Did you say online jobs for students? The internet has opened limitless possibilities for employment. Today, many people no longer have to work in an office. They can work comfortably at home and not limit themselves to only one or two types of work.
Better yet, high school or college students can help their parents make ends meet by freelancing.
You can do hundreds of things after your classes to make money. While the road to success may be bumpy initially, a bright person like you can certainly adjust and make it through.
You can earn hundreds or thousands of dollars per month, depending on your skill level.
Although online jobs for students cannot fully match an office or a day job salary, what you will earn is significant enough to contribute to your daily needs while you are in school.
And who knows, maybe you can turn this into a full-time source of income if you are good at it.
I will not talk to you about affiliate marketing or dropshipping. Neither will I talk about creating apps or building an online business.
I want to focus on jobs where you do not have to spend much money or time to get paid. I will focus on jobs where you get paid because of your effort and output.
Certainly, it would help if you had laptops and tools like software programs, which you may already have on your computer. If you do not have one, you must start saving and buy a computer soon.
No, you cannot make much money with only a smartphone. Any person who tells you otherwise is either a lying nut job or someone who wants you to enroll in a course.
But you do need a laptop or a desktop. You cannot perform online work without this.
So, shall we begin?
1. Graphic Design
Graphic arts come in all sorts of expertise levels. Even if you are not at a god-like level, you can create calling card designs, logos, and simple infographics and earn money on the side.
How much will you earn?
On average, graphic artists are paid $30 per hour. You can earn more money if you try to bill for the entire project. Regardless of the time you worked for it, you will be paid a fixed amount.
While professional freelancers can charge anywhere from $150 to $1,000 for one logo, you are just starting, so you cannot compete with these prices. You are better off pricing your skills at a reasonable rate.
For graphic arts and all succeeding jobs, your best bet is to find competitors and view their samples. All online freelancers have a portfolio, so check these out and ask yourself if you can do that or if you can do better.
Then, investigate how much your competitors charge, and find yourself a middle ground. Price your service the right way, and clients will come your way.
2. Video Creation or Video Editing
This is the craze now. Millions of people want to build a YouTube channel, yet they do not know how to create videos.
Some record videos, then pay freelancers to record audio, mostly a script. These guys do not know how to combine that video and the audio to create a coherent show.
If you know how to do this, then you can make money. There are also many clients out there who are looking for 3D animation, whiteboard animation, and so much more.
Now, there are many free software out there, like Active Presenter. The thing with free software, however, is that they have a watermark on the video, which your clients will not want.
Suppose you are already a skilled video editor. In that case, I recommend upgrading and starting using a professional tool like Camtasia, as this is one of the most used video editors YouTubers use.
3. Web Developer
No, you no longer need to learn how to code to be able to build a website, yet there are people who either have no time or simply have no technical skills to build one.
Coding is best used today for high-level websites like Amazon, game developer websites, etc. But for bloggers? No.
And this is where you come in. You can build dropshipping stores for your clients with Shopify or build them a store/blog using WordPress + WooCommerce.
To start this business, you should know how to operate web builder tools. You can charge $500 for a single project or even $1,000, and it is up to you if you want to charge extra for the web content, like the content of About Us, Privacy, Terms & Conditions, and other pages.
If you do not know how to write, you can work with other freelancers in the writing niche. Order the required content without your client knowing, and charge everything from your client.
4. SEO Expert
There are many free SEO tools, like the one from Neil Patel. In this service, it is completely up to you to choose what specific area of SEO you want to focus on.
You can help clients choose the right keywords to rank their articles, or you can do a complete website overhaul with SEO.
Know that you cannot offer this service without the right tools. The thing is, these tools have a cost. You do not have to buy them upfront, but it all depends on the level of your SEO skills and what services you want to offer.
You can charge as much as $10 for a simple SEO keyword research and not spend a dime. There are free SEO tools out there, like Google Trends and Google Ads, that can provide you with keyword suggestions, inclusive of monthly search volume and price competition.
What I use is Answer the Public. It is a keyword research tool that tells you what people on the internet ask about a particular keyword. These key phrases are actual search words and terms used by people worldwide.
If you are ready to move to a higher level of service, you need a powerful tool. These tools require a monthly subscription, but you can easily get a return on your investment.
Why?
If a client needs SEO, he will not buy an SEO tool. After all, that is just an added cost for his business. Instead, he will look for a person who uses an SEO tool and then pay that person for the SEO service.
Think of your SEO tool as a bus or a car. A person may not be able to afford a bus, but you can. This person rides your bus and pays you the fare only as needed. You, however, will get paid regularly by passengers, and the bus you bought will pay for itself.
My favorite tool is Answer the Public.
Answer the Public is free, but the service is limited. The free version works great only for amateur bloggers but not for pros. The software, however, can be upgraded, and I prefer the upgraded one for my SEO needs.
5. Virtual Assistant
There are dozens of work you can do as a virtual assistant. You can do data entry, product descriptions, calendar management, and more.
The rate you can charge depends on the job, but it is usually paid per hour. The least amount you can receive here is $5, but as you grow and improve your skill, you can charge up to $20 per hour.
Usually, the clients here look for people who can commit to specific hours per day. So, if you found a client who pays $20 per hour at four hours daily, you would receive roughly $1,600 for 20 work days.
6. Audio Transcription
You will listen to a sound recording in audio transcription and write what was said. Many people think that in this job, you only transcribe audio from doctors and lawyers. This is not true.
If you watch movies with subtitles, the person who created that subtitles is a transcriptionist. Many YouTubers also use the service of a transcriptionist to put a sub-title option in their videos.
This job is in demand so video creators can provide content to dead audiences. The smallest amount you can charge is $5 for each audio minute. It means that for 15-minute audio, you can make as much as $5 X 15 = $75!
