25 Best Online Jobs for College Students

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desk with computer ready to work an online job

Are you a college student wondering what you can do for a job? When you’re in college, working from your dorm or other location to earn money online can be a great way to support yourself. In fact, some online jobs for college students can pay $25 an hour or more. 

We’re going to share some of the top online jobs you can have as you work your way to a college degree.

Online Jobs For College Students

The top online jobs for college students include a wide range of worker interests and skills. That means no matter what your skill sets are, you can probably find an online job that you like–or are at least qualified for. 

Another cool thing about online jobs is that many of them allow for flexible schedules. You can work when you want and from where you want, fitting hours in when your schedule allows. 

Look through this list of online jobs and see which ones might mesh with your college schedule and lifestyle. 

1. Online Tutor

Several companies provide online tutor services for students of all ages. And of course, they need people to work as tutors to accommodate those student needs. 

Online tutor companies exist for nearly every subject you might want to teach. For instance, Chegg tutors teach kids in pretty much any elementary school subject.

Tutor.com tutors teach kids and adults in various subjects, such as math, English, and history. And Course Hero takes that one step further and adds courses such as accounting, computer science, and other college subjects.

Each tutoring company has different requirements for its tutors, so be sure and read the fine print as you peruse each site. 

However, you could even work as a freelancer, starting your own tutoring business if you wanted to. 

Pay: $12 to $40

2. Virtual Assistant

Do you have a gift for organizing schedules and helping people? If so, you might want to consider working as a Virtual Assistant. 

Virtual Assistants, or VAs, work similarly to how Administrative Assistants work. But one major difference is that VAs work in the online world.

As a VA, you might help manage the schedule of a business owner. Or maybe you run a website or blog for a blogger. Job duties you might be responsible for as a Virtual Assistant can include: 

  • Technical assistance on a website
  • Social media management
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Marketing
  • Graphic design
  • Customer service

Also, there are other duties that you can do online. You can find VA jobs by searching job websites such as Indeed. Or you can start your own VA business and earn as much money as you want to make based on your effort. 

Pay: $10 to $27

3. Social Media Manager

Maybe you don’t care about the variety of responsibilities of a Virtual Assistant but still want to work online in some kind of assistant capacity. 

If you’ve got a knack for connecting on social media, you could work as a Social Media Manager. Social Media Managers handle social media accounts for businesses and blogs. 

You’d spend your working days posting on a company’s social media accounts and working to engage clients and potential clients. 

You can find work on any job website or post your resume’ on a site like Upwork. Again, the pay can be higher if you work as a freelancer and start your own business.

Pay: $11 to $26

4. Freelance Writer

I started as a freelance writer back in 2013, and I have to say it’s been my favorite job in all of the 35+ years I’ve been working. If you like the idea of having a career as a freelance writer, you’ve got several options. However, working for a blog owner in a subject you’re interested in is probably your best bet. 

Find blogs you like and approach the contact on the site’s contact page. Tell them you’re interested in writing for their blog. Attach a writing sample so you can show your talents. 

Or look at job websites to find freelance writing jobs. Freelance writers can work in different positions: writing for blogs, writing grants, writing articles for e-magazines, etc.

If you work freelance, set aside some of your income to pay Uncle Sam income tax time.

Pay: $12 to $62 

5. Textbook Seller

I’m guessing that if you’re a college student, you’ve got a supply of college textbooks you’ve purchased but no longer need. How about making money by selling those textbooks? 

Websites like Bookscouter will buy college textbooks from you. All you have to do is go to the site, enter the ISBN of the book, and the site will tell you how much money you can get for the book. 

Then, they’ll give you a free shipping label to send in the book and pay you when they get it. Do you want to earn even more money selling textbooks?

Sell them yourself as a third-party retailer on Amazon or eBay. Or you can buy textbooks for cheap from your fellow college students and resell them. 

Pay: varies based on what you’re selling and your effort

6. Résumé Writer

Do you have a knack for writing a killer résumé? Why not take that skill and make some cash with it? Every year, graduating college students need résumés as they leave school and head into the workforce. 

