As a college student, a little extra cash doesn’t hurt. Over winter and summer breaks, typically there are a ton of hours in a day to work a side hustle. Today’s age offers a ton of ways for someone to make extra money, but which ones are worth it? Here is a list of side hustles I’ve tried and if they’re worth it:
COLLEGE AMBASSADOR
There are a ton of brands that support students who need an online job. College ambassadors work with brands one on one to promote their products through social media and by representing the brand around college campuses.
Some companies prefer the student to have a larger following to send their message to more individuals, like Princess Polly. However, others accept the majority of those who apply such as Bubble Skincare.
With a unique code, college ambassadors make money by selling merchandise. They take a percentage of what is sold. By completing social media challenges, college students can also earn merchandise rewards.
THREDUP
When your closet is in desperate need of a clean out, ThredUp will take clothes in any condition to resell or repurpose.
To send clothes to ThredUp, they offer to mail a bag or a personal box can be used. It takes a while to process the package, so do not expect money within the first few days. ThredUp also takes a fee for the processing. On the first order, it’s 50% off. For a non-luxury package, the processing fee is $14 ($7 on the first order).
ThredUp only gives a few dollars per piece, so honestly the company isn’t the best for small orders of unqualifying brands. There is a list of qualifying bands and expected cash-out amounts on the website. For example, if the selling price of the item was between $5 and $19.99, ThredUp offers anything from 3% to 15% of the original price. As the selling price increases, ThredUp offers a larger percentage.
FREE CASH
Freecash is an online platform that allows users to make money by playing games. Users must complete tasks, surveys and offers. Payouts include gift cards, crypto currency and bank deposits.
Freecash gives you a list of games to play in order to earn some cash. There are some free games, but others require a premium subscription.
Most of the tasks have to be completed within a few days, and they are not easy.
Freecash can make someone a lot of money, but it takes a lot of patience and time.
For someone who can sit and play games from sunrise to sunset, this side hustle is perfect; however, most of the games are difficult or boring and the surveys only accept a certain demographic.
DOORDASH/INSTACART
Doordash and Instacart are very similar when it comes to a side hustle.
Doordash is a delivery service for food, groceries or company needs. The dasher payout is around $2 for each delivery, but tips increase the pay by a lot.
Some companies, like Napa, use Doordash to send equipment to different locations. Although they are ineligible for tipping, the payouts are a lot more because of that.
Doordash is also perfect because it works on the driver’s schedule. When you want to go out and dash, you can go at any time – as long as your area is busy. The different areas are usually always busy or only unavailable for a little while, so it’s not that much of a hassle.
Instacart works the same as Doordash except that there is more work for a larger payout and larger tips. Instacart is strictly a shop-and-deliver service – users go grocery shopping for others and deliver them right to the customer’s doorstep.
Instacart is also on a personal schedule, so it’s a great way to earn extra income whenever.
There are a ton of side hustles for college students to make extra money. College ambassador programs, selling clothing, playing games and delivering groceries are just a few.