10 Ways College Students Can Make Money Online

College costs are soaring, and many students can’t get by with one job. But what if you could make money online? You actually can, and I’m not talking about the chump change surveys offer. So stop considering donating your reproductive fluids, put down the lab rat paperwork, and start blogging!

1. Straight to Kindle e-books

How-to books and short fiction are two ways to make money online. People like lists (like you) so bulleted tutorials are a great way to sell your writing fast.

Check out Amazon’s website and explore the many categories. Look at the best-sellers in the Kindle store. Which books do well, and why? How can your book fit in? If you already have a social media presence (Twitter, Facebook), you can guide your existing fan base to your e-books.

Share content relevant to the book you’re going to publish, gain a following, and then launch! Amazon gives authors up to 70% of sales, which is huge in the publishing world.

Tip: If you don’t have an online reputation, it’s never to late to build one—Create a Twitter account that is a little more professional than the one you already have (especially if you have any Miley Cyrus selfies).

2. Copyediting

Companies always need catchy content proofread (or created). If you’re a good writer, you can harness your skills. Learn about writing good call-to-action posts, and brush up on your style guides.

Always be sure to set a price before you ever start a job. Sites like oDesk andeLance can help put you in touch with clients who need work done.

Tip: Always make sure you’re asking a reasonable price for your work. Do the math: Will you be getting paid reasonably per hour? If the answer is no, then move on. Clients who do not pay enough will receive shoddy work. You don’t want to be associated with them, anyway.

3. Ghostwriting

You could also ghostwrite content for others. This could include anything from website content to whole books.

Given the self-publishing options available today, ghostwriting entire books for someone else is not very good for you. Writing a book takes a long time, the research is extensive, and you won’t get the credit or royalties you would if you published the book yourself. However, ghostwriting smaller pieces is totally worth it!

Ghostwrite blog posts to get the most money for your time. The longer a piece is, the more time you’ll need to put into it. Keep that in mind: Your time is valuable, and is worth money.

4. Fiverr

Do you have a costume you can dress up in? Are you great at calligraphy? Do you have a trick you usually do in bars?

Fiverr is a place where you can get paid $5 to do almost anything. Seriously. If you have a trick or a real talent, check out the site. You may even become inspired by something random.

Tip: Do not sell your best work for $5. The most successful folks on Fiverr offer a small service for five bucks, and list their other, more expensive services for people who are more interested. Hook people in with how awesome you are, but never sell yourself short while freelancing, or you’ll either end up overworked and underpaid, or doing terrible work just to make deadline.

Make Money with Fiverr.com : Tricks- Make More Than Just $5!

5. Etsy

For those with a creative side, Etsy is the place for you. If you put time and effort into your store, you can generate a lot of revenue from Etsy.

Find your niche (homemade scarves? Personalized mugs? iPhone cover designs?) and build your store. You may even want to consider buying a domain name and using a site like WordPress to create your own website.

6. AirBnb

If you have extra space in your apartment, or a living area that can be easily transformed, you can turn your extra space into cash using AirBnb. This site helps you manage reservations, get in contact with other travelers, and create wish lists.

The most successful AirBnb hosts provide lots of photos and information, and have great character reviews. Have your friends write reviews on how awesome you are, and launch your listing!

Tip: Fill out the house rules and contribute to the neighborhood guides. This might seem time-consuming, but it really helps: People like knowing what to expect, and your rules will help keep out any unwanted guests.

7. Skillshare or Codeacademy

Do you have a worthwhile skill? Did you know these sites will let you teach others your skills, both on or offline? Skillshare has the tools you need to host real, interactive online or offline classes . . . and get paid for it.

If you know how to code, check out Codeacademy to teach other people who want to get into making their own visions on the web a reality. Share your knowledge!

(Granted, this may mean selling the knowledge you’re receiving at a $20,000/year university for much, much less.)

Tip: Place teasers for your courses on YouTube, and link off to your paid courses.

8. Editing Papers for Fellow Students

If you’re very academic, you could edit papers. If your major is in English, you could help out the Freshman who are required to take one literature course, no matter what their major. ESL students and students with majors different from yours are also good potential customers.

Don’t work for friends: Search outside of your comfort zone to avoid pressure to work for free or plagiarize. You can put up ads on Craigslist and cruise the site for copyediting work.

Tip: Craigslist forces you to select a general area for a listing, so when you’re searching for work, check a few cities. If you’re willing to work remotely, looking only in your area will limit your search.

9. Blogging

Using AdWords or other advertising, you could actually make money blogging! If you have a strong Internet presence, this could be great for you. The best blog personalities are very in-your-face. Touch up on your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) with Google Trends to use great tags for your posts. You can blog about your opinions, write book reviews, or start a political blog.

Tip: When blogging or doing any posting online, use a fake name if you aren’t sure you want Google to track what you’re doing. When you graduate college, you may need an office job one day. Make sure no one Googles your name and finds something unsavory.

10. Romance Writing

You can make a lot of money ghostwriting or e-publishing in this genre. Here are some ideas: true stories, monster sex (think, like, Frankenstein), and historic settings.

With romance, originality is key. Short, 10,000-word romance Kindle books could be your ticket to financial freedom.

Tip: Keep in mind that you may want to use a pseudonym online, and change any names of “characters” that you know personally. You don’t want your ex, a potential boss, or a future partner to see you’ve written (in great detail) about your . . . adventures.