For a lot of students, college is a sort of laboratory for them to get the first-time experience with budgeting their money. And while a few hundred bucks might seem like a lot on the first of the month, those classic college expenses like books, student fees, food, rent, plus numerous other activities that tend to pop up in the collegiate world can drain you of your finances surprisingly fast.
Fortunately, there is a number of great online money making options for you to earn a few extra bucks to help you through the month:
1) Take Part In A Focus Group
Companies are constantly seeking consumers to take part in online focus groups in order to study consumers attitudes and shopping behaviors. With compensation that can reach as high as $100/hr or other forms of payment such as corporate schwag or gift cards, participating in these groups can actually be quite lucrative. Additionally, companies are often in particular demand of college students since they’re a fairly limited demographic. Keep in mind, though, if you’re going to get involved with a group, you’ll be expected to be reliable, which means logging in on time and staying for the duration of the session.
2) Profit From Your Schoolwork
Although the concept of selling your essays or other assignments through an online site might sound shady due to the potential of students purchasing work to present as their own, it’s really not. The fact is, cheating and plagiarism have always been a part of the college world and knocking out these sites won’t change that.
However, turning in another’s work isn’t necessarily the reason students go to the best writing websites anyways. There’s a ton of value in having another student’s well-written paper to use as a learning resource, and so in this case, a purchased essay is no more than a simple study aid. In fact, purchasing a paper from an online site is effectively no different than searching for papers online in order to learn from them and obtain referencing sources.
Here're a few sites where you can upload and sell your academic essays:
- Gazhoo
- SmartEssay
- Constant Content
All of these sites let you price your work as you see fit, which in turn can get you a nice little chunk of change.
3) Take An Online Survey
Although a lot of online surveys don’t reward you with actual money, PaidViewpoint is one site that does and additionally guarantees you won’t be cut loose from the group once you’ve been invited in and started working on a survey.
Other online sites that pay you to take surveys include:
- Cash Crate
- American Consumer Opinion
- Palm Research
- NPD Online Research
- Toluna
- Squishy Cash
One thing to note is that some surveys might compensate you with points that can be used to acquire gift cards; however, it’s fairly easy to just go ahead and sell your cards on a website such as Cardpool.
4) Knockout Some Microjobs
Thanks to freelance platforms like Fiverr, you can offer your talents to various clients and pick up some pretty decent case while doing so. In fact, a lot of people are actually building careers by freelancing on these sites. Some of the services offered on these platforms include:
- Writing articles
- Audio transcription
- Designing logos, book covers web pages…etc.
- Performing research
- Offering social media marketing
In addition to freelance sites like Fiverr, there is task running sites such as TaskRabbitt where you can get paid to do things like dog-sit, run errands, or even stand in line to purchase tickets for a concert.
5) Sell Stuff
If you’ve got a talent for such things as graphic design or coming up with clever sayings, you can sell your creations online. There’s a wide range of design items that can be put to market, and whether it’s coffee cups, shot glasses, or t-shirts, if you’ve got the skill, the buyers are there. Additionally, if you’ve got the ability to not just create a design, but the actual item yourself, sites like Bonanza and Etsy are great places to put them up for sale.
One final nice thing about these sites is that although there could be a small fee associated with using them, you’re allowed a 60-day window (or sometimes even longer) to sell your items. This is comparatively far better than the 7-days Ebay allows you and it makes it much easier to develop a loyal consumer base for your goods.
Summing Things Up
So there you go. Being in college doesn’t have to mean you’re always scrounging around for empty cans or bottles to take to the store or calling mom and dad for a little financial boost. These sites are not only a great way to earn a few extra bucks but can also be a monthly source of consistent side income. Now go make some money!
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