Do you dream of making money from the comfort of your dorm room while lounging in your PJ pants and a T-shirt? Well, that dream could become your reality if you start tapping into the online job market. Lucky for you, Her Campus has created a guide to online moneymaking. So read on, collegiettes™, take some notes, and wear whatever you’d like while doing so!
Where to begin
The Internet is a large and powerful place – and it can often be intimidating! However, it holds a plethora of moneymaking opportunities for you, and you just have to know where to begin.
Before jumping on the online job bandwagon, though, remember to make sure that the job you are considering is legitimate. Plenty of websites out there are nothing but major scams. If it seems sketchy to you, then it probably is! If you need a little help, read this article from MSN Money, which offers a few suggestions for legit moneymaking opportunities.
The key to finding an online job is using your strengths: know what you’re good at and take advantage of it!
Another tip for finding the perfect online job is simply having the initiative to ask for one, even if it is not offered or advertised yet. “Sometimes the best way to land a home-based job is by calling someone you’d like to work for and offering your services,” says Tory Johnson in this article for ABC News, where she suggests places where you can find a number of online job opportunities in different fields. She says that if you are going to work from home, you should keep two things in mind: stick to a schedule and create a dedicated workspace in your home. You’re only relying on yourself to get your work done, so you should be organized and responsible!
Now check out the following list of online jobs you could start making money with right now!
Virtual customer service agent:
What is it? Virtual customer service agents answer inbound phone calls for companies like J. Crew or Walgreens. These major companies outsource customer service phone calls to virtual agents in the U.S.
What do you have to do? As a virtual customer service agent, you can choose to take calls for a company that best suits your knowledge and interests.
How many hours do you work? You can pick your own hours, but usually, you must work at least 20 hours a week.
How much do you make? This job usually pays between $8 and $15 an hour.
Since different companies pay differently, you can explore your options at Working Solutions, Customer Loyalty Concepts and Alpine Access.
What do you need to do this job? All you need are customer service skills, a friendly phone voice, high-speed Internet access, a computer and a landline phone!
So how do I get started? Apply here, here or here!
Create a product…and sell it:
What is it? If you’re creative, this is the job for you! Basically, you come up with a design for a T-shirt, mug, tote bag, or a number of other products and submit it to zazzle.com and they will sell it for you!
What do you have to do? Get creative!
How many hours do you work? As many as you’d like!
How much do you make? You will make a commission for the number of products that are sold using your original design. You can set the price for the products to whatever you’d like, from 10% to 99% of the retail price.
What do you need to do this job? Nothing but a good amount of creativity!
So how do I get started? Click here to start creating!
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Actually make your product…and sell it:
What is it? If you’re creative and like sewing your own dresses, painting, photography or making your own jewelry, you can sell some of your stuff online at a website like etsy.com – or you can create your own website and sell your stuff there!
What do you have to do? Get creative and get to work!
How many hours do you work? It depends on how much work you want to put into your products.
How much do you make? It depends on the product that you are selling.
What do you need to do this job? Creativity, initiative, and hard work!
So how do I get started? Make an account on Etsy and put up your products for sale!
Use your knowledge:
What is it? Use your knowledge in various areas to help those in need (and make some money in the process!). For example, you can be a tech guide at chacha.com or answer questions on a number of topics at JustAnswer.com.
What do you have to do? Answer questions on the stuff you really know about!
How many hours do you work? As many as you’d like!
How much do you make? Between $5 to $10 an hour on chacha.com and up to 50% of what customers are paying for an answering at JustAnswer.com!
What do you need to do this job? Requirements vary depending on your area of expertise!
So how do I get started? Apply here to work for chacha.com and here to work for JustAnswer.com.
Become an online tutor:
What is it? You get to tutor kids of all ages online!
What do you have to do? You must be able to convey information in a comprehensive way to children of all ages via the Internet.
How many hours do you work? You can work from five to 30 hours a week.
How much do you make? You can make up to $10 an hour.
What do you need to do this job? Usually, you need a college degree or previous tutoring experience.
So how do I get started? Apply here!
Write for an online publication or freelance:
What is it? Some online publications offer editorial journalism online job opportunities, so do your research! For example, Ed2010, an online community dedicated to helping magazine lovers score their dream job, offers freelancing jobs.
What do you have to do? Write!
How many hours do you work? This varies based on how many articles you are assigned and how much time you want to dedicate to them!
How much do you make? Some publications don’t pay their freelance journalists anything, others pay as little as $10 per article and others around $1 per word.
What do you need to do this job? Excellent writing skills, but other requirements may vary by publication.
So how do I get started? Search Ed2010 and LinkedIn for editorial journalism online job opportunities. Neal Schaffer, president of Windmills Marketing also suggests a few other reputable online sources for jobs. “The two leading sites for part-time freelance work are elance.com and odesk.com,” he says.
Sell stuff you don’t want on eBay:
What is it? Have an old cell phone or camera you don’t need? Put it up for sale on eBay!
What do you have to do? Make an eBay account and put your stuff up for sale!
How many hours do you work? Not much at all. Once you put your stuff up for sale, eBay does the rest.
How much do you make? It varies, depending on the items that you sell. For example, an iPhone is obviously going to sell for more than an old Razr!
What do you need to do this job? A bunch of old stuff you don’t need anymore!
So how do I get started? Sign up on eBay and start selling!
For additional online job opportunities, visit the following websites, and be sure to include the words “virtual” or “at-home” in your search: simplyhired.com, careerbuilder.com, craigslist.com and hotjobs.com.
So now that you know the best ways to tap into the online job market, go out there and make your futures happen, collegiettes™!
Sources
ABC News
MSN Money
Money Making Mommy
Neal Schaffer, President of Windmills Marketing
Ariana Finlayson, Features Editor at ed2010.com