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In this post, we will attempt to list some of the best online jobs for college students today.
It takes a skillful balancing act to manage a college career and a full-time job, especially if that job requires you to commute.
These days, more people are opting to work from the comfort of their homes as freelancers or gig workers.
According to Freelancers Union research, over 57 million Americans earn their primary or secondary incomes as members of the gig economy, contributing up to $1 trillion to the US economy.
This means 57 million people either worked from home, worked online jobs, worked as freelancers, or as independent contractors.
Because we live in the digital age, commuting to a traditional office to earn a living is no longer an imperative.
You can earn a full-time income working online from the comfort of your home; or in this case, your dorm room.
We have compiled a list of 25 online jobs that you can start doing as a college student. Some of these jobs pay more than $100,000 a year. Here they are:
1. Freelance Writer
Starting Salary: $10.30 – $55.20 per hour
The thought of writing anything and putting it out there in the world can be intimidating. That’s because you run the risk of exposing our ignorance for all to see.
However, there’s no need to fret. Writing for a blog is much different than writing for a journal, periodical, or newspaper. It is much more relax and less technical.
As long as you have your necessary grammar skills down, you should be good.
If however, you aren’t confident in your writing skills, I recommend getting Strunk and White’s The Element of Style. It is an excellent book for people wanting to improve their writing.
Dr. Michele Poff’s exercise workbook to the Elements of Style is also an excellent book to consider getting too.
Writing With Flair is a writing course on Udemy. It will help you in honing your writing skills. (This course is usually on sale for less than $15. Please don’t pay the full price of $199 — wait until it goes on sale).
How To Get Freelance Writing Jobs
Once you have taken a few writing courses and are confident in your writing skills, consider starting a blog.
You can start a blog for as little as $3.95 a month.
Check below to get a domain name and start your journey.
It would help if you had a blog to showcase your writing skills to your potential clients.
Also, more than showcasing your writing skills, you can use your blog to sharpen your writing skills through constant practice.
Fiverr, Upwork or Problogger, are great places to set up shop and start accepting freelance writing job offers.
With time, you can grow your portfolio and increase your prices.
2. Freelance Graphic Designer
Starting Salary: $49.2K – $89.8K per year
There are many different fields you can pursue in the vast big world of Graphic Design.
You can work as a logo designer, a branding specialist, an illustrator, or a t-shirt designer. These are just a few of the areas you can get in.
One of the good things about graphic design is that there is no barrier to entry. You can learn to design social media graphics, t-shirts, and logos in a matter of weeks and start making money with your new-found skill.
Skillshare offers a fantastic course in graphic design that you can complete within a week. Coursera and Udemy also offer advance graphic design courses–som free of charge.
Where To Find Graphic Design Jobs
Once you are comfortable with your graphic design skills, you can offer your services on Fiverr, Upwork, PeoplePerHour or Freelancer.
3. Digital Marketer
Starting Salary: $62.2K – 113K per year
Digital marketers are responsible for a broad range of activities, from developing and managing online marketing strategies to implementing marketing campaigns.
Digital marketers are skilled in promoting products or services online. They do it by creating ads and various kinds of marketing content.
A digital marketing job requires specific skills, and you can learn some of these skills on platforms like Udacity, Coursera, or Udemy.
Places To Find Digital Marketing Jobs
Over $330 billion is spent on digital marketing every year. When you’re online, and you see these ads on the web pages you visit or the videos you watch, you should know that someone is paying for those ads.
Even ads you see on television are considered digital marketing. So there is no shortage of jobs in the digital marketing space.
You can search on Flexjobs, Remote.Co, Indeed, Ziprecruiter, or Monster for digital marketing jobs.
If you want to work as a freelancer, you can set up shop on Upwork, Fiverr, or PeoplePerHour.
As you can see from the graphic above, you can charge $175 an hour as a digital marketer working as a freelancer.
4. PPC Google Adword Specialist
Starting Salary: $44.2K – $72.5K per year
A Google Adword specialist is someone who specializes in creating Google pay per click (PPC) ads.
Below is an example of google PPC ads. The red arrow is pointed to the PPC ads, which are at the top of your Google search results.
There are thousands of business willing to pay you up to $100 an hour to help them develop their PPC ads. Don’t believe me? Look at this freelancer on Upwork. There are hundreds like him.
How To Become A Google PPC Specialist
Luckily, Google has a learning center for learning everything you need to know about making Google ads. They also give certification for their courses. All you have to do is sign up start the learning process for a small fee.
Where To Find Jobs As A Google PPC Specialist
Google PPC Specialists are in high demand. You can find jobs on Flexjobs, Indeed, Ziprecruiter, and other job boards.
If you want to work as a freelancer, then Upwork, Fiverr and PeoplePerHour are great places to start.
5. Facebook Ads Manager
Starting Salary: $29.4k – $73.6K per year
A Facebook Ads Manager is similar to a Google PPC Specialist, except a Facebook ads manager specializes in making Facebook ads.
