Best Jobs for College Students

Do you want to make some cash while you are studying?

The vast majority of college students have some type of job while they study. Not only does a job provide financial security, but it also gives you the chance to pick up some extra skills.

However, it is essential to choose your job carefully. The last thing you want is to choose a job that interferes with your studies and puts your degree in jeopardy.

So, let me take you through some of the best jobs for college students that can help you bring in the dough.

How to Choose the Right Job?

Before you dive right in, make a list of your main interests and skills. This will help you to identify the jobs that you are best suited to. Now it’s time to check out a few ideal positions and how much you can expect to make.

Virtual Assistant

If you are interested in a position in administration, working as a virtual assistant could be ideal. Virtual assistants perform a wide range of tasks for busy professionals to make their lives easier. This can include booking travel reservations and business appointments, conducting research, and managing financial information.

Virtual assistants need to have strong IT skills and be very organized. The average salary for this role is $15 per hour.

Dog Walker/Pet Sitter

People who have a love for animals can make extra cash walking and taking care of pets. In addition to providing daily exercise, the role can include administering medicine and pet cleanup. The salary is typically $15 to $40 per hour, depending on the duties performed.

Nanny

One of the very Best Jobs for College Students has to be nannying. This type of job provides plenty of flexibility, and many nannies only have to work afternoons and the occasional evening. Typical duties include meal preparation, household chores, and entertaining children.

Some families also offer room and board in exchange for childcare, which can be ideal for those studying away from home.

Call Center Representative

Working in a call center is an excellent way to develop customer service, communication, and organizational skills. The role usually involves managing inbound and outbound calls, reading from a script, and selling products and services over the phone. This role often offers evening and weekend hours, which is perfect for students, and the average salary is $13 per hour.

Home Health Aide

This role involves providing home-based support to people who require basic medical care. This job can be a great stepping stone for anyone who wants to work in the healthcare industry. Duties can include administering medication, preparing light meals, and taking patients to doctors’ appointments.

What you’ll need…

A complete nursing certificate is not usually required to do this job, only CPR and first aid training. Special education is also often provided by the hiring company. The average salary is $24,000 a year, and this is also an excellent job for new graduates.

Warehouse Associate

College students have the opportunity to make $10 to $18 per hour on evenings and weekends as warehouse associates. There is also always the option to pick up extra hours during holidays and college breaks. Duties can include sorting and packing, inventory control, administrative work, heavy machinery operation, and quality control.

Sales Associate

Having a background in sales can open the door to a wide range of positions after graduation. General duties include organizing store inventory, handling credit cards and cash, making sales and upselling, and store cleanup. Sales associates usually start at minimum wage, although there is good scope for promotion.

Administrative Assistant

While flexibility can be a bit of an issue with this job, working as an administrative assistant gives graduates a real boost. Duties include answering phones, data entry, contact maintenance, scheduling, and recordkeeping. While the salary is $13 an hour, college students have the chance of getting hired full-time and promoted after graduation.

Tutor

Anyone who has an interest in education can get their career started early by working as a tutor. This part-time job offering plenty of flexibility can pay from $30 to $80 per hour. In addition to subject tutoring, duties include test preparation and essay coaching.

Gym Receptionist

Combine an interest in fitness, sales, and customer service by working as a gym receptionist. Duties include signing up new members, giving gym tours, checking in guests, keeping records, and cleaning equipment. Gym receptionists typically make $12 an hour, although free sessions and employee discounts help to sweeten the deal.

Hotel Front Desk Receptionist

If you are majoring in hospitality, this job will help you to hone your skills while making a little cash. Responsibilities include greeting and checking in guests, answering the phone, answering questions, and recording any complaints from guests. While the average salary is $10 per hour, this job can lead to greater hotel and hospitality industry opportunities.

Rideshare Driver

This job comes with the ability to create your own working schedule and make around $17 per hour. This is the ideal job for college students who enjoy driving and are good at being punctual. In addition to picking up and safely dropping off passengers, duties include reporting issues and maintaining a clean and hospitable vehicle.

Social Media Assistant

If you have a passion for social media, you can make some money while in college and get started on your future career. Many companies like to hire social media specialists straight out of college, and this job is a great start. The work can often be performed remotely, and skills like image uploading and SEO optimization can earn around $16 per hour.

Bank Teller

If you’re going to be pursuing a career in finance, a part-time job as a bank teller could be a good start. Duties include basic record keeping, opening and closing accounts, and providing account services. The average salary for bank tellers is $12 per hour.

Brand Ambassador

A part-time job as a brand ambassador will provide $17 per hour and valuable experience if you are majoring in marketing. This is the perfect opportunity to work for an organization and familiarize yourself with its products. Duties include handing out products, building rapport with clients, engaging with the public, and monitoring customer feedback.

Tour Guide

If you are majoring in history or theatre arts, a job as a tour guide could be a lot of fun. This is the ideal opportunity to practice delivering information, answering questions, and entertaining the people on tour. This job typically pays $13 an hour, although cash tips are often provided at the end of each tour.

House Painter

If you have a flair for art and design, working as a house painter is an excellent way to get your foot in that door. While most house painters work for decorating companies, you are generally able to create your own schedule. Many people who work in the design world start in this job, which pays around $15 per hour.

Interpreter/Translator

If you have strong language skills, working as an interpreter or translator could be ideal. There is a wide range of online translation work available, and the hours are very flexible. People who are fluent in another language besides English have the chance to make some serious cash.

Fitness Instructor

If you have the energy to spare, working as a fitness instructor could give you an average of $19 per hour. Duties include designing and teaching group classes and working with individual clients. Other responsibilities include providing clients with diet and fitness plans and conducting fitness audits.

Online Data Entry Clerk

This job can usually be done remotely, which is perfect for college students who have good IT and typing skills. The primary duties include completing daily reports, updating existing data, verifying data, and organizing and sorting data by category. The role may also include gathering data directly from customers, and it typically pays $12 per hour.

Ready to Interview?

Once you’ve chosen your ideal part-time job, it’s advisable to spend some time preparing for interviews.

You cannