Best Jobs for College Students

Studying is supposed to be a full-time job, but students can still make some cash on the side in order to cater for their upkeep and day to day needs. Working while you are still in college can be tough, and the best thing to do is to look for a job that is right for you.

Here are some factors you need to consider when choosing a part-time job;

The location of the job – Find a job that you can easily access because this will influence your reliability greatly while at work. If you are a college student with a car, this will broaden your range greatly, but if you do not have a car, you may need to find a job that is close to your school.

Consider your schedule – Consider to choose jobs that can be done when you are available and not when you are supposed to be in class. There are jobs that you can do at night, very early in the morning, or on holidays and weekends only.

The pay – The reason why you are looking for a job in the first place is so that you can make some extra money. The range of pay with part-time jobs is normally wide, and the challenge is for you to find one that will suit your needs, and give you what you need. Aim for a well-paying job, that also gives you some satisfaction or one that you shall enjoy doing.

Career relevance – It may be difficult to find a job that is in line with your chosen profession, but if you search carefully, you may just find one that will not only pay you some good money but also open you up to your career. You may even end up choosing to become a volunteer for a company that you want to work for in the future, or working as an intern in a business organization that will teach you the skills necessary for your chosen job.

Best local businesses jobs

Boutique sales:

If you love fashion, and you are probably a fashion major, then having a job in a boutique would be a great idea for you. Most of these jobs do not require too much experience, and the boutique owners are probably just looking for a friendly, stylish and outgoing person for the job.

This is a job that can allow you to work on part-time bases such as evenings, weekends, holidays, afternoons, etc. All you need is a plan, and your class schedule in order to know when you shall be working.

The owners of these businesses are also quite flexible and can allow you only to work when you are available.

Book store customer service:

This is a great job for almost any college student, and believe it or not; people still read paperback books. Local bookstores are also quite busy especially in college towns, and they are mostly close to the campus, and they offer books that college students and professors may need for their studies.

With such jobs, you are entitled to employee discounts which make it very easy for you to buy the books you need at a lower cost.

Mechanic's assistant:

This can be a job in a bike shop, or in a car repair auto shop. If you are taking a mechanical course, this would be a fantastic part-time job for you as well. For people who just love repairing things, it can be a perfect passion job that will give you some money as well.

You may not require to have any experience in order to do the job, and most auto shop owners will be more than willing to teach you on the job. It is also quite easy to just observe and learn what is needed in order to repair a bike or a car.

The job also offers you some good working hours if you come to an agreement with the owner, and you can be able to work in the afternoons, evenings or on weekends or holidays.

Photographers:

Now, this is a perfect job for a photography major. If you have a passion for photos and have a nice eye for making beautiful moments, then, you can look for work at the local photography studio and work as a photographer's assistant, in order to earn the experience necessary for you to succeed in your chosen job.

You can choose to work in the darkroom as well, so you could program your work hours to when you do not need to be in class, or when you don’t have to be doing a school activity. They are easy jobs to do and require very little training.

Another option to photography would be to open up your own studio and take people photographs at a fee during your free time. This can also help you combine your school duties and assignments into a passionate job of creating portraits for sale.

Working as a front desk clerk:

This job goes hand in hand with a customer service job, and most companies are always looking for customer service representatives to work in their front desks.

This is a highly flexible job that gives you good working hours. In most cases, the company doesn’t have a single front desk person, and therefore you can coordinate with your colleagues on the best times to work either very early in the morning, in the evenings, or even on weekends and holidays alone.

It is not a job that requires you to have too much experience, and you may need a day or two of training on how to answer and transfer calls. The company may, however, require you to be very friendly and easy going, plus you should be a fast learner, and be able to greet the company visitors whenever they come into the office with a smile.

Tutor:

This is one of the best first-time jobs for college students because most tutors do not require any specific qualifications, just the fact that you graduated from high school.

You can choose to tutor kids in the lower classes, or junior classes on topics and lessons that you have already taken, which makes it very easy for you.

You can also choose to work for a non-profit, or a high-school after school program for kids that are not doing too well. In schools with summer classes, this can also be a wonderful opportunity for you.

In addition to all that, tutoring is also one of the best online jobs for college students because there are some websites which are specifically designed for people who want to learn a specific subject, mostly English for the non-native countries.

You can sign up online for some of these jobs, and teach people English at a fee. This is a great job as it offers great and flexible hours, especially because America time is normally behind most Time Zones, and therefore, you can work perfectly to identify when you need to work, and when you do not need to work.

Lifeguard:

Almost all college kids have worked as a lifeguard because it is a pretty easy and simple job to do. You will require a simple training and a certification to become a lifeguard.

If you work in a college that is near a communal pool or the beach, this is a great first job for you, as it is a fun to do job. Imagine spending all your days at the pool, or on the beach. You will also get to have fun co-workers who are probably college kids like you, and this will create a great working environment.

The Food Industry

Working in the food industry is another extremely popular job for college kids. The available jobs are;

Host or server in a restaurant:

This is one of the most popular jobs for college kids. It has flexible working hours and a great work environment, and in addition to the pay, you get to earn extra on tips, you get free meals and also meet some great contacts.