Just like Google, Facebook has a learning center where people can become certified in making Facebook ads.
Where To Find Jobs As A Facebook Ads Manager
You can find thousands of Facebook ads jobs on Flexjob, Remote.co, and Indeed.
You can charge up to $190 per hour to make Facebook ads for people. If you don’t believe me, look at the graphic below.
6. Social Media Manager
Starting Salary: $37K – $81K per year
A Social Media Manager manages the social media platforms of businesses. They manage Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other major social media platforms for businesses.
Social media management is an ideal job for a college student because most college students are very social media savvy.
As a Freelance Social Media Manager, you can charge businesses fees of up to $1500 a month to manage their social media accounts.
It is a business that can easily be scaled if you know what you are doing.
7. Blogger
Starting Salary:?
Are you passionate about a particular subject? Maybe you’re passionate about gardening, home decor, or homeless pets. Whatever your passion is, you can start a blog about it.
How To Make Money With A Blog
If you decide to start a blog, how do you make money from it? Well, it’s easier than you think.
You can make money as a blogger through the following ways:
- Affiliate marketing (selling other people’s products for a commission)
- Sponsored posts (receiving payment from businesses to write about them)
- Sales of Products
If you are a good and prolific writer, blogging will be a great way to make an income as a college student.
You can start your blog by getting a domain name and hosting it for as little as $3.95 a month. Check Bluehost below for a domain name for your blog:
8. Virtual Assistant
Starting Salary: $20.5K – 102K per year
Virtual Assistant jobs are good online jobs for college students. It provides students with the flexibility to work and study on their schedule.
What Does A Virtual Assistant Do
Virtual assistants are required to do all kinds of jobs, from making travel arrangements to doing data entry. Virtual assistants also perform research and other clerical tasks.
A good virtual assistant is someone who has a lot of different skills they can leverage in performing their task.
How To Become A Virtual Assistant
Depending on the kinds of services you’re going to offer as a virtual assistant, you may not need any specialized training.
For example, if you’re offering services as a personal assistant — doing things like processing sales returns, booking vacations, planning parties, or events — all you’ll need is good communications skills.
9. Web Copywriter
Starting Salary: $30.3K – $79.6K per year
A web copywriter writes marketing content and sales copy for businesses and websites. People who write internet ads like the one you see below are called web copywriters.
A web copywriter wrote the headlines and meta-data in the ads above. If you are confident in your ability to write ads like the ones above, you can start working as a freelancer on the various freelancing websites mentioned above.
You can find copywriting books and courses online to help you develop or sharpen your skills.
10. Web Copy Editor
Starting Salary: $40.2K – $82.2K per year
A web copy editor reviews and checks the accuracy of content written for the web. They ensure that there aren’t inconsistencies, errors, or unnecessary repetition in the material. This job is one of the best and easier online jobs for college students.
To be successful as a web copy editor, you will have to be a skilled and experienced editor. If you have several years of writing and editing experience under your belt, this will be a suitable online job for you.
11. Proofreader
Starting Salary: $51K – $110K per year
Proofreading is somewhat like copy editing, but less intense. Whereas copy editing might involve revising the entire text to improve readability and flow, proofreaders only check for grammar and spelling errors.
Most copyeditors start as proofreaders and then hone their skills to become copyeditors.
Proofreading is listed here as one of the good online jobs for college students because, just like all the other jobs here, it can be done from the comfort of your dorm room.
12. Online Tutor
Starting Salary: $26.9K – $63.4K per year
In addition to earning an income to tutor people online, tutoring is also a great way to study and become proficient in your field of studies.
Imagine you are a math or physics major, and you’re tutoring people wanting to learn math or physics. The more you teach, the more you learn — because teaching involves research, and the more you research, the more you learn.
Places To Find Online Tutoring Jobs
- VIPKID
- Chegg (earn $20 an hour)
- TutorExtra
- Wyzant
13. Online English Teacher
Starting Salary: $27.4K – $63.4K per year
English is the language of business. People all over the world are learning English as a second language, and this presents a good opportunity for native English speakers to earn money teaching the language.
As a college student, getting paid to take a few hours out of your day to tutor people on Skype or Facetime should be a no brainer.
Places To Find Online English Teaching Jobs
- VIPKIDTeachers
- FlexJobs
- Chegg
14. WordPress Developer
Starting Salary: $36k – $115K per year
These days, you don’t have to know a single line of code to develop a website. There are platforms like WordPress and Wix that makes it easy to create websites.
You can learn how to develop a website on these platforms within a week. There are multiple courses on the internet offering training in WordPress and Wix website development.
This guy makes $75 an hour working remotely as a WordPress developer. You can do the same too.
Where To Kind remote WordPress Developer Jobs
Remote WordPress developer jobs are pretty standard and are on major job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter on Monster.
