Finding a source of income while getting an education can be difficult, but don’t worry, there are many online jobs for college students with no experience. No matter your skill set, there is a job that you can do from the comfort of your own dorm room or apartment.
I recently graduated and while in school I found some ways for college students to make money online. Since graduating, I’ve created an entire business completely online and I’m now location-independent, living the dream with my digital nomad career.
Best Online Jobs for College Students
Luckily, no matter your interests, there is some sort of online work that will suit you. By the end of this article, you’ll have countless options to start earning money as soon as next week!
Have a look at this list of the best online jobs for college students with no experience, and start earning an income.
1. Blogger (or Another Type of Website)
One of the best online jobs for college students with no experience is to try out blogging! I actually did this myself and started a blog ten years ago, so I can verify that this is a great option.
How to Get the Job
If you are interested in starting your own website or blog, it’s pretty easy to do. You don’t have to apply to have a blog at all; you just have to purchase a domain, get hosting, set up your website, and you’re good to go.
There are tons of blog topics out there, but it’s best to choose the one you actually care about. If you select a topic such as parenting when you don’t even have kids, for example, then you’ll have nothing to write about.
Some popular niche blogging topics include travel, food, health and fitness, and even arts and crafts. Take the time to think about what niche you’d be able to endlessly write about, but also consider if it’s one of the profitable blog topics if you plan on eventually monetizing it.
Blogging is easily one of the top online jobs for students to earn money because of how easy it is to start doing. However, you must understand that blogging is a career that takes time to build up.
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Compared to some other jobs on this list, it may be a few years before you even start to see any money rolling in from your website.
That’s why blogging is often started as a side hustle while you’re in college because, by the time you graduate, you might have gained enough momentum to make a decent income from your website.
To be a successful blogger, make sure to learn all about SEO or search engine optimization. Without it, you’ll never rank on Google and, therefore, will have difficulty getting organic traffic. Also, be sure to utilize Pinterest from the moment you start your website.
How Much it Pays
Many bloggers make a living from their websites, but these are often the bloggers who have been at it for a few years. Most beginner bloggers are lucky to make between $100 and $500 per month.
Once you become more established, you can start earning anywhere from $2,000 and higher per month. Some of the most successful bloggers out there make more than $25,000 per month.
To make money on your blog, you’ll want to try to get with an ad network (like Mediavine, Ezoic, etc.) and focus a lot on affiliate marketing. You’ll also want to consider creating digital products or online courses that you can sell to your readers.
2. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is another great online job for students to earn money at home. As a college student, you’re surely writing essays almost weekly for your classes (no matter what your major is), so you’re most likely a top-notch writer by this point.
How to Get the Job
With freelance writing, you will have to apply to different positions that you’ll find online.
Many freelance writers who are just beginning their careers use websites like Upwork and Fiverr to start finding clients. I’ve had lots of success with Upwork in particular. You can also check Flexjobs (use promo code NOMAD for 30% off), and Solidgigs.
Another option, instead of using freelance job searchers like those, is to check out different online publications in your niche.
For example, if you want to write in the travel niche, you might check out National Geographic Traveller to see if they accept any new writers.
The difference between applying to jobs on Upwork versus applying to be a writer for online publications is that usually, Upwork clients are looking for someone immediately. You can start to get work a lot quicker on Upwork, most likely, which is something to consider.
While you don’t necessarily have to pick a niche for your freelance writing, it can help set you apart from your competition.
It will also be easier for you to find positions because you could search for terms such as “travel freelance writer jobs” instead of just “freelance writer jobs.”
How Much it Pays
Freelance writing pays differently depending on your client and how you would prefer to be paid. Usually, freelance writers are paid either a set rate for an article within a specific word range, or they’re paid by the word.
It’s suggested that freelance writers should never get paid by the hour. Sure, when you are just starting out, this could result in a lot of money.
However, as time goes on and you get quicker at writing, you’ll regret getting paid hourly. Plus, clients often like to know how much it will cost them for an article before they hire you.
Most beginner freelance writers will make around $50 USD for an article between 2,000 and 3,000 words. Once you start to gain more experience or begin to get booked out, you can start charging around $0.25 or higher per word.
Another thing to keep in mind is that different types of freelance writers get different payouts. For instance, website copywriters earn a lot more than blog article writers.
If you niche down into a particular industry early on, you’ll also be more likely to charge more as you gain more experience. You could also consider niching in an industry similar to your college major, which could get you higher pay at a quicker rate.
See Also: 10 Websites With Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners
3. Social Media Manager
It may seem too good to be true, but one way for college students to make money online is to be a social media manager.
How to Get the Job
You genuinely don’t need any experience to do this, especially because you probably use social media every day anyway.
