Side Hustles That Work in College

Bump’d
Bump’d
Sep 5, 2018 · 5 min read

We’ve all heard of one, dealt with one and some of us have lived through it to tell the tale. Ahh The broke college student. Venture out onto any college campus and rest assured that most of the student body could stand a few bucks in there pocket. I know I did. But between classes and classwork, organizations and social life..oh and that job that only gives you 5 hours every 2 weeks; money can be scarce for young adults in university life. On-Campus jobs are great but, lets be honest your class schedule is an exact jurisdiction of how many hours you’ll get. Many times if you’re on heavier side of credit hours you might not even get the gig. Your a college student and time is your most precious asset. These are all “side hustles” that you can you can enact on your own time. That being said, it’s important to note that you’ll get in what you put. Without further ado #GRYND gives you Side Hustles That Work in College.


Campus Barber/Stylist/MUA

A tried and true side hustle that many young men and women are already deploying on their campuses. Fret not, competition always helps businesses. This side hustle can be for the ladies and gents, though strategies may vary between the two. As a campus barber you’ll find that its easy to make right around a hundred dollars a week, all while balancing classes and everything else college will throw at you. Don’t up charge, since more than likely your customer base will your friends and classmates. Lets say 10 dollars for a basic cut and beard line up. 10 heads and your already at 100 hundred dollars. Customer retention is a piece of cake due to convenience of being able to stay on campus, low cost of 10 bucks and so long as you know what your doing, quality!

The stylist archetype would fit more so with the ladies. Plenty of ladies come into college doing their own hair, so why not deploy those skills to make a few bucks on the side. That being said, it won’t be as cut and dry as the campus barber side hustle. Being a hair stylist ain’t easy and as a campus stylist, it’d be best to keep it simple. Blow outs, sew ins and braids should get the job done. Have customers bring their own hair. This will avoid complications in customer satisfaction and cuts cost on your end. Make customers set appointments that work around your class schedule. Price competitively, but be humble. Remember your on a college campus, no need to up charge and chase all your potential customers away. The cheaper the better. Just like the campus barber, do good work and watch your coins stack!

Make up Artist are becoming a more solidified side hustle as social media pumps up the amazing work they do. For this side hustle you need to be a bare bones MUA. Nothing to fancy, something you can do quick, lets say before a dance teams performance. Speaking of which, collaboration would be ideal for this side hustle. Link up with dance team or some sort of performing arts squad who needs a on call MUA. You’ll have to put some of your own money in to purchase supplies, but once you get “off the ground” profit will offset these cost. As you go about your MUA side hustle, your skills will get better thus your price should get higher. Stay in the bounds of the average college students wallet though.

Essay Writer/Editor

The sky’s the limit for those with proper penmanship. This is a side hustle that you’ll find is easy to undertake if your fond with writing essays. Many university pupils dread time of the semesters where essays are due. This is where you’ll be stepping in. You’ll get customers, guaranteed, so long as you market yourself correctly. In other words, I wouldn’t announce in your English 1100 class that you’ll write everyone’s essay, as the professor probably wouldn't approve of that. Plus, this is WAY too much work for you to complete being your own student. Go about in a more personal way, such as a group study in the library. Find one of 2 people who just can’t write the essay they have due in a week. Have them give you the rubric for the assignment and a copy of something they’ve written for translation purposes. Set your prices competitively. I can’t stress it enough. It’s no use over charging broke college students, or anyone for that matter. It would be practical to set your prices based on words or pages. The longer the essay has to be the more money you’ll rightfully make.

If your not up for writing the essay, a close second would be editing one. This’ll be a bit easier than writing essays but you wouldn't be able to charge as much for looking over a paper.

With either one of these hustles, you better know what your doing because peoples grades are at stake. I’d go as far as composing a contract for each essay you do. Look at rubric and what the essay has to be on, and give a prediction of the best grade you think you can earn the customer. If the student gets that grade or higher, you’re to be paid in full. If you don’t that grade, the customer gets a refund. This contract helps customers feel more comfortable. Even though it puts more pressure on you, in the long run it’ll cover your ass.

Campus DJ/ Party Host

No matter how broke college students are, they always seem to find a way to party. This side hustle takes advantage of that phenomenon so long as you posses some equipment and the right personality.

As a campus DJ you’ll need a pair of turn tables, the correlating software, a social media following, and a listening ear..Oh and an authentic outgoing personality. Though it may seem all fun and games, being a party host is hard work. You’re in charge of creating a party, finding a suitable location, marketing, making sure security is handled, ensuring the party is populated and keeping the party going. This hustle takes some elbow grease to start up, but the money you’ll make is promising. And so long as you don’t enjoy your job too much, you’ll be able to make it to class the next day.

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