Many of our readers are students or people between jobs who need alternative ways of making money. Some people are good in marketing, others have technical skills or unique perspectives they can share. Every personal strength can probably be converted into revenue stream if we decide to do so. This is a subject I did not yet address properly in this blog. So for now I asked a guest author Becky Holton to share her ideas.
College studies are getting more expensive than ever. The Student Money Survey 2018 found that 78% of students are stressed out about making ends meet. They don’t have enough money to comfortably go through a month. For 68% of students, social life suffers the consequences of saving. They can’t afford to go out with friends whenever they want to. For 50%, even the diet suffers. 46% of students said that their mental health is put under strain due to financial difficulties.
College alone is hard. When you don’t have enough money to get yourself nice things or even the necessary things, it gets even more stressful.
Harry Grand, currently a writer for EduGeeksClub Writing Service, shares the experience of a student deprived of money: “When I started college, I was moderately well situated. But then both my parents lost their jobs and couldn’t support me any longer. Yes; I got a scholarship that covered the tuition. But the living expenses were on me and it was damn hard to cover them. I wish I had a chance to work online then, but the freelancing industry was not developed yet. So I took regular jobs and my studies suffered because of that. My financial situation certainly improved once I graduated and got a real job, but remembering my college years still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”
It Gets Harder During Holiday Season
Holiday season is supposed to make people happy. You wish to see everyone smiling. You want to get presents for everyone you know, so you can show your appreciation.
But what happens when you don’t have enough money?
Maybe you want to go for a weekend in Aspen. Some would say that’s luxury. But some of your friends are going and you’d really want to join them. What should you do? Should you stay humble and accept your situation? Some would say yes.
Helena Marquez, part of the marketing team for Essay On Time, has a point of view: “A student should never accept the “humility” advice. I say be bold. I say be brave. You want something? Go and get it! This is not the time for you to make peace with the fact that you don’t have money. You’re young and capable. So I’d say go and earn it. There are so many opportunities to earn good money nowadays that it’s a shame to waste your potential.”
So would you want to suffer through the holiday season because you have no money? Or will you make an effort to earn some? Of course you’re going to do something about it!
Now you’re probably interested about the ways to make money, right? We have some suggestions for you.
5 Simple Ways for Students to Make Money during the Holidays
Offer Some Kind of Service
You have to be good at something, right?
Here are few suggestions on how you can turn your skills into cash:
- Do you love cooking? Are you good at it? Can you can offer catering services for your friends and family. You can start by sharing great photos on Facebook and Instagram. People love seeing food on their feeds. When the food is beautifully arranged and absolutely delicious, they will certainly comment. You can contact few of those mesmerized people to offer catering in case they need it. They will recommend you to others, and you’ll be getting orders before you know it.
- Are you a fitness junkie? You can definitely benefit from that! Many of your friends and peers want to get in shape, but don’t have anybody to push them through the journey. You can be that person. You can become their personal coach, and you’ll charge a reasonable fee for such a service. Of course; first you need to showcase your lifestyle via Instagram, so people will see how committed you are. They will want to learn from you. You can get inspired on how to do that from some popular Instagram accounts, such as Fitness Blender and Shaun T.
- Are you great at shopping? Hey; that’s a skill, too. Everyone needs to shop during the holidays but not everyone has the time. You can offer personal shopping services.
- Do you have great style? You know everything there is to know about fashion trends? Congratulations; your new job is a personal stylist!
Make up, manicure/pedicure, mechanics… you can turn any skill into a source of income. Did you think of anything yet?
Start Freelancing!
Currently almost 60 million people are freelancers, in the United States alone. The projections say that by 2027, 50.9% of the entire workforce will be freelancing.
These numbers are huge. That means that the market is highly competitive, so you have to be really good at what to do if you want to earn money. But the good news is that you can start any time, and you can at least try.
Here are few things you can do through freelancing:
- Writing. If you’re great at academic writing, blogging, or any other kind of writing, you can become a freelance writer. It’s impossible to say how much money you’ll be earning, but you can get to at least $20 per hour if you’re good at this. If you want to work on your writing skills before you start this kind of career, you can first collaborate with professional writers and editors. Here are few services to help with that:
- Marketing and PR. You can maintain Facebook business pages, or get into an organization’s marketing team as a freelancer. This is a great opportunity for students who major in marketing and related fields.
- Online tutoring. If you’re really good at a particular subject, you can offer tutoring services. You can start by spreading the word around, but you can also join a freelancing service and offer your assistance on a global level.
- Photography. You have good equipment and your photos look amazing? You can sell them through Shutterstock and similar platforms.
- Graphic design, data entry, and programming. If you have any of these skills, why haven’t you started freelancing yet? You’ll do just fine!
Sell Stuff Online
Take a moment to look around the room. You’ll see plenty of things you don’t even use. Those shoes you bought and used only once? They were too uncomfortable or small for your feet. You can sell them. All those textbooks from the previous semester… why do you still keep them? How about old DVDs?
If you open the closet, you’ll find plenty of clothes that you bought and never used. Some of them are too small, others are too big, and some are not your style. Maybe there are elegant clothes you wore to a wedding once and you don’t plan to wear them again. Sell them!
Whatever you have for selling, take good photos and offer them on eBay.
Get a Seasonal Job
Many restaurants, stores, hotels, and other businesses need extra workers during the holidays. They get more customers, so they clearly need to hire more people. Since they don’t want to offer long-term contracts, students are the perfect match!
Find local businesses that need part-time workers and offer your services.
Don’t just go through online ads and stop there. This is the kind of job you’ll get if you really reach out. Walk around the neighborhood and you’ll see signs on some store windows. Contact the managers and show how great you are for that job.
During this season, you can also join a cleaning crew. Cleaning companies often search for more part-time workers. You’ll offer commercial and residential cleaning services. Don’t worry; it won’t be hard.
Work as a Customer Service Representative
All online and “real” stores are being hit by a massive wave of shoppers. This can mean only one thing: the customer support system is going crazy. All those people asking for information or demanding to return the product add real pressure.
It’s no wonder why so many stores are willing to hire extra customer service representatives during the holidays.
If you’re a communicative person with good people skills, you’ll be perfect for this kind of job.
Are You Ready for This?
Life is not easy. But you know what? It can never be easy. Maybe you don’t have enough money to go through the holidays the way you want to, but you can always earn some! Some people have the money but lack other, really important things in life.
Don’t get disappointed. A tight budget should be a motivating factor for progress.
You’re a committed individual willing to work. With the opportunities we listed above, you’ll surely find a way to make money during Holiday season.
Bio:
Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger. She is interested in education technologies and is always ready to support informative speaking. Follow her on Twitter.