Wondering how to make some extra cash at school?
Luckily, there are many methods you can use to make money at school, but some are better than others.
In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to make money at school whether you're in high school, college, or graduate studies. Let's dive in!
Best Ways to Make Money at School
1. Take Paid Surveys to Earn Money Online
One of the easiest ways to earn money online is to take advantage of paid surveys. While this isn't going to pay you anything insane, it's a great way to earn some extra money on the side.
In addition, most survey sites will offer new users free money instantly that you can take advantage of.
Here are a few of the best websites you can utilize to take surveys:
- Rakuten Insight: One of the highest paying survey sites and available to most people.
- Swagbucks: You get a $5 bonus for signing up with Swagbucks, and they offer alternative ways to make money, like watching videos.
- Survey Junkie: This is a great option to take surveys and paid focus groups to make money in your free time.
- InboxDollars: This company is one of the best known when it comes to paid surveys. They offer a $5 bonus for signing up and you can earn sweet referral bonuses by getting friends to sign up too.
The best part of this digital side hustle is that it only takes a few moments to take a survey, and you can pick the ones you want to take. All you need is a device that can access the internet and some free time!
2. Get Extra Money to Play Games
Just like with surveys, you can also make some extra cash playing games.
Many of the sites that offer paid surveys also have an option to make money playing video games, so you aren't forced to create tons of different accounts.
A few of the best sites to play video games on include:
- Mistplay: MistPlay is one of the most well-known gaming platforms where students can bring a little money. They offer gift cards for payment and you can play games in your free time.
- Swagbucks: The same survey company also offers an option to earn money online by playing video games. If you're already there, why not start playing video games?
These apps offer decent payments for interested students, so it's worth a shot.
3. Sell Candy at School
If your school is anything like mine, there's a good chance most of the students are hungry.
Whether you're in grade school, high school, or college – candy is a hot item that everyone loves.
I recommend buying candy in bulk rather than making your own, but there are many different options worth considering.
To get started, you can begin selling candies at sporting events, the school library, and anywhere else where students congregate. Once people know what you have, selling candy becomes an excellent way to make money fast.
4. Tutor Students
If you excel at a particular subject, an excellent way to make money is to tutor other students in your free time.
The pay for this side hustle is quite good and you can teach from the school library or a place in your home.
A few of the subjects you can tutor in include:
- History
- Algebra
- English
If you're in college, you can even specialize in a specific class. For example, usually advanced statistics classes can be quite challenging and therefore you can make pretty good money tutoring for it.
To find students to tutor, you can connect with your school officials to see if they have any openings on campus or you can reach out to students directly.
5. Sell School Supplies
School supplies can be expensive and it's a pain to gather them. Selling them at school makes it convenient for other students so they don't have to purchase them themselves.
A few of the most popular school supplies to sell include:
- Stationery items like pens and pencils
- Notebooks and other items to write in
- Calculators and other technology
You should be able to find these at an affordable price with enough room to earn a profit.
Buying in bulk or used is your best bet with school supplies.
6. Rent Calculators
As silly as it might sound, you can make a decent amount of money by renting out calculators and other random objects to students. You can charge a one-time price or have them pay a monthly fee for use of the product. Everyone needs a calculator, especially as you get into more advanced mathematics.
Because of how expensive some calculators can be, you'll want to charge accordingly and keep track of who has it at all times.
A few of the types of calculators you can invest in include:
- Solar-powered calculators
- Scientific calculators
- Graphing calculators
Ensure you have protections in place to keep fellow students from stealing the calculators and perform regular maintenance to keep them in tip-top shape. Once you get your business going, you'll find renting is an excellent way to make money passively.
7. Start a Blog
Blogging is a simple way to earn money online, even while you're in school. Best of all, the amount you can make can be enormous and it costs almost nothing to get started.
I know many bloggers who make over six-figures from their sites – which is a great income for most students.
While this isn't the fastest way to make money, it's certainly possible over time.
Here's a few ways you can make money from your blog:
- Selling products: Sell items right from your blog and promote them there.
- Display Advertising: Post advertisements on your blog that bring in money when readers click on them.
- Promoting affiliate links: Affiliate links come from sponsored products, so when users click on them you get paid.
The key with blogging is to give it time to grow. It's not going to happen overnight, so you'll want to give it enough time to start making money. It's not uncommon for a blog to take over 6 months before it starts making money.
Check out my blogging income from my sites. You can see how it slowly compounds over time.
Both college students and high school students are great candidates to start a blog and start earning money online.
Curious how to make money blogging? Check out the video below!
8. Sell Things Online
Platforms like Etsy and eBay have exploded over recent years giving people the ability to earn a fortune.
Whether you plan to make items yourself to sell or just look around your home to find items you no longer use, you can make a decent amount of money selling things online.