Take your writing and sales skills and offer them a service: write their résumé for them. Résumé writers can make a LOT of money: it’s not uncommon to charge $250 or more to write someone’s résumé. 

Post ads on your school’s bulletin board or online board to find clients.

Pay: varies–you choose the rate 

7. Data Entry Specialist

If you’re a fast and accurate typer, data entry work might be your key to making good money in college. While the pay may not be as good as some other online jobs, it is easy if you’re a fast typer. 

Several companies hire people to do data entry from home. Pay varies; some companies pay per hour while others pay by the word.

The key to success in this type of job is speed and accuracy. If you like typing and are good at it, consider working a data entry job. 

Pay: $10 to $18

8. Proofreader 

If you have a good attention span and a keen eye for detail, this could be the job for you. Proofreaders carefully check for mistakes in a text before it is published. 

As the last step of the writing process, you fix spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, and so on.

Proofreading is necessary for any written work shared with readers, whether it’s an academic paper, a job application, or an online article. 

Start at Proofread Anywhere to learn the ins and outs of proofreading and some tips for getting your first client. 

There are a couple of dozen good companies that hire proofreaders from home.

Pay: Pay is higher if you freelance and start your own business. 

9. Transcriptionist

Transcriptionists take recorded audio information and write it down using online resources. Legal and medical transcriptionist jobs require formal training, but there are also general transcription jobs available. 

This job calls for attention to detail as well as a keen ear. Check out companies that hire transcriptionists for more information. 

Once you decide that transcription work is for you, you can take the Transcribe Anywhere course to get an advantage on the competition. 

Pay: $12 to $21 or higher, depending on your skill level

10. Etsy Store Owner

If you start your own Etsy store, you can sell many kinds of items and earn money from home. 

With Etsy, you can sell stuff like: 

  • Your own creations, whether digital or physical items
  • Vintage items (anything over 20 years old)
  • Craft supplies

You set the prices, work the marketing angle, and (hopefully) earn a lot of money! As mentioned earlier, whenever you start your own business, we recommend setting aside some of your income to pay taxes at the end of the year. 

Plus, you should open a separate bank account to keep business and personal funds separate. 

Pay: up to you and your efforts

11. Graphic Designer

If you’ve got skills in graphic design, you can use them to earn money online in several ways. You can work helping people design their websites. 

Or you can open an account on Redbubble to upload your graphic designs. Then, you can sell those designs on t-shirts, mugs, and other items on their site. 

When one of your designs sells, you get a commission. Notably, they take care of production, shipping, customer service, and the rest. 

Pay: varies based on what you put into it

12. Photographer

college student taking photos

Do you have great photography skills? If so, you can work from home selling your photos online. Sites like iStockphoto and Shutterstock will let you upload your photos from home. 

Website and blog owners look to these types of sites to find photos for their sites. Every time someone buys the rights to use one of your photos, you earn a commission. 

Hint: The types of photos that do best on these sites depict people doing everyday things like working on a laptop. 

Pay: varies based on your efforts

13. Teaching ESL

We talked earlier about tutoring school subjects and college subjects online. Some companies specifically focus on hiring tutors to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). 

Companies like VIPKid focus on teaching ESL to Chinese students overseas. You don’t need to know Chinese to work as a tutor for a company like this.

Instead, they work with immersion programs and provide all of the lessons you’ll need. 

Pay per hour: $15 to $30 per hour 

14. Voiceover Artist

Pay: $15 to $150 per hour or more

Voiceover artists are people who talk or act behind the scenes on television or radio commercials. Get Traction in Voiceover is a 31-page guide to show you how to get started working in the voiceover industry. 

Talented and successful voiceover artist Carrie Olsen has built a sustainable career out of doing voiceover work. A calm, commanding, or interesting voice is needed. 

15. Retail Arbitrage

Retail arbitrage is the practice of buying something for less and selling it for more. If you’ve got a gift for finding great deals, this might be the job for you. 

You can find items at garage sales. Plus, you can look in the “free” section on Craigslist and other similar for sale sites. Or search your neighborhood for curbside finds. 

