By Jessie Yarrow:
The Indian job market is not particularly welcoming for students. Since you cannot commit yourself to full-time work when studying is your priority, you have to look for a more flexible way to make money.
The Internet is a global market that offers tons of chances for people to make money. Depending on your skills, there are different options you can explore. For example, freelance writing is perfect for students who don’t have a problem to compose articles, blog posts and essays on any given topic. Some students have great computer skills, so they can accept data entry jobs that wouldn’t take much of their time. If you don’t possess writing or programming skills, you may try completing surveys, tutoring other students for subjects you’re knowledgeable in, or entering the global online market of virtual assistance.
Here are 5 online jobs college students can take up:
1. Content Writing
This is a broad category that includes blogging, website content writing, article completion, and academic writing. If you have the needed talent and diligence for this type of job, then you can make a great career out of it. For example, you can start completing different types of essays, research papers, book reports, and other types of content for a writing service. This may seem like too much work when you have your own projects to think of, but the payment is great.
Not all clients are reliable, so you must be careful when applying for job. Here is a safer option: you can create a profile on a platform that filters the ads and provides relatively secure offers. These are the websites you could consider when looking for writing opportunities:
● Elance
● upWork
● Textbroker
● Freelance Writing Gigs
2. Survey Completion
Have you ever received those spamming emails that ask you to complete surveys and promise payments? Well, they aren’t as crazy as you thought they were. If you find the right opportunity, you can actually make decent income out of surveys. This type job is not interesting or creative, but it’s still a great opportunity for students who don’t want to bother with demanding work.
Don’t start working on the first platform you stumble upon to. These three websites have established a solid reputation, and they get good reviews from their users:
● iPoll
● Survey Spot
● MyPoints
3. Virtual Assistance
Is this the first time you encounter the term virtual assisting? It is used to describe secretarial work over the Internet. You’ll need to schedule appointments, make phone calls, write and manage emails, and more. You can work for more than one client at the same time, but keep in mind that this job can take more time than you initially plan to devote.
There is not a particular website focused on this type of work, but the most popular freelancing platforms include ads for virtual assistants. These are the ones you could explore:
● iFreelance
● Elance
● upWork
● Guru
4. Data Entry
People who own websites don’t always have time to maintain them properly. Since they don’t want to provide full monthly payments to regular employees, they are willing to delegate some tasks to freelancers. This is where you come in. The client might ask you to conduct a research for a particular project, or take information from a spreadsheet to put it into the website.
This is a list of safe websites where you can search for data entry opportunities:
● Amazon Mechanical Turk
● iFreelance
● Elance
5. Tutoring
You surely have a favorite subject, right? Are your friends constantly asking you to explain the concepts? Well, you can make money for the same efforts if you join an online tutoring service. This type of work requires you to tutor students through video or chat messaging. You’ll help them complete homework and study for exams.
Building your own website for tutoring purposes could be too much work. That’s why you need a well-established service that provides all features you need (video conferencing, direct communication with the students, evaluation tools, and more). Check out these websites:
● Aim 4 A
● Tutor
● Homework Tutoring
As you can see, some websites are mentioned in multiple categories. That’s because they offer a wide range of freelancing opportunities. Before you start creating profiles on multiple platforms, think about your skills, read the terms and conditions, and choose one or two websites that fit into your criteria. Remember: there is always a way to find a suitable online job for your skills. The opportunities are not limited to this list, so make sure to explore your options before committing yourself to a particular offer.