A few examples of items to sell on these sites include:
- Homemade blankets
- Old collectible figures
- Shoes
- Clothes
For example, check out these wooden crafts for sale on Etsy. With over 3,000 sales, this creator is earning a great deal of money from their efforts.
You can also use sites to sell things locally like Facebook Marketplace to avoid shipping costs.
9. Sell Baked Goods
If you can bake, consider selling your pastries to other students. It's a fun way to experiment with your baking skills and light up the days of most students at the same time. You can cater to those who have a wild sweet tooth, or even those who prefer healthy eating throughout their day.
A few of the best baked goods to sell include:
- Brownies
- Cookies
- Pies
- Cakes
- Bread
- Muffins
Anything baked will attract attention, especially on a school campus.
Selling baked goods is best for college and high school students who can operate an oven safely. Make sure you check with the authorities at your school so you don't get in trouble for selling baked goods on the premises, though.
10. Work as a Virtual Assistant
Working as a virtual assistant is another great option for students who want to make some extra money on the side.
This digital side hustle is easy to get started and you don't need any prior training or work experience (although it can help in some cases). All you need is access to the internet and the willingness to learn and you can start making money online.
This job is ideal for college students with a little more time and experience in the world, but high school students could also do this job well.
As a virtual assistant, some of your responsibilities might include:
- Creating and scheduling social media posts
- Updating and drafting website content
- Sending marketing or promotional emails
The pay for virtual assistants will vary depending on your skills, but some people can make over $35 an hour for their time.
Ready to become a virtual assistant? I highly recommend checking out Carrie's Virtual Assistant Accelerator course to learn everything you need to know to start making money.
11. Work as a Social Media Assistant
Working as a social media assistant or influencer can be another tremendous way to make money in school.
As a student, there's a good chance that you already understand all of the most popular social media sites and what content does best on each one.
Brands are always looking for help to maximize their reach and increase revenue through social media. This is where you come into play.
By offering to create and schedule content on behalf of the brand you can earn a great income while at school. This is an excellent job for organized students who are always on social media.
If you want more control of your work, you can always opt to become a social media influencer yourself, instead of working for brands.
While this can take time to gain traction, you might feel more proud of your work and you can make more money over the long run. For example, Sahil Bloom has been able to amass a following of almost 1 million followers on Twitter and makes a great income from his audience.
Ultimately, social media can be a fantastic way to make money at school, and there's a good chance you already use it on the daily.
12. Make Money Watching Videos
As with playing games and taking surveys, you can also make some extra money by watching videos online. The best part is that you don't even have to watch them – you can mute the videos and leave them running in the background while you get some school done at the same time.
Sites like Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and MyPoints are all great ways to get paid for your time watching videos online.
13. Work as a Freelance Writer
Do you have a passion for writing? Then why not get paid for it!?
While not every student loves to write, there's certainly plenty out there and you can make great money from your skills.
With freelance writing, you'll get paid to write all sorts of different content ranging from blog posts, to product descriptions, and more. You can choose to specialize in certain areas and charge even more for your work, depending on your goals and aspirations.
It might not be exciting work, but it's one of the highest paying side hustles you can find. I know some writers who charge over $100 an hour for their time!
There are plenty of websites that offer opportunities to freelance writers, such as Upwork, Fiverr, and more.
Wondering how to build your portfolio? Check out the video below!
14. Build Websites for Companies
In a world where everything is digital, many older companies are having trouble making the transition to the online world.
If you know how to build websites and code, you can earn more money fast by building websites for businesses in desperate need of help.
The best website builders include the following:
These provide gorgeous templates for those creating a website for a company to make your job easy.
It's possible to teach yourself the intricate coding that comes with building a website at a professional level. The more you learn, the more you can make with this side job.
How much can you make?
Take a look at the average costs that are charged to build websites.
In most cases, you can charge at least $2,500 for a simple custom website. But in some cases, you could charge over $10,000!
15. Run Ads for Businesses
Another task many businesses might need help with is advertising. And one of the best ways to advertise is to put the ads on platforms like Facebook or Google. With 65% of SMB running some kind of digital advertising campaign, this means there's tremendous opportunity.
Most companies don't have time to run and keep track of ads, resulting in failed opportunities and revenue for businesses.
If you understand how digital advertising works, this is a great opportunity to get paid from your skills.
How much can you make? Most agencies and freelancers will charge a percentage of ad spend for their work, with minimums.
For example, if you charge 20% of ad spend and your client spends $2,000 per month on digital ads, you would earn $400 per month for your work. You can also charge a setup fee or monthly retainer depending on how you want to get paid.
If you're a student who wants to make some extra cash, running digital ads for companies is a tremendous option that I highly recommend.
Check out the video below to learn how to setup Google ads.
Final Thoughts
Being in school doesn't mean it's impossible to earn money. Learning how to make money at school can take a little bit of effort, but it's worth it.
There are plenty of tasks you can take on to put more money in your pockets, from selling candy to helping most kids with their education needs, and more. So what're you waiting for!?
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