My “real job” is in the field of student loans.  Regretfully, I have firsthand knowledge of how dreadfully expensive college is.  Most college students feel they are left with no choice but to take out loans to fund their way through 4 years of higher education; sadly, this leads to over borrowing and young adults starting life drowning in debt.

I am a true believer that, NO MATTER WHAT, there is an abundance of alternatives to accruing college debt!

Below is a list of realistic, do-able, practical, and legal ways of earning respectful cash flow while studying!

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below, which simply means if you purchase I receive small compensation to keep this blog running.  However,  these are things  I use and own personally and consider must haves!

First, if you’ve already gone to college you might want to reduce your student loan payments:

If you’re one of the 71% of students who left college with loan debt you’re not alone. Student loan debt is a reality for most young and middle-aged adults.  I’ve seen student loan payments ranging from $300-1200 a month; this is enough to rent an apartment in some areas.  Although I didn’t occur loan debt because I was a veteran with GI Bill I had many close friends and family members who did.

And, as if the loan amount wasn’t bad enough, the interest rates are ridiculous to boot.

I recently found out about LENDEdu, a 100% free service that is a one stop shop for comparing student loan rates.  They use a soft-pull on your credit (doesn’t effect your credit score), and they work directly with some of the top loan refinance companies that cater to students.

 Blog your way through college

Did you know there is huge income potential just in writing and sharing your passion or interests with everyone?   Ever thought about writing a blog about the steps you’re taking to graduate debt free?  This would be a great accountability project to keep your budget on track, and it could help your peers! Seriously! There are 18, 19, and 20-year-old bloggers making admirable incomes doing this very thing. I wrote about it on my “Blogging for Income” page!

Become a Virtual Assistant/Social Media Consultant

All those years spent getting in trouble for having your head in your phone might pay off!  Many online businesses (especially bloggers) are seeking hourly or flat rate assistants to do small online tasks for them.  The tasks may be as simple as checking on social media platforms, doing a product review, or writing a quick 300-600 word blog post.  I personally know bloggers that are willing to pay college students to jump on Pinterest and re-pin for an hour or two a day.  Can you imagine making $15-$20 an hour to JUST RE-PIN PINS? These types of virtual tasks are small (but VERY necessary) tasks that take up a business owner or bloggers precious time; they would much rather pay someone to do it!  Create a blog and FaceBook page (In less than 15 minutes and for under $3.95 a month) and start advertising yourself!

House Cleaning

Yeah, I get it. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.  Where else can you rake in $20-$30 per hour without an education, license or particular skill?

Purchase a starter kit of supplies on Amazon, create a blog and FaceBook page (In less than 15 minutes and for under $3.95 a month) and start advertising yourself!   Many cities have active Facebook groups that you can join to put the word out that you are seeking house-cleaning jobs.  Maintain a professional demeanor, have confidence and work hard and you’ll be sure to land a LOT of “work of mouth” referral jobs from your clients!

Become a Yelper, and then an “Elite Status” Yelper

Yelp is an online review site. Yelp “Elite Status” is a “squad” of people in every city that is actively involved in posting reviews of various business (restaurants, stores, hotels, etc.) online. Yelp describes it as:

“Our way of recognizing people who are active in the Yelp community and role models on and off the site. Elite-worthiness is based on a number of things, including well-written reviews, high quality tips, a detailed personal profile, an active voting and complimenting record, and a history of playing well with others.”

While you won’t actually make an income being a Yelper, you will get invited to attend private parties, paid dinners, monthly socials, and special events.  These events almost always include dinner, drinks AND swag bags. This can surely help to reduce your meal costs!   You can find the direct link for more information here.

Re-Sell, Sale Your Clothes, Thrift Sale or Garage Sale Items

Let’s face it, everyone is looking for a deal.  The internet has become the GO-TO deal “store” for re-used and re-cycled clothing and accessories!  Many woman have already paid off their college debt by doing just this!

Twice, Tradesy, Poshmark, ThreadFlip, ThreadUP, Recycle Your Fashions, and Ebay are just a few of the places you could sell your treasures online.

Write an E-Book

Everyone is good at something.  We all learn from each other.  Do you have a skill, hobby, life lesson, or passion you could write about and sell?  A properly priced e-book could bring in a pretty penny.

There are many benefits to writing and selling an e-book. First, publishing costs are almost non-existent, there’s no inventory to keep, and shipping is always free.  Once your book is published it becomes passive income that requires very little work.

You can sell your e-book on Amazon.  Amazon allows almost anyone to self-publish an e-book and they have Kindle Direct Publishing.  Now that I think about it, you could write an e-book about how you’re tackling college without going into debt.

Drive for Uber or Lyft (21+)

You may have used Uber or Lyft to get around town, but have you ever considered becoming a driver?  Being an Uber or Lyft driving partner can earn you nice money, especially if your college is located in a downtown area.  As a driver you can flex with your class schedule, getting started is painless and each company pays drivers weekly.

Join the National Guard or a Military Reserve Unit (I’m an Army Veteran!)

All branches of the military offer exceptional education benefits.  The advantage of the “Reserves” is that you can attend school as a regular student and only serve in the military one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year for training.

Each branch of the military determines their own benefit programs. As an added bonus, some states offer National Guard members state funded tuition incentives. I believe it’s worth checking into each branch to see what they offer:

• Army Reserve (USAR)
• Navy Reserve (USNR)
• Marine Reserve (USMCR)
• Air Force Reserve (USAFR)
• Coast Guard Reserve (USCGR)
• National Guard (each state)

There are so many “out of the box” ways to earn an income while going to school.   Let me know how you’re making your way through college! 

If you MUST take out loans (or already did) I recommend working with a company that compares loan information for you.

Happy Studying, 

-Serena