It’s highly possible that you know more about social media than some social media managers out there who already have tons of clients!
There are a few different ways to get a job as a social media manager, which is why it is excellent online work for students to make money.
The first (and easiest) way is to work as a freelancer and either start your own social media management business or use sites like Upwork and Fiverr.
I made more than enough to live off of by creating my own social media management business and found most of my clients through Upwork, so it’s doable.
Another option is to try to use Facebook Groups to get jobs. Join groups with online business owners, and soon enough, you’ll find that many people are looking for help with their social media. You could easily step in and help them out.
Last but not least, you could look for part-time jobs with companies online. However, this would probably take up more of your time than if you were just to freelance because you wouldn’t be able to pick your own hours.
I’ve also never been asked about my experience before in social media management, which makes it a perfect opportunity for college students. You can also set your own rates and work whatever hours you want to work, making it ideal for a college schedule.
How Much it Pays
Social media managers who are just starting out vary in pay scale. If you work part-time for a company, you’d be paid hourly, usually between $13 to $20 USD as a beginner.
However, if you choose to be a freelancer and offer services on your own, you can charge a lot more.
The best way to charge is with fixed-rate packages, and you’ll want your beginning package to be around $300 USD to start out, with some of your more extensive and comprehensive packages costing a lot more.
For reference, when I first started, I had three different packages: $350, $500, and $650 USD. The majority of my clients were at the $500 USD package, but it was good to have an upsell package if they wanted more services.
This can be pretty lucrative, making it one of the best online jobs for college students with no experience.
Keep in mind that you might have some monthly expenses as a freelancer though, including client management systems, social media schedulers, and even analytics tools.
I pay around $150 USD for these a month, but they make my services even more successful which leads to more referrals and happy clients.
4. Graphic Design
Being a graphic designer is another great online job for students to earn money.
Sure, studying design in school and having a few internships can help your craft, but if you dabbled in design in high school or have created elaborate group presentations for class before using Canva, you can do this.
How to Get the Job
Similar to social media management, the best way to get work as a graphic designer is to use websites like Upwork or Fiverr. This allows you to find immediate work and set your own rates.
You could also use Facebook Groups or look for part-time positions, but freelancing is the best way for you to get started with no experience necessary.
If you are interested in being a graphic designer but want to learn more about it, you’re in luck. There are tons of tutorials online that you can watch for free, and nobody will question whether you design in Canva or the Adobe suite.
While often a portfolio is needed for designers, this isn’t always the case. I’ve been asked to show my work pretty rarely on a site like Upwork, which is why it’s excellent for you to go there if you have no experience but want to get started in this field of work.
Even if you do find a client that wants to see your portfolio, you could show items you’ve created in school like presentations or even an elaborate Instagram graphic design you’ve created.
Or, you could be completely honest and say you haven’t grown your portfolio yet because you’re currently working towards getting a degree and are doing this as a side hustle.
How Much it Pays
Graphic design is one of the best online jobs for students to earn money at home because the pay is pretty good compared to some other jobs on this list.
Beginners can expect to charge around $20 USD hourly, and as your clientele and experience grow, you can start charging upwards of $50 USD per hour.
If you’d rather, you could also charge a fixed rate price for your projects. This could be a better option if you are fast with your work and still want to be paid an adequate amount. Learn how to make money as a graphic designer here, and click here for must-have tools for graphic designers.
5. Be an Entrepreneur
Gen Z has proven that you can start a business at any age, including while you’re in college. So, why not consider being an entrepreneur?
How to Get the Job
While being an entrepreneur isn’t the most conventional of online jobs for college students with no experience, it can be an extremely rewarding one.
As far as how to get the job, all you have to do is think of a great idea so that you can start your business. You’ll want to think about whether you’d rather have an e-commerce shop or a service-based business.
Some fun e-commerce shop ideas for college students include making jewellery out of polymer clay or making digital products online. Of course, there are tons of other ideas, but they are easy to do with a limited amount of space.
If you choose to start a service-based business, your options are pretty endless. You could be a website designer, consultant, or even a coach for a topic you love.
The great thing about both of these options is that nobody will ask you about your experience unless you willingly give it to them. They will be more interested in the work that you do or the products that you sell more than anything else.
How Much it Pays
Entrepreneurs put a lot of money into their businesses upfront to see a payoff. Of course, if you choose to have an e-commerce store, you’re going to have to put more into your business upfront versus if you’re an online service-based business owner.
After putting the money into your business, you should start to see it pay off with sales and more clients over time. Becoming an entrepreneur is a great way to turn your passions into profits.
