8 Creative Ways to Make Money as a Student [+ Self-Isolation Options]

Throughout your years of studying, you can expect to gain subject-specific knowledge, learning skills, and invaluable experiences that you can apply in the real world once you graduate.

However, it is no secret that during this time, you also have to think about the cost of tuition, room, and board. In between moving from class to class and studying, the idea of getting a job, although necessary, may seem unappealing.

For this reason, more and more students are opting to start their own businesses using their skills and resources (time, money, energy) to fit within their busy schedules.

If this seems like something you may be interested in pursuing, here are 8 business ideas you should start while you are in school.

Dropshipping is a type of business model in which a store does not keep goods in stock. Instead, when they sell a product, they send the customer’s orders and shipment details to a third party who fulfills the order.

An e-commerce dropshipping store purchases the items it sells from a third party, which then ships them directly to the customer. This technique is extremely popular among young entrepreneurs because it can be done with limited funds.

All you need to do is choose the area you want to be involved in, do your research, secure a supplier, find a website hosting solution and build your E-commerce website, attract potential customers through advertising and marketing efforts, analyse your results, and optimize whenever necessary.

If you are looking for a part-time job to earn some extra cash in between going to classes, offering a residential cleaning service may be the right fit for you. For example, you can help clean out old toys in people’s houses.

At the start, you want to keep it simple and avoid any extra costs and time-related issues. That being said, having your clients supply most of the cleaning supplies and charging an hourly rate for a larger space are major advantages.

Perhaps the best thing about this approach is that you have the flexibility to balance school and work based on your own availability. If you do a good job, word of mouth is likely to spread fast, thereby allowing you to quickly build a client base.

People are always looking for professional services to help market or advertise their business online. So, if you are knowledgeable in this area, you can sell digital marketing services that adapt to fit a company’s needs and preferences.

Email marketing, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, web design – are just some of the services that allow you to build a company into a successful brand by taking their online presence to the next level thought to execute a successful marketing campaign.

With businesses sending everyone home to work, it opens up opportunities for you to offer home office renovations. Never before has there been as high in demand for workers to have an office-like set up at home, and if you have any training in office renovation, you’re skills are in demand. From handyman jobs such as turning a cupboard into a workstation to fitting out a spare room, trade skills in this space are in demand.

A further benefit is that once the economy picks back up again, you will have the client base to work with to get further renovations completed.

Most schools are recommending that parents keep their kids at home until the pandemic has passed. While they’ve been assigned online classes, let’s be honest, if you’re busy working, you’re kids are going to be distracted at home. For that reason, online tutoring and the home education space have bloomed in recent times. Kids can still get the personalised help they receive at school, through 1 on 1 online lessons.

Consider registering as a tutor at your school through their peer tutoring program. This way, you will be able to earn money without having to advertise your services yourself.

On the other hand, if you wish to remain independent, then pass out fliers, check to see if there is anywhere within your school where you can post about your services and fees, and even talk with the relevant professors to see if they will help you to spread the word.

Dog walking is considered to be one of the most fun business ideas for students. It is a great way to take in some fresh air in between studying and going to class and spend some time outdoors with furry creatures while also pocketing good money.

Mark Twain said it best – “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” So, if you are a dog lover, this part-time job will seem like a dream come true.

There’s nothing worse than being stuck at home and not being able to access your devices to keep in touch with family and friends. With businesses closing up shop, traditional IT workers have more time on their hands to help people set up their devices. Parents having to work from home with their kids nearby don’t want them to distract them, so they will need to call for IT help when devices break down.

If you have the IT skills to teach people, then you can promote services such as in-home phone repairs or home computer setup.

With gyms closed, and everyone quarantined at home, the demand to keep fit at home has skyrocketed. From teaching workout lessons over Zoom to educating how people can eat better, and have an improved diet, you can use your knowledge to help people and supplement your income whilst you teach.

As soon as you start building successful relationships with clients, you can expect to earn tons of referrals. An added bonus is that you never know who you are going to meet and who may need a personal trainer down the road.

Keen on turning your side hustle into a full-time gig?