7. Freelance Content Writer
Writing has many facets. You can write for bloggers who do not have the time to write for their websites. Most of your clients here will be affiliate marketers who want to provide content to their audiences.
Writing is a lucrative career, but this is different from copywriting. I wrote a blog post once about the differences between copywriting and content writing, and it would be a good idea if you read it.
All websites need content. And content is something that you can provide. Websites will need fresh articles all the time, and you will never run out of clients needing your writing expertise.
Millions of people read these articles and are voracious for more information.
In addition, website owners are racing to rank high on search engines. And what makes them rank high in these search engines is the relevance of their website’s content to the keywords that an online surfer types in the search box.
Writing for the web is not limited to articles and web content. Some clients need eBooks, resource materials, technical instructions, etc.
8. Copywriting
Copywriting is the art of selling in written form. Any advertisement you have seen is a copy. This includes words written on brochures, landing pages, white papers, and more.
The main goal of copywriting is to convince the reader to buy. And you will need a different skill set for this. You can branch out to copywriting once you develop your content-writing skills.
Copywriting can fetch you much more money than content writing, as writers charge $100 per piece. Besides, your clients in this niche are businesses and companies with huge advertising budgets, not bloggers.
It can take years for you to be a copywriter, but you can speed up your learning if you take a course. Start by looking for free copywriting materials and courses, then upgrade to paid courses later.
The book I recommend is Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards. It is not an eBook but a real book he gives away for FREE. You just need to pay for shipping.
If you have been a content writer for a while, arm yourself with the right skill set and take the course now. Once the course ends, you can start offering this service online and produce amazing results for your clients.
9. Voiceover Work
In this job, you will read scripts that clients give you. The way you charge is by the number of words. Most professional voiceover specialists charge $150 for 100 words, and beginners charge anywhere between $10 and $50 per 100 words.
To do this, you need a good recorder, a microphone, and a room for your studio. You can start with your phone, but ensure you have a good microphone.
The clients you are looking for here are those who release videos. They will attach your voiceover to the video. The end product is something like a TV show that has a narrator.
This gig attracts more clients if you also offer video editing services. You can create a package for both services and charge a smaller fee to make clients happy without necessarily undercutting your prices.
If you combine these two services, you do not need a separate voice recording program. You can use Camtasia to record your voice and edit videos.
10. English Tutor
If you speak English, many clients out there need your help. Find clients from China, Japan, and other countries where English is not their second language.
You can do this in two ways.
You can submit bids on freelance sites like Fiverr or design an English tutorial course and upload it to Udemy or Skillshare.
English is such a big subject matter that you can cover a lot in it. You can focus on grammar, pronunciation, written English, and more.
You can charge as much as $20 per hour of work if you tutor somebody. But of course, you need to prepare a course curriculum after you have discussed with your client what he needs.
In this case, you only need a stable internet connection and Skype or any chat app that allows video calls.
Many clients who need an English tutor buy this service for their children, as they know that these kids may move to an English-speaking country one day.
For e-courses, you do not have to teach English live. You can pre-record your materials and then upload them. Next, promote your course via paid ads or wait until somebody finds the course online and enrolls.
You can use a tool like Teachable as your online course platform. For as little as $29, you can up-upload a course and have unlimited students.
You can even commission people with Teachable if they successfully refer students to your course. The site will also charge your clients and pay your funds into your account.
The e-course is a great passive income, and you can price the course the way you want. Many short courses today sell for $20. Just imagine you have sold 1,000 of them in one year; you have $20,000 for only a little investment of your time and recording tools.
For e-courses, they have to be professional, so the free video editors and recorders will not do it. Again, I recommend Camtasia for recording.
11. Social Media Marketing
The last one on our list is social media marketing, where you must engage people on different platforms.
You can only do this if you know a little about graphic design. Your main duty is to post on your client’s social media account and ensure your posts are so good that they will have more followers.
You can charge by the hour or by the project. Social media marketing can cost between $45 and $2,000 per project.
Again, you must manage your client’s social media accounts. You have to respond to the comments, engage followers, look for other social media groups where you can promote the brand and many more.
A Last Piece of Advice: Online Jobs for Students
These 11 jobs we mentioned do not require you to wait too long to see the results of your work.
The thing is, you have to invest in your tools to be able to make money.
Can you imagine how a photographer will make money without a camera? It is how freelancing works. Whatever you choose, you need a laptop and another tool to deliver high-quality products and services.
Also, another mistake that many freelancers make is that they go to freelance marketplaces and offer their services without knowing who their competitors are.
If you decide to freelance, I recommend buying a service from a freelancer who offers a similar service as yours.
Find someone like you, buy his service, and then check the quality of this work.
If that freelancer has great feedback, you know that you can deliver the same quality and earn a good reputation, too.
And better yet? You can offer something more, or something better, and crush that competition.
Regarding where to find jobs, my recommendation is Fiverr if you are starting out. It is not true that you can only charge $5 here. You are free to price your services.
Membership is free on Fiverr, and bidding is free. You only pay 20% of the project cost once the client pays you.
Again, choose one or a few services that you can combine. Invest in the right tools, find clients, deliver top-notch service, and earn more money than you can imagine.
Many freelancers who succeeded left their day jobs over time, like me. However, I will not advocate that you leave school. Finish a degree if you can, as this serves as a great backup if the gig economy gets bad.
Good luck!
SUGGESTED READING:
- 5 Tips on Dealing with a Freelance Writer
- Top 11 Most Rewarding Online Jobs for Students
- 5 Reasons Why You Should Blog on Your Online Store
- The Rise of Digital Nomads in Barcelona
- Affiliate Marketing 101: A Semi-Passive Income That Works
