On and off-campus jobs aren’t the only ways to make some spare cash while in college. There are plenty of options for those who want more money, but not a full-time job.
Freelance something you're good at
The fact is that now that you're in college, you’re receiving knowledge and experience related to your field of study that regular Joes don’t normally have. It’s this knowledge and experience that people will pay money for. Are you good at fixing computers? Event Planning? Taking pictures? Writing? Creating designs in Adobe? If you’re good at something, then guess what— your services might be worth money! Put the word out and you may be surprised to find some interested potential clients.
Donate Plasma
Donating your plasma to BioLife or other plasma banks could save someone’s life, and you get paid for your donation. BioLife donors spend a little more than an hour about twice a week donating plasma. Frequent plasma donations to BioLife can earn donors a couple hundred dollars every month– a great way to make some money.
Housesit, petsit or babysit
These jobs usually aren’t too difficult, aside from the major responsibility. Chances are they aren’t going to be full-time, so you’ll still be able to have free time in your schedule. But wouldn’t it be nice to get paid to hang out with a dog or to look after someone’s kids? According to care.com, the average rate for babysitters is $16.25 an hour. Might as well give it a try, right? Sign up for Sittercity and put yourself out there.
Show off on social media
Social media provides people like you and me a platform to show off our talent and passions. You like makeup and fashion? Make a channel on TikTok or YouTube and become a ‘beauty guru’ and post your fashion designs. Cooking? Show Gordon Ramsey how a REAL chef makes a good bowl of ramen noodles. Enjoy gaming? Well… we’ll get to that in a minute. You have the opportunity to turn your skills into fun and/or informative entertainment that will be seen by hundreds, even thousands of people. More importantly, you can make money from this through sponsorships.
Stream video games online
No, I’m actually serious about this. People love watching other people play video games. Ever heard of Felix Kjellberg? You probably have, except for you probably know him as ‘PewDiePie’ on YouTube. If you're a true gamer with skills and personality, you may come to find that a fan base of people will donate money to you for the entertainment. Get big enough and you may even receive a sponsorship from a company. Now you’re not going to become some new PewDiePie overnight, and this isn’t a full-time job. But if you game, you might as well try to make money from it. If you don’t have the proper equipment, check out the new BSU e-sports facility.
Sell on the Daily Classifieds
Why let your old junk collect dust when you could be using it to collect cash? By using the Daily Classifieds, you can reach Ball State students and Muncie community members alike who are interested in purchasing your items. People sell loads of things on here whether it’s video games, books or even pets. You can sell it on the Daily Classifieds. To access this: go to the ballstatedaily.com, go to the Navigation Bar and click ‘Classifieds’, make a free account using your personal or Ball State email address.
Make and sell crafts
Every now and then you might find people in the Arts and Journalism building selling homemade pottery and crafts. This is because getting crafty can be fun and profitable. Go to Pinterest and find something that interests you. Chances are, you can get the craft supplies for cheap and make a profit off whatever you make. Etsy and local craft fairs are great places to sell your work, but don’t be afraid to post a picture on Facebook and see if friends and family want to buy as well.
Richard Kann contributed to this article.
