How 3 University of Arizona Students Side Hustle for Extra Cash During School
It sucks being unable to afford making lifetime memories with your friends at Coachella and other pricey shenanigans. It’s even worse being unable to afford rent, tuition, and meals that aren’t instant noodles. Financial aid, student loans and allowances sadly aren’t even enough for many students.
That’s why 70% of college students work while in school.
However, you’d be surprised at the variety of side hustles a student can do to make extra cash, on top of having to deal with academics. We asked a few current Arizona Wildcats to share what they do, along with some useful tips. Maybe you’ll get inspired to make some of that extra dough! 💸💪
Simran Heer, Junior (Management Information Systems BSBA, 2019)
What does your typical semester look like in terms of courses and extracurriculars?
I take 5 classes and am involved with the UA Global Initiatives Ambassador program as a leader (10–20 hours a week).
How do you earn extra cash while in school?
I’ve tutored a pre-business class for freshmen on how to use Microsoft Excel, and babysit from time to time. I also sell things I don’t need anymore on Twazer — a free app for college students to buy and sell items with each other on campus.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve face trying to balance the side hustles with everything else, and how do you overcome it?
Time management. I think the hardest thing about keeping up with a real job is the struggle of having a schedule while trying to keep up with class work. That’s what makes using apps like Twazer so convenient. It takes as little effort as taking a picture of an item on your phone and being able to sell it to someone on campus who needs it.
What’s some words of advice you’ve got for other students that want to side hustle during school too?
Learn about the opportunities around you. There’s so many ways to make some extra cash as a college student; all you have to do is the research.
Claire Stark, Senior (English BA, 2018)
What does your typical semester look like in terms of courses and extracurriculars?
I take 5 classes. Activities include: Greek life, Vice President of Programming on the Panhellenic Council, Arizona Ambassador, intern for an online publication, campus representative for JusCollege.
How do you earn extra cash while in school?
Nanny, earning incentives from my internships and campus positions.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve face trying to balance the side hustles with everything else, and how do you overcome it?
Time management is a challenge for all college students. Having a well rounded social life, good grades, as well as staying involved on campus can be difficult. I think this has become easy for me, since I love to stay busy and have always been very involved. It is never too late to get involved! If anyone is concerned about getting involved in too many things, you have to start somewhere and see how much you can manage. It is important to plan ahead and be proactive with your free time, so that you can enjoy the rest of your time with friends and family!
What’s some words of advice you’ve got for other students that want to side hustle during school too?
Set the bar high! Too many count themselves out or assume they won’t succeed if they apply for a position or job. It is important to remember rejections give you something to build off of, and you must take risks in order to succeed. Don’t spread yourself too thin, but make sure you‘re taking risks and aren’t discouraged if you don’t find your passions right away!
Zeev Elcayam, Junior (Nutritional Sciences BS, 2019)
What does your typical semester look like in terms of courses and extracurriculars?
I take 5 classes. I’m part of a fraternity, play intramural sports and am involved with several other clubs on campus.
How do you earn extra cash while in school?
I work at bars, tutor writing, revise papers, and sell old items.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve face trying to balance the side hustles with everything else, and how do you overcome it?
Tracking spending. Using cash allows me to control how much I spend.
What’s some words of advice you’ve got for other students that want to side hustle during school too?
Get creative and find a need to solve.
There you have it. It’s by no means easy to do what they do. You gotta figure out what it is you want to do, how you’d actually get those things done, and then actually do them. But by drawing inspiration and words of wisdom from these amazing students, hopefully it becomes easier for you to take action and put more 💰 into your bank account.
Be creative, identify needs you can solve, don’t be afraid to take risks, believe in yourself, proactively seek opportunities, plan your schedule ahead, and track your spending so you don’t waste your hard-earned money.
Pluto is the free personal finance app for college students. Unlike complicated budgeting tools like Mint, you only need to focus on the spending habits that hurt and the saving goals that matter. Take on simple challenges tailored to your finances and save automatically towards your goals.👌
