So you’re headed off to college soon! Whether you’re starting off in a brand-new city or at a prestigious university, getting a great education is a key to gaining true financial freedom. But the road to success isn’t always easy, and it can feel like a bit of a hustle trying to save money for college. There are plenty of ways to make extra cash while in college, but you need to know exactly which ones work and which ones to avoid.
Taking Online Courses
If you’re looking to make some extra cash as an investment in your future or if you’re just looking for a way to learn something new, you can take advantage of online courses. There are plenty of prestigious universities that offer online degrees, and with some of these degrees being completely free, there’s no reason not to take an online class. Some of the highest paying jobs out there require no background checks and no previous work experience. You can get a decent education from an online class and start making money immediately. Here are some of the highest paying jobs you can get with an online degree:
- Software Engineer (remote-working): Average salary is $64,000 per year. (www.remotejob.com)
- Project Manager (remote-working): Average salary is $54,000 per year. (www.remotejob.com)
- IT Programmer (remote-working): Average salary is $48,000 per year. (www.remotejob.com)
- Accountant (permanent, remote-working): Average salary is $47,000 per year. (www.remotejob.com)
So instead of wasting your time and money on a traditional classroom setting, take advantage of the fact that you have access to a world of knowledge and information 24/7. Chances are you’ll never run out of learning material online, and with the right teaching strategy, you can learn anything you need to better your life.
Start A Blog
Blogs are a fantastic way to make money online, and they can be quite the profitable venture. The key is to pick your niche, build your audience, and then monetize the blog. The demand for blogging services is constantly increasing, and if you have a keen eye for detail and can follow simple advice, you’ll be able to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field and carve out a profitable niche.
To start, you’ll need a niche to dive into. Perhaps you’re an expert when it comes to healthy living or food blogging. Or perhaps you specialize in fashion trends or style tips. Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in your chosen field, you can put out quality content and build a following. When you have a sizable audience, you can start to monetize your blog through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is when you make money off other people’s activities, typically other blogs or websites. For example, you may choose to promote a product that’s been mentioned on your blog or website and make a commission when someone clicks the link or buys the product. There are plenty of high-quality affiliate products out there, and with a little bit of research, you’ll be able to find a profitable niche.
Sell Your Photos On Clickbank
If you’re looking to make money online from a side venture, you can always sell your photos on Clickbank. With millions of users on the platform, it’s a great place to find an audience and build a following. Once you’ve got a sizable audience, you can put out high-quality content regularly and build a business around your photography skills.
Selling your photos on Clickbank is a bit like selling your photos to a magazine. You set the price, and the profit is all yours. When you submit your work to online magazines, the chances are you’ll run into some snags because they have so much content they have to work through. But if you have a good eye for photography and know how to use your camera effectively, you can get some great stock photos for free that magazines and businesses will pay you handsomely for.
Start A YouTube Channel
YouTube creators can make loads of money, and it doesn’t necessarily require a huge audience to start raking in the cash. The key to YouTube monetization is to pick a niche, build a following, and then monetize the content. Once you’ve got a sizable audience, you can choose to make money off memberships, live chats, or through affiliate marketing. Membership models work when you have a popular channel and hundreds of thousands, or even millions of monthly active users. For instance, TikTok’s membership model allows creators to make money off of their content through live chats. When someone joins the chat, they’re given the opportunity to ask questions about anything and the person behind the screen will answer. The more people you have in your live chat, the more you can potentially make through advertising or by taking a cut of the chat revenue.
Get A Group Of Friends Together
If you’ve got a big heart and you enjoy being around people, why not try and get a group of friends together and see if you can’t convince them to form a business partnership. You can put in a little bit of money upfront to buy equipment and develop a website that you can use to showcase and sell your work to your friends and network. The beauty of this option is that because it’s a group effort, you’re more likely to succeed. Additionally, having friends working together allows you to split the profits more fairly. For example, you could say that each person put in a monthly contribution and then you divide the rest of the earnings based on the number of hours you spent on the project. The choice is entirely up to you.
Create Your Own Product
If none of the above seem like viable options, you can always create your own product and start selling it online. There are plenty of platforms like Shopify that will let you launch a store in no time at all, and if you’ve got a substantial audience on social media, you can choose to get paid to take surveys or sell and deliver products. Creating your own product doesn’t require a lot of expertise, but it does require a bit of research and some spare time to make sure you can bring a viable product to the market.
Join A Larger Social Media Platform
If none of the above seem like viable options, you can always join a larger social media platform like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. The benefits of joining a larger network is that you’re more likely to make money through affiliate marketing or ads since there’s more than one person viewing your content. Additionally, larger networks often have different earning potential based on your engagement. For example, on TikTok, the more you engage with your audience, the more you’re likely to make. So if you’ve got a sizable audience and you want to make a quick buck, join TikTok. But if you want to make more money online, then you might want to consider opting out of receiving notifications from the platform and focusing your efforts on a smaller network.
Make Money Online Without A Product
If none of the above seem like viable options, you can always make money online without a product. The beauty of this option is that it doesn’t require a lot of expertise or a lot of money to get started. You can simply create a blog or website, find a way to get the word out about it, and then earn money online through affiliate marketing or selling and displaying ads. Creating a blog or website to make money online isn’t as daunting as it sounds and can be done by anyone. Additionally, getting started doesn’t necessarily require any money at all. You can begin by publishing free blogs on WordPress.com and then monetize the content later.
Monetize Your Hobby
If none of the above seem like viable options, you can always monetize your hobby. Viable options include photography, videography, or music. If you’ve got a keen eye for detail and can follow simple advice, you’ll be able to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field and carve out a profitable niche. The key to making money off your hobby is to pick a skill that’s in demand and can potentially be monetized. For example, if you’re a skilled photographer, you can always sell your work on stock photography websites or look for clients who’d like to use your services for a wedding or another type of event. Similarly, if you’ve got a large music audience or can establish yourself as an expert in music theory, you can start a music blog and earn money off the back of your passion.