Jobs for College Students

By Jashel Negron
Blog Content Contributor

As a college student, it can be difficult to juggle school, clubs, and work all at the same time. A part of becoming an independent student is being responsible for one’s own expenses. Most college students have a hard time adjusting for paying their own needs because they have been dependent on their guardians. However, there are a lot of job opportunities that students can be successful at due to schedule flexibility!

Tutoring

This is probably one of the easiest ways to earn money. Imagine how easy it would be to get paid while teaching someone a subject that you’re already good at. For most colleges (such as Texas State) you simply have to have a B or higher in the class you want to teach and a certain amount of college hours as well. If you’re a private tutor you get to charge however much you want per hour, with a good range being about $10-$20, depending on how difficult the subject/class really is. Another pro is that tutoring really works around whatever schedule you have. However, you do need to be prepared to work incredibly hard with some students. Everyone learns differently and you will realize that not everyone is going to understand a topic as fast as others. It is important to these students that you really put your all into helping them, so don’t give up easily.

Petsit/Babysit

This is a great way to earn money if you love kids or pets! Another really simple way to earn money by loving what you do. This isn’t necessarily the most stable job, as you’re really working on other people’s schedule and they might not always need you. However, sometimes the pay can be very worth it with prices ranging from $7-$20 an hour– sometimes even more. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. This isn’t the same thing as caring for your baby sibling or your own pet. This is someone else’s child, or pet. You’re going to have to follow certain instrucitions given to you and you’re going to need to know how to react in emergency situations.

Work at the library at your school

Working on campus is always a bonus because they understand a student’s schedule first-hand. They understand how busy a student’s schedule gets when they are juggling classes and studying. Working at a library is peaceful and quiet. No loud customers and no loud people. It is the perfect place to get peace and quiet after being in class for 4+ hours, and get paid to be there to organize and help check out books. You also get to realize how many resources your university offers.

Become an RA

Becoming a Resident Assistant has many benefits. Having your housing paid for (and in some cases even meals) relieves a lot of financial stress for many students. Another benefit of being an RA is gaining communication, problem solving and interpersonal skills, while also building long lasting relationships with other students. Working as an RA also means that you will be spending a lot of time in your resident hall, and making sure your residents are always taken care of.

Work at a retail store or restaurant

This might not sound like the ideal job at the moment, because you would probably have to go out of your way to get to work. But think about it this way– working at a retail store or restaurant will give you the chance to not only earn money, but also get discounted/free clothes and food. And what broke, struggling college student doesn’t want that? Hours may be slightly demanding because you might have to rush home to get dressed and head out to work and you may not come back until really late at night, so make sure you can handle that. Plus the physical aspect may be demanding as well; you will be on your feet for hours, folding and refolding clothes, cooking food, serving customers, and dealing with customers. All of this will most likely take a toll on your body.

Featured image by Madison Tyson.