working at a fast food joint to get through college sounds clichéd, it does come with significant benefits. These include:
Flexible work hours so you can focus on academics
Opportunity to interact with different type of people
Some fast food companies reimburse employee tuition fees, which helps pay for college. Here are more ways to do that.
You will be expected to take orders, handle bill payments, and sometimes, help out with basic food preparation.
Since restaurants tend to become very busy sometimes, this job will teach you how to work under pressure in addition to honing your interpersonal skills.
As you rise up the ranks, you might get to lead a team of waiters. And leadership positions are extremely valuable additions to a CV.
Tutor
Being a tutor is an ideal job for college students, especially if you can get clients who need help with subjects related to your major. That’s because you don’t have to go out of your way to teach something you’re studying at college. This becomes even easier when you have to tone your knowledge down to a more basic level to help students younger than you.
Plus, tutoring allows you to stay in touch with some of the concepts you might have forgotten otherwise. And this can save your life when your professor decides to test an unexpected concept on exams, which is not something unheard of.
According to Glassdoor, tutors make an average income of $51,734/year in the US. This can vary depending on the subject you teach and the hours you work. According to other estimates, tutors make anywhere between $30 and $85 per hour, which are some of the highest rates you’ll find on this list.
Fortunately, you now have online tutoring services like Cluey Learning that allow you to connect with students all over the world. This means all you need to start tutoring is a computer and an internet connection — and of course, a bit of didactic aptitude.
You should know that English language skills are highly sought after in some parts of the world. If you’re a Native English speaker, offering English language tuition via an online platform is easy money.
Brand ambassador
If you’re good-looking, outgoing, and have a knack for marketing (or want to get into it later), working as a brand ambassador is a good way to make some cash.
Companies look for young, energetic people to raise awareness about their products and pay up to $20/hour for this. According to Indeed, brand ambassadors make up to $43,421 per year, which is higher than restaurant workers.
The best thing about working as a brand ambassador is that work hours are usually made up of evenings and weekends. This means you don’t have to compromise on academics to survive.
But keep in mind that the job involves a lot of rejection. That’s because you’re required to approach people (who are not really interested in you) and build a rapport with them.
If you have rejection hypersensitivity (which is seen in some personality types), working as a brand ambassador might not be suitable for you. Click here to find more about rejection hypersensitivity and how to cope with it.
Also, this job might require a lot of traveling. And although you’re usually reimbursed for traveling expenses, it takes time and energy to travel (which is something you should keep in mind as a student).
Freelance worker
Online jobs are ideal for students. And there are a wide range of online opportunities today, thanks to freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. All you have to do to start making money is sign up on one of these websites and pitch your services to clients.
Some of the more popular freelance areas today include:
Content writing, which makes $23 per hour — some writers are paid per word and you can charge up to $50 for a 1500-word article when starting out
Copywriting, which makes $28 per hour
Graphic designing, which makes $30 per hour
Editing, which makes $25 per hour
Note: all of this data is for the US and is taken from Indeed.
You also have other areas like data entry, virtual assistance, website designing, digital marketing, SEO, software-related services, and virtually anything that you can think of. It’s even better if you’re able to land a gig related to your education. This will allow you to apply your knowledge to real-life problems (and make you money at the same time).
Once you establish a client base on a freelancing platform, you can transition to working with companies directly so you don’t have to pay a percentage of your earnings to the platform.
You’ll find many stories on the internet about how people have turned their freelance jobs into lucrative, full-time careers. So if there’s one job you’re going to try, it should be freelancing.
Here’s a tutorial on getting started on Upwork. And here’s one on Fiverr, which many people think is more challenging than Upwork.
Nanny
Although babysitting might test your patience to the fullest, it offers several advantages for students. For starters, some families allow babysitters to stay with them in exchange for their services. This is helpful if you’re living in an expensive city (or if you’re from a foreign country and currency exchange rates make surviving difficult).
Sometimes, you also get to work on your college assignments when the baby is asleep.
Keep in mind that you may be expected to help with meal preparation, homework, and school pick-ups and drop-offs as a nanny. So although the job comes with several advantages, it might get demanding.
According to Indeed, the job pays $19.68 per hour in the US but this may vary widely depending on your area and responsibilities.
YouTuber
While this isn’t exactly a “job” when you’re just starting out, many people generate a full-time income through YouTube.
If your brain cells are creative, consider starting a YouTube channel. But keep in mind that earning through YouTube is not “easy money” at the beginning, and you should only consider this job if you have a passion for it. If your degree is related to arts or filmmaking, even better.
Once you build an audience and start securing sponsorships, money will start to flow in.
There are a wide range of channel niches that you can consider — from vlogging about your daily life to creating educational content to singing songs, the opportunities are as endless as your imagination.
You can also use your YouTube channel as a portfolio to land freelancing clients related to video editing.
Here’s a guide on how to get started on YouTube.
Finally, you should keep in mind that now matter how well you earn, you’ll always be short on cash if you don’t budget well in college. So here are some budgeting tips for college students to help you stay financially comfortable.