Once you find something nice at a great price, turn around and sell it on Amazon or a similar site and make some cash. 

Pay: varies based on your efforts

16. PowerPoint Presentation Artist

College students and working professionals alike often have to use PowerPoint presentations in their work. But they don’t always have the time or talent to create those PowerPoint presentations. 

If you’ve got skills in this area, why not advertise your services and help your fellow student or nearby working professional out? Offer your skills on the college bulletin board or advertise your services on a site like Fiverr

Pay: $20+ per hour depending on what you charge

17. Micro Freelancer

A Micro Freelancer is someone who freelances small jobs for clients. Work as a Micro Freelancer includes social media posts, writing jobs, web design, maintenance work and more. 

The cool thing about this side hustle is that you decide what types of work you do and what you charge. Make a list of your skills, then advertise them on Fiverr and other similar sites. 

Pay: You decide

18. Website Designer

If you know your way around WordPress, you might consider starting a website design business. There are thousands of people out there who want to start a blog or website but have no idea where to start. 

You can get their website up and running for them. Web designers also develop apps. Note that both jobs also take knowledge of web design and graphic design. 

Pay: $11 to $44 per hour

19. Customer Service/Call Center Rep

Are you great at talking to people and helping people? If so, companies like U-Haul and Amazon hire people to work from home as customer service reps. 

You’ll field calls from customers looking for help or information from the company you’re representing. Often, it’s possible to work these types of jobs from home, and a variety of hours and shifts are available. 

Pay: $10 to $20 per hour

20. Chat Agent

So maybe you like the idea of customer service work but aren’t thrilled about talking with customers. You could work as a chat agent

Chat agents field customer inquiries and problems, but they do so via a chat session instead of a phone call. 

You can work directly for a company needing chat agents or find an outsourcing company that hires chat agents for other companies.

Pay: $10 to $18 per hour

21. Blogger

You can start a blog from scratch in 10 minutes. However, it’ll take you a while to build up an audience and start making cash. 

Still, if you’ve got great content and are good at marketing, in time, you can make some serious cash. There are bloggers out there that make five or six digits per month

But even if you made $500 or $1,000 per month, you’d be doing pretty well for a part-time online job. Bloggers make money from ads on their blog site, affiliate links to products or services and sponsored content. 

Pay: varies based on content and efforts

22. YouTube Influencer

If you’ve got valued content that others want to see, consider becoming a YouTube Influencer. YouTube Influencers make money based on the number of views their videos get. 

In fact, it’s possible to make thousands per month on YouTube. The key to success lies in creating great content and equally great marketing.

As you grow your viewership, so does your income. 

Pay per hour: varies based on your success 

23. Survey Taker

Dozens of companies out there will pay you for giving your opinion. To be sure, you’re not going to get rich taking surveys online. 

However, you can earn a few extra bucks every day, especially if you sign up with more than one survey company.  Each survey pays a different amount of money depending on things like the length of the survey. 

Pay: varies based on the company and the survey

24. Course Creator

One form of passive income that you can make and sell online is to create your own course.

Sites like Teachable help you develop and sell your course to others.

Maybe you can produce a course teaching others how to be a good test taker. Or how to organize your classwork. You could also create a course based on other skills you have, such as auto maintenance or fashion. 

The possibilities are endless when creating a course that can help others and earn you cash. Plus, don’t forget to market your course aggressively. 

Pay: varies based on what you charge for your course and how many sales you make

25. Freelance Consultant

Are you good at helping people? How about starting a business as a freelance consultant? Freelance consultants advise companies or individuals in a particular area of expertise. 

You might work as a freelance SEO consultant. Or a freelance accountant. Any area where it is costly to hire an employee could be good ground for a freelance consulting business. 

Companies and individuals hire freelance consultants so they can get short-term help in their area of need. So pick your area of expertise and stick with it based on existing demand. 

Pay: you determine the rate for your business 

Summary

There are many online jobs for college students available. Choose jobs that fit in with your schedule and talents, and then get to work earning some cash.