Saving for a college education is no easy feat. Tuition and other costs for a bachelor’s degree can rise well over $10,000 per year at a private university. Working your way through school can help you pay for tuition and books but finding jobs that allow you a great deal of flexibility and pay well can be difficult. However, working from home can be an effective way to make money as you balance work and school. While you may lack experience, you can put your burgeoning education to work with a few lucrative and unique remote work opportunities.
1. Online Tutoring
Whether you major in math, English, history, or science, there are usually other students online who are looking for help in these areas. The rigors of beginning algebra might be troubling a freshman in high school, while a foreign exchange student at another campus might be having a hard time with certain English grammatical concepts. Online tutoring allows you to help students in your free time, right from your laptop or tablet.
Programs such as Skype have several features, such as file transfer and the ability to share screens, which give you the ability to work both verbally and visually with the individuals you tutor. You can advertise your tutoring skills on social media and by posting flyers at other college campuses and high schools. Don’t forget to have each student sign a contract before you begin so that you have proof of a payment agreement, which can protect your interests for as long as you decide to tutor.
2. Content Creation
If you are a journalism or English major, then article writing online can be an effective way for making some extra cash. There are many people online, from small business owners to full-time bloggers, who need talented writers to create content for them. Many writing jobs allow you to work at your own pace and give you control over how much work you accept over the course of the day or week.
Working freelance can help you pad your bank account for college costs, and many freelance sites allow you to pick and choose jobs that are suited to your daily schedule. One of the most attractive features about this job is that it gives you the opportunity to write about a wide variety of subjects, from music to books to marketing to current events, so no two assignments are ever the same.
3. Virtual Assistant
Working at home as a virtual assistant can allow you to work for domestic and international companies on your own time. Many companies online are looking for remote assistants to answer and create emails, answer phones, maintain files, and perform other secretarial duties during the day. Some small businesses hire virtual assistants to maintain their social media accounts, address complaints, and provide customer service for those who have questions or concerns about their products and services.
Working as a virtual assistant may also open doors for future financial opportunities. If you are organized and self-driven, you may impress an employer and be asked to take on a permanent position once you finish your education. Having financial security once you graduate can help you pay off your loans faster and prevent the stress that most unemployed graduates face.
4. Remote Customer Service/Support
Many of the country’s successful business leaders, such as CEO of CURO Financial Technologies Corp Don Gayhardt, achieved success with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. If you are following this path, you can earn money for school and gain some real-life experience with a remote customer service and support jobs. These opportunities are available for a wide range of businesses, so you may be able to choose one in your education sector.
Some remote customer jobs allow you to rotate your shifts so you can maximize your pay by working as many hours as possible during your free time. This can be especially useful if you take classes online, as it may give you the freedom to create your own work and school schedule and allow you to maximize your earning potential. While this can help you grow your college savings, it is also important to maintain a healthy balance and leave time for rest, a healthy diet, and exercise.
5. Remote Research
Companies from major newspapers to universities offer fact-checking and research jobs, and the knowledge you have already gained can give you an advantage in this field. You may even be able to find work at your own university that you can perform in your spare time. Some tasks you might perform in this remote work can include researching data, products, and websites to gather information related to content creation.
It can be a challenge to earn funds for higher education. However, if you find a work-from-home job that suits your college schedule, the flexibility and freedom it can provide may reduce financial stress and allow you to make the cash you need to continue your education and offer you valuable experience for the future.