If this is your area of specialization in school, then you must consider it as your side gig. You can opt to work in a fast food restaurant, a small hotel, or even look for work in a 5-star restaurant, that will teach you all you need to know about the service industry.

This is, however, a job for go-getters, people who are not afraid of being on their feet all day long, and people with great interpersonal skills and can be able to smile and be helpful all day long.

If you do well in a big hotel, you can even be able to pay your fee through this job and get all the skills required to build a foundation in the service industry.

Baristas:

This is a profession that has been on the rise in recent years, and most coffee places are looking for good baristas.

A barista is a professional coffee maker, and there are definitely many different coffee places scattered all over the campus, where you can get a job in. The better you are as a barista, the more marketable you become, and you could choose this as your career in life.

You should, however, be prepared to work very early in the morning, and late in the evenings. It is, however, a job that you can do in shifts with the other employees in the coffee shop, and therefore you should not be worried that it will interfere with your studies.

A Bartender:

Most college kids dream of this job. It is one of the best overnight jobs for college kids because most bars will begin its operations in the later afternoons and go on till the wee hours of the morning.

The pay as a bartender is normally very good, as in addition to the salary the bar owner gives you, you get to earn even more through tips.

If you are very good at the job, you can be making such exorbitant amounts of money, that will even help pay for your college studies, and give you some savings in the bank. It is a job that requires minimal training, and it is also easy to learn.

Most bartenders will require someone who is outgoing, talkative, and a go-getter.

Cook:

If you love cooking, or you are doing catering as a major, then this is the perfect job to horn in on your skills as a cook.

Whether you plan to open your own restaurant, have a cooking show, or even work in a 5-star hotel, working for a cook is a great way to get the required experience for the job you want to do later on in life in the hotel industry.

Getting one of these jobs is also quite easy and doesn’t require you to have a lot of experience. In fact, just telling a head cook that you are pursuing a degree as a professional chef is enough to get you into this team.

Cashier:

Restaurants and hotels are always in need of a good cashier, and this is a great job for a college student because the hours are flexible and the money is good. In addition, you will also get to earn lots of money through tips and meet good contacts for future opportunities.

These jobs are also widely available, as you cannot miss having a hotel or a restaurant near your college.

You do not need to have plenty of experience to do the job, and in most cases, you shall only require to be trained for a day or so, before you become good at the job. It is an on the job kind of training that requires you to be a fast learner.

The hotel owners will, however, require you to be a go-getter, and easy to work with person, and also someone who can smile easily as you welcome customers into the hotel to eat.

Best First-time jobs for college students

Social Media Manager;

Almost all college-aged kids tend to spend a lot of time online, on their social media accounts just chatting with their friends or following what others are doing online. So, why not use up this time in making some money?

A social media manager is responsible for posting on behalf of someone else, on their social media platforms, and engaging their customers on a day to day basis.

Your other duties will be; answering queries from customers, posting what the account holder wants posted, making marketing campaigns on behalf of the owner and even going a step further and engaging with potential clients.

This is a great job because it ensures that you do not waste time online chatting with people who don’t add value to your life, and it doesn’t hurt that you get to earn a little extra money while you are at it.

You can do this job remotely from wherever you are, which means that you do not need to go to an office, and if you are very busy, you can always be able to juggle college work and social media management easily.

Blogger:

This is a fantastic job for a language major or anyone that wants to become a journalist or a writer in future. Many businesses will require the services of a blogger, who is simply a writer. As a writer, you will be required to be creative and willing to write topics that your employer is interested in.

You do not need to have plenty of experience in writing; all you need to be is a creative person who can articulate themselves well on paper. You may, however, be required to give up your work to be used by someone else as their own.

If this is what you would like to do, you must become proactive and reach out not only to local businesses but online companies for a chance to showcase what you can do.

Bloggers are normally paid very well on per-word basis, and it will mostly depend on the agreement you shall have with your employer.

IT intern:

If you love computers, and can easily get around them, then this is a perfect job for you. Working as an IT intern will open you up to all the possibilities in the IT world. You can also start your career here, where you shall gain skills that are necessary for your future work.

The job may not require you to have lots of experience, but you must love working with computers, and you should be extremely hardworking and willing to learn.

The hours are flexible for a college student because you will mostly be required to work at night, or early in the morning before the rest of the staff comes into work. Your work may involve making computer repairs every now and then, so, some good knowledge of hardware and software will come in handy.

Brand Ambassador:

If you are an outgoing person, witty and hardworking, you can get a job as a brand ambassador for a local business start-up. This is an excellent position for people who would love to gain a lot of experience in different aspects of a business organization.

You can easily learn the workings of a company, how to make money, how to start a business and how to sustain it until it is able to stand on its own.

A brand ambassador's duties involve writing emails, cold calling, social media management, and even attending events on behalf of the business.

Conclusion:

Finding what works for you, is key to getting a job that you will love and one that shall pay you well. If you are a new student and have no idea where to start, the list above should be able to help you on the jobs available for college students.

Do extensive research and ensure that the job you choose is flexible enough, so you do not neglect your studies while making money. It should also not take up too much of your time, as you still need to socialize and get to know your fellow students.

College is an experience that must not be missed, and therefore, ensure to enjoy yourself even as you work towards earning a living.