Entrepreneurs range a lot in how much money they make. Some make around $10,000 a year, while others can earn upwards of $100,000. It all depends on how much work you put into your business and how much you charge for your products or services.
6. Teach Online (one of the best online jobs for college students)
If English is your first language, then you’re in luck: you can get paid to teach English online. This is one of the most sought-after jobs out there because no experience is needed, and it’s perfect for college students.
And actually, if you speak other languages, you can still make money teaching your native tongue online with platforms like PrePly or Cambly.
How to Get the Job
Usually, you’ll at least need a Bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certificate, but that’s not always the case.
There are quite a few companies that will hire you without having a Bachelor’s degree yet, which is why it’s such a great job for college students to have some supplemental income.
Your experience of speaking English for years is enough to teach it to people in other countries.
To get a job teaching English online, you will have to go through an application process. You’ll be interviewed, which many people say is often a pretty easy and stress-free interview compared to other jobs. Have a look at PrePly and Cambly.
Then, if you’re hired, you’re ready to start working and teaching others. Often, you’ll be teaching students in Asia who want to learn English as a second language. This is one of the most rewarding online jobs for college students with no experience.
This isn’t a teaching English job, but if you’re interested in assisting kids in the USA with their reading comprehension and literacy (and you’re an American citizen or resident), check out BookNook – they pay $18 per hour.
How Much it Pays
Most jobs teaching English online are paid by the hour, so essentially your income will depend on the number of classes you teach each week.
You can usually get paid around $20USD per hour, which is a lot higher than minimum wage in all states in the U.S. With Preply, you set your own rates. With BookNook, they pay $18 per hour.
Some companies will even still pay you for no-shows, so you’re guaranteed to make money whether your student comes to your course ready to learn or not.
Plus, you can teach from the comfort of your own dorm room or apartment as long as you have a strong internet connection.
Learn more about obtaining a cheap TEFL certificate and find teaching English online jobs here.
7. Virtual Assistant
If you are good at following directions and love helping out other people, then being a virtual assistant could be perfect for you. Plus, no experience is needed, so it’s one of the ideal online jobs for students to earn money.
How to Get the Job
Believe it or not, there are tons of online business owners who are looking for a virtual assistant just like you.
Plus, many of these people would be eager to hire someone in college because you’re learning so much at school that you might be able even to help apply to their business.
Often, a lot of virtual assistant jobs can be found on Upwork. I’ve been working with a client since last July as a marketing virtual assistant through Upwork which has been an excellent long-term income source for me.
Another option is also Facebook Groups, because often people in groups ask for help with just one small task and you can upsell them on your service packages.
You might be wondering what exactly a virtual assistant does. Well, that depends greatly on your interests and your skillset.
Virtual assistants do various tasks, including social media management, content creation, writing, schedule management, email management, editing, and more. Their sole purpose is to help out the business owner in any way that they can.
No experience is necessary for this job, but having some skill sets will come in handy. However, as a college student, you’d be able to help out with schedule management, at least since you already do that on a daily basis.
The great thing about being a virtual assistant though is that you can easily pick the type of client that you love to help. Maybe you love helping online creatives like graphic designers or web designers.
You might even find that you love helping bloggers in a specific niche, and that can become your specialty.
How Much it Pays
Beginner virtual assistants earn less than those with more experience but can expect to earn between $15 to $20 USD when first starting out. As you gain more experience, you can quickly start charging upwards of $50 USD.
Often, virtual assistants will sell their services in hourly packages. So, perhaps you’ll have a 5-hour package, 15-hour package, and a 30-hour package.
Normally, the packages are sold at a discounted rate versus your hourly price in order to entice people to purchase more work for you.
One way to fast-track your way to charging more for your work is to pick a specialty.
For instance, I have a close business friend who is a course tech virtual assistant, which means she helps explicitly course creators with workbooks, writing lessons, and preparing presentations.
8. Course Creator
Is there something that you’re incredibly passionate about that you’d love to teach other people? Consider being a course creator!
How to Get the Job
Being a course creator is usually a completely freelance gig, meaning that you’re in charge of yourself and won’t apply for a job. So, you will want to start your own business, create a website, and begin creating courses.
There are tons of topics that you can create courses on.
Maybe you’re super interested in jewelry-making, and you’ve been doing it since high school. Well, you can make an online course about it to teach others how to make jewelry as you do.
This can be a gratifying job if you like helping other people. I’ve worked quite a bit in the course creator space, and it’s tons of fun, especially if the course is a topic you’re passionate about.
Once you create your course, you’ll want to find the perfect hosting platform to get all of your course information online and quickly retrievable by students. Some great options include Skillshare, Kajabi, Thinkific, and Teachable.
