Let’s be real: college is expensive. Whether your wallet is still recovering from paying for hundreds of dollars in textbooks, or all of those late night karaoke sessions at Lonnie’s are starting to add up, students are always looking for ways to make a few extra bucks. Here’s a list of seven student-friendly jobs with perks besides the cash.
Ryman Auditorium:
I applied to work as an usher at the Ryman on a whim when I saw a Fleet Foxes concert there and thought, “Why not get a job where I’ll get to see concerts whenever I’m working?” The shows are always at night, and although each usher is supposed to work three shows per week, the employee picks which shows they can work. Each employee can get unlimited popcorn and soda during their shift when on a break. Often, management will bring in any leftover catered food for the Ryman team or even provide treats to celebrate holidays, a major perk for my fellow hungry peers out there. The usher also watches most or all of the performances during their shifts, which is a bonus that few other jobs can offer.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams:
I also worked part-time at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams this summer. The Jeni’s located in Hillsboro Village is a manageable walk or bike ride from Vanderbilt’s campus. Many of the Hillsboro employees are students at either Belmont or Vanderbilt, providing a perfect opportunity to befriend fellow students. From my experience, each Jeni’s ambassador, a.k.a ice cream scooper, can serve themselves up to three scoops of ice cream during their break or after their shift. Although there is a substantial time commitment— around 12 to 15 hours per week— it’s manageable if you’re taking a lighter course load and want unlimited ice cream access while you work.
Dog Walking and Sitting:
If you miss your dog back home or love animals in general, then dog walking and sitting could be the perfect job for you. Websites like rover.com allow you to set up a profile, which includes your availability and allows you to choose what kind of dog you are most comfortable with. How much you work and when you work is completely up to you, making it a great gig for busy college students with hectic schedules. Walking dogs can also increase your amount exercise and fitness level, which many college students aspire to do. Dog walking and sitting are great ways to spend time with man’s (or woman’s) best friend whenever is most convenient for you, while making some money.
Product Endorsing On Social Media:
Product endorsement on social media, particularly Instagram, is all the rage these days and for good reason. People with over 1,000 followers who post regularly on their social media are ideal candidates for product endorsing. Some companies, such as Dress Up, don’t even require you to post endorsements on your feed, just your story, and many retail and product sellers give the endorser large creative license for their endorsement posts. Not only do many companies pay you for endorsing their products on instagram, but also will let you keep their products for free.
Etsy:
Selling unique handmade products on Etsy allows you to make money while unleashing your inner creative craft goddess. College academics become incredibly stress-inducing at times. Knitting a scarf, making some jewelry or dabbling in any sort of handiwork can provide distraction or much-needed relaxation from homework and studying. Why not increase the benefits of your creative hobbies by making some money from them as well? How much you make or sell on Etsy is completely up to you, which gives you the freedom to decide your time commitment to your business as well.
Psychology and Economics Experiments:
Participating in psychology research is not the most fun job. However, the locations of the experiments are usually at walkable distances on campus, and the pay is generally good for a small block of time commitment. Researchers are almost always looking for more participants, and opportunities for psychology experiments are often posted all around college campuses. At Vandy you can find experiment ads tacked on boards in most public buildings like Rand or the Sona-Systems psychology experiments website (https://vanderbilt.sona-systems.com). You have the freedom to pick which experiments fit best into your schedule and how many experiments you want to participate in. On a side note, if you’re interested in furthering psychology research, then these experiments would be a good way to do so while making some money.
Selling Secondhand Clothes:
If you’re looking to clean out your closet, apps such as Poshmark and Depop are easy ways to get rid of your extra clothing while earning cash. It’s usually easy to build a profile on these apps, and as long as you take quality photos of your shoes, clothes and accessories, you could be making money in no time. This job requires very little regular time commitment. Once you’ve posted your clothes on your profile, your job is mostly done.
Cover photo by Emily Gonçalves