You can also find these jobs on platforms dedicated to remote and work-from-home jobs; platforms like Flexjobs.com and Remote.co.
Another way to work as an online WordPress developer is to offer freelance services on Upwork, Fiverr, and People Per Hour.
15. Mobile App Developer
Starting Salary: $63K -$120K per year
Mobile app development is much more complicated than a lot of the jobs featured here. However, the fact that you are in college means you are smart, and you can learn to develop apps if you wanted to (lol).
Udacity, Udemy, and Coursera offer superb mobile app development courses that you can take for a reasonable sum.
16. Customer Service Rep
Starting Salary: $24.7K – $41.3K per year
Are you polite and pleasant on the phone? Do you like to explain things and solve problems? You can become a customer services rep working from the comfort of your home — or should I say the comfort of your dorm room.
Customer service is one of the best online jobs for college students there is. It’s about solving problems on the phone, and you can do it at your leisure.
Flexjobs has a lot of work-from-home customer service jobs that you can start applying for right now.
17. Online Data Entry Assistant
Starting Salary: $24.3 – $41.2K per year
Being a data entry person means you will be responsible for entering data into a database. The difference here is that you will be doing it from the comfort of your home.
All you need to qualify for a data entry job is an ability to type, and an ability to work with computers. If you are proficient in these two areas, then you can apply for jobs here:
- Flexjobs
- ClickWorker
- DionData Solutions
- The Smart Crowd
18. Software Q&A Tester
Starting Salary: $33.3K – $122K
At any given time, there are millions of people using software to get their jobs done. The software has to perform optimally because a glitch could result in significant problems for people and business.
That’s why there are software testers. Software testers are responsible for testing the quality and functionality of the software. They are tasked with ensuring that the software is free of bugs and other issues.
This job is listed among the best online jobs for college students because it can be easily done from the comfort of your home.
Once again, you can find work from home software tester jobs on Flexjobs, Indeed, or Ziprecruiter.
19. Data Analyst
Starting Salary: $44K – $83.7K
Data analyst are tasked with analyzing and interpreting data and presenting it in a format that ordinary people will understand.
Flexjobs, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter have a lot of these jobs.
20. Virtual Recruiter
Starting Salary: $47.7k -$77.3K
A virtual recruiter does everything a regular recruiter does but does it online and remotely. If you are interested in matching qualified job seekers with the right jobs, this gig is right up your ally.
Above is a graphic from Flexjobs showing a freelance job opening for a recruiter. There are thousands of these jobs just on Flexjobs. Virtual recruiter jobs are on Ziprecruiter and Indeed.
21. Transcriptionist
Starting Salary: $14k – $140K
If you are a fast typist and are interested in transcribing on the side, you can get started on the following websites:
- Rev
- Flexjobs
- Indeed
A transcriptionist listens to audio or video and types out whatever they hear. There are legal, medical, or general transcriptionists.
22. Bookkeeper
Starting Salary: $24.4K – $60.4K
A bookkeeper is responsible for maintaining the financial records of a business. They record all the income and expenses and then make a report to the owner or manager.
You can do this job from home; which is why it is an ideal job for a college student.
Here’s a good article on how to become a bookkeeper, and work from home making $60 an hour.
23. Search Engine Evaluator
Starting Salary: $20.5K – $103K
A search engine evaluator analyzes search results to determine its relevance to the search term.
If you search for apples, the search engine evaluator’s job is to see that your search results show apples and not oranges.
You do not need to commute to an office and sit behind a desk to do this job. You can do it from your dorm room.
Where To Get Search Engine Evaluator Jobs
You can find search engine evaluator jobs on Flexjobs and Remote.co.
24. SEO Specialist
Starting Salary: $44k – $124K
Ranking in Google and other search engines is a factor that determines whether an internet company is going to fail or succeed.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists are skilled in helping business rank in the search engines. You can do SEO work from anywhere. That’s why it is on this list of online jobs for college students.
Where To Learn Search Engine Optimization
You can learn SEO online by taking a series of courses like the following:
Where To Find SEO Jobs
You can find SEO jobs on platforms like Indeed and Ziprecruiter. You can also find work from home and freelance jobs on the following platforms:
- Flexjobs
- Fiverr
- UpWork
- People Per Hour
25. Online Researcher
Starting Salary: $23K – $104K
Are you skilled at finding information on the internet? There are companies out there that will pay you well for your internet wizardry. Also, as with all the other jobs, this job can be done from the comfort of your home.
What Does an Online Researcher Do
Online researchers dig up information from the internet for their clients. They are usually skilled in diving into the deepest parts of the internet to find information that wouldn’t necessarily be found by us mere mortals.
This job does not require any formal training. However, it requires specialized skills in searching the web.
Conclusion
We now live in the digital era where you can make a full-time income working from the comfort of your living room. This list of jobs for college students is not exhaustive but it is a great place to start if you want to start earning an income as you earn your degree.
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