Often, being a course creator means putting in a lot of time upfront before seeing a payoff, similar to starting a blog. That’s why it’s great to start this career while you’re in college. By the time you graduate, you might have gained enough of a following to make a decent income.
☞ SEE ALSO: 7 Best Platforms to Sell Courses Online
How Much it Pays
Unlike other jobs on this list, there is no set income for course creators.
Essentially, course creators make a digital product that is then sold online in their shop. So, the amount of income you make depends on how much you market your course.
As far as pricing goes, you’ll want to price depending on how much information you’re giving to your students. Most courses will go between $47 USD (for a mini-course) and $2000 (for a course that comes with live classes).
Often, self-paced courses cost less than ones with live Zoom calls, which is something to consider as a student.
One of my business mentors is a course creator and has made upwards of $20,000 USD some months because of how successful her business is now.
So, this can be an extremely lucrative job, especially if you move into coaching, consulting, and one-on-one business services after graduating.
9. Take Surveys
Yes, you can actually make money taking surveys online as a college student. This is one of the easiest jobs because you can just do it in your free time between classes or whenever you have the time.
How to Get the Job
Surveys are offered as a job online primarily due to market research. Companies want to see how you (and many others) behave when they are creating their products to make themselves as successful as possible.
To get the job, you’re going to want to be careful. Unfortunately, there are many scams out there when it comes to taking surveys online, and these are not websites that you’ll want to visit for obvious reasons.
Luckily, there are a few reputable sites worth checking out, like Inbox Dollars, Branded Surveys, YouGov, Opinion Outpost, or Toluna. Just make sure you do your research and check out TrustPilot before signing up to take surveys on a website.
Keep in mind that this is also a time-consuming job. A survey could take you quite a while to take, and you might not get the biggest payout at all times.
How Much it Pays
As I mentioned, taking surveys can be a pretty time-consuming job. Because of that, the payout can be pretty low. Often, one survey equals about $1 to $5 USD, depending on the company and website you are taking the survey from.
However, this can add up if you find the time to take many surveys throughout the month. You could easily make around $1000 USD if you plan it out well enough and have the time to do so.
You’ll also obviously need a computer and a strong internet connection to take these surveys. Taking them on your phone could be another option. When it comes to easy online jobs for students, taking surveys is a great option.
☞ SEE ALSO: Paid Online Surveys – The Top Companies That You Can Trust
10. Transcriptionist
Last but not least, you could consider being a transcriptionist. This is one of the great online jobs for college students with no experience because all you have to do is listen and type.
How to Get the Job
Luckily, even though we have computers now, most companies will prefer actual people to do transcriptions for them instead to ensure better accuracy. Essentially, your job would be to listen to something and then type it out.
Usually, to get a job as a transcriptionist, you’ll have to take an online typing test and also a practice transcription test. Getting a job as a transcriptionist isn’t easy because it’s a sought-after job, but if you pass the tests, you’re one of the lucky ones.
You’ll want to do some internet searches online to find the best transcription jobs. Keep in mind that pay depends on which company you work with.
Other options include looking for a part-time job with an actual business looking for a one-off transcriptionist. It’s up to you which path you choose.
Keep in mind that you will need a strong internet connection, good headphones, and a computer to get this job done.
How Much it Pays
Most transcription jobs pay by the minute of audio that you transcribe, so you’ll get more pay as you get better at the job because you’ll be able to get through your assignments quicker.
When you first start out, it could easily take you 20 minutes or longer to get through a minute of audio.
The starting pay for a minute is usually around $0.30, but it varies depending on the company. As you gain more experience, you can easily make upwards of $2,000 per month with consistent work.
11. Bonus! Proofreading and Editing
This is a great remote job for college students. Even if you have no experience or official certificates, you can find work as a proofreader or editor.
If you don’t have a degree and want to make sure you’re earning a decent income from proofreading (and guarantee yourself work), consider investing in yourself and taking an online proofreading course that will help you land more jobs.
Knowadays (formerly The Proofreading Academy) offers their Becoming A Proofreader course, which will provide you with all you need to start your new career as a professional proofreader. Knowadays also has an Editor course, which is a great option as well. Read our review of the Knowadays editor course here.
Included in the “Becoming a Proofreader Course” are 15 modules, real-life proofreading exercises, and more. The best part is they offer a free trial, and guaranteed work, making it an easy job for college students to get. Find out more about the proofreading course here.
Conclusion
Now you know all of the top online jobs for college students with no experience. The key to being successful with this is to plan your schedule and work around your classes and be sure to not let your work overpower your education.
You’ll also want to make sure you thoroughly do your research to find a job that you will actually enjoy doing. I wish you the best of luck with earning some extra money as a college student!
