With a crazy school schedule, it’s hard to find a traditional job that allows enough freedom to keep ahead of things in school while also making a decent amount of cash. The solution? A side hustle is the best of both worlds. It allows you the flexibility to focus on school and only work when you want to.
Disclaimer: I’m not getting compensated for any of the things I said in this article. This is my entirely honest opinion on all of these sites.
- Selling Stickers
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This summer on a whim I decided to open an Etsy shop selling stickers. This is the kind of side hustle that takes a little bit of investment and luck but if you can draw something that your Instagram or Twitter followers would want to stick on their laptops, you’re golden. Sites like StickerMule and GotPrint can manufacture a hundred or so stickers for about $20 so even selling them at a dollar each will turn over a profit.
What to keep in mind: If you do decide to open a virtual storefront like Etsy there are many different fees to take into account. This can be avoided by having people Venmo you payment or send it through PayPal, but if your sticker business really takes off, you’ll need to worry about those sites and their fees. In addition, if you want your stickers to go further than your campus, shipping is also something to think about.
- UserTesting.com
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After seeing everyone on TikTok hyping this website up, I decided to give it a try. At first, I thought it would be sketchy, but I’ve made almost a thousand dollars on this site alone since joining back in March. On UserTesting, you take short questionnaires to see if you’re eligible to test certain websites and apps. Most tests have a payout of ten dollars while others can pay up to $60 but are much harder to come by.
What to keep in mind: The site itself is fairly misleading with their claims of large payouts because at most, I’ve made sixty dollars in one week and it’s far from a consistent pay, but it’s money.
- Become a tutor
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With remote learning and busy parents, there’s a desperate need for tutors right now. You can tutor anyone anywhere over Zoom which opens up the market for you to share your skills with kids across the country. When I was in high school, I paid $60 an hour for a tutor to try and tell me what physics was about, so you can definitely make big money tutoring a couple of kids a week. Networking with your friends and family is a great place to start. If that’s a dead-end, Wyzant can connect you with kids in need of tutoring. This also applies to music and selling music lessons on Craigslist or Nextdoor is another great way to rake in extra cash.
What to keep in mind: Some kids can be difficult to work with and some parents expect the world so being open with parents and doing check-ins about how their kids are doing is the way to go.
- Sweatcoin
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I know going outside isn’t something that happens all that often anymore, but our current situation isn’t forever and when we’re finally able to go wherever our heart desires, Sweatcoin is a great app to take with you. The app is awesome because it converts your steps into sweatcoins that you can use in their virtual store. I downloaded this app maybe two years ago, set my account up, and then completely forgot about it. Just last week I opened it up to a couple thousand sweatcoins in my account.
What to keep in mind: Unfortunately, this is not a consistent or fast way to make money, In addition, this one doesn’t actually give you cash. They used to when I first joined, and the app was looking to try and become actual currency, but I haven’t seen an actual payout in a while. On the bright side, you can use your sweatcoins to purchase other awesome things. I just got beeswax reusable food wraps and a facemask for free. I’d say it’s totally worth it.
- Flipping
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This one is a little more tedious, but if you’re good at furniture, electronics, or collectible repair, you can flip items for a major profit. Being able to clean and revamp different objects and then reselling them on eBay is a great skill that can make you lots of money.
What to keep in mind: Flipping is, unfortunately, time-consuming and requires a decent amount of skill to do a good job, If you’re flipping collectibles though, there’s a chance you could make a lot of profit.
This one is a little more tedious, but if you’re good at furniture, electronics, or collectible repair, you can flip items for a major profit. Being able to clean and revamp different objects and then reselling them on eBay is a great skill that can make you lots of money.
What to keep in mind: Flipping is, unfortunately, time-consuming and requires a decent amount of skill to do a good job, If you’re flipping collectibles though, there’s a chance you could make a lot of profit.
Want more amazing ideas for side hustles? My personal finance teacher swears by the Side Hustle School podcast which has thousands of ideas for side hustles from real people who are successfully making money without quitting their day jobs. I’ve only listened to the first one, but all the podcasts are no longer than ten minutes and really informative, so definitely check them out!