Best College Jobs and Side Hustles: How to Make Money in College Without Burning Out

Quick Summary: Making Money in College the Smart Way

• College jobs and side hustles can help cover tuition, rent, books, and everyday expenses.

• The best college job depends on your class schedule, major, financial goals, and how much time you can realistically work.

• Flexible campus jobs, summer internships, tutoring, retail, grocery work, and employers with tuition help can all be useful options.

• For many students, working more in the summer and less during the semester can protect grades while still bringing in money.

Start With Your College Money Goals

In college, money can be tight. So you may need to get a part-time job or side hustle to float some of the costs. However, not all hustles and jobs are the same. Some are a major time commitment and pay well, while others are the opposite. So how do you find a balance that fits you without being too picky?

Well, that depends on what your goals are when it comes to your finances in college. Since not all majors are the same in terms of rigor and cost, both can affect how much time and money you have and need. In addition, you may need less money if you have a scholarship or some other kind of help that is not debt-inducing. Overall, I want to challenge you to think about your personal scenario.

Know How Much Money You Actually Need

Think about what may work best for you in terms of the time you currently have available to make money and how much money, realistically, you want to make. Of course, everyone wants more money, but not stating a number can lead you down the wrong path. If you need to make enough money to pay off part of a semester in college, or whatever the case may be, you want your work hours to actually be efficient for the goal you set out to do.

My Personal Approach to Paying for College

Personally, when thinking about this problem, I laid out the amount of money I currently had and then the costs in the four years of college that I would eventually have. With no surprise, I was short on money. However, this allowed me to see the goal: pay for college without debt and get jobs during the summer and school that helped facilitate this. Then, as a second approach, I applied for scholarships when I could. Again, this was simply my personal approach.

Compare College Job Options Before You Choose

Once the groundwork was laid out, I had several options for the type of work I could do and how I wanted to schedule it. I will share the several options that I thought about, along with how I started the decision-making process. Additionally, I should add that the total cost of my engineering degree was not over $100,000 when I went to school, and internships could pay $15 to $25 an hour, depending on the engineering internship. Granted, my college job paid less than this. Now, with some context, let’s break down some of the options I evaluated and worked through.

Flexible Campus Jobs for College Students

The number one thing I would do if you are a sophomore to senior in college is look and see if your college offers part-time jobs that are pretty flexible, for example, grading papers or working at a student help desk. These also can be great resume builders too. It can show that you’re actively seeking out employment while you’re actually managing a tough schedule, studying and working at the same time. These jobs may not pay a lot, but they seem to be much more flexible, and they help pay for some utilities or rent. Anything helps, right? Personally, I got this type of college job during my time in college because of the flexibility.

Balance Work Hours With Your Class Schedule

It is important to know your schedule, because if you get a job that is 30-plus hours a week and then you’re also studying, you have to learn to balance both things. You may be spread too thin. Either you’ll lack at work, or you will lack at studying. Some other good jobs could be working at a department store or a drugstore doing basic cashier work, or working at a grocery store stocking shelves. Those can sometimes be a little more flexible than shift work or a construction-like job.

Look for Employers That Offer Tuition Help

Another option could be working for UPS or some kind of employer that provides tuition help. When I was in college, some of my friends got hired on, and their employer helped with some tuition costs. I think there were strings attached with this, so I would ask plenty of questions if you go down this route in terms of paying for college.

Summer Jobs and Internships Can Build Your Resume

For a summer job, you may want to find something related to your degree so that you can gain experience and build a resume. For example, if you’re studying to be an engineer, UPS may not be as career-building as taking a job at a lower rate and no tuition help at an engineering firm. However, on the same coin, it can be hard to find this experience right after your freshman year, which may put you in a position to pick a job that pays well to help float some costs.

Choose Semester Jobs That Do Not Spread You Too Thin

Now, jumping back to in-semester jobs. Finding the right job to float some cash is about balancing your school schedule with work. Sometimes it is hard to keep your quality of work up if you’re spread too thin. Personally, I have found that if you have a heavy class load, you may want to go with less of a time commitment versus working a full-on retail job or some other job that requires a lot of time. Otherwise, like I said before, you may get spread too thin.

My Favorite Balance: Work More in Summer, Less During School

What I did personally was try to work more in the summertime and focus on making money then. Then, in the fall and spring semesters when I was at school, I focused on classes with a small college job that was maybe 10 hours a week. This balance worked well for me. But again, you will have to evaluate what works well for you.

Use Your Job as More Than Just a Paycheck

I ended up working really long hours in construction as an intern to help pay the bills during the summer. This allowed me to save a good amount of money for the next year of college. My freshman year, I was lucky enough to get an internship near my hometown. I worked that job and then worked another job after that delivering boats. All of which took a lot of time and sometimes a lack of sleep, but they paid the bills in college. On top of this, these jobs taught me lessons of hard work and much more. So, remember to use your job as a learning opportunity. It’s not just a money maker!

Full-Time Work, Part-Time Work, and Online Classes

I worked every summer between my years of college. It allowed me to study long hours in college and then work long hours in the summer. It was the right balance for me. However, I could see working a part-time or even full-time job in college if you are in a less rigorous major. This would allow you to make money and go to school at the same time. But you may have to do classes online or in some kind of hybrid setting rather than going to class every day, which a full-time job would limit.

Night Classes and Readjusting Your Plan

Another option is if you want to do night classes and keep a normal daytime job. This would probably wear on you since you are putting in long days at work and in the classroom. However, whatever fits your style the best is what I would do. Personally, I liked to do the work in the summer and study in the fall and spring semesters. It seemed to work out the best, and I knew how much money I had and could use while in college. Also, you may not get it your first year in college, and this is alright. Simply readjust your approach. Lastly, I understand that you may not have the luxury of choice on your job or time constraints due to personal responsibility. So you may be stuck with one of the approaches to make money to help fund your college tuition.

Final Thoughts on the Best Jobs for College Students

So, in summary, there are multiple jobs you can do while in and around college. Some may be better for you than others given your current class load. However, it may be a balancing act and some trial and error to find what works for you while you go about making money in college!

SEO Ranking Notes and Growth Ideas for This Post

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Final Note and Extra Resources

Lastly, I have a book for sale and a planner as well, if you are interested. I will link them below!

If you enjoyed my work and want to get better at math, please consider buying my calculus one book called Calculus One Made Simple. I will link it here! Additionally, if you want to be more effective with your time, please consider buying my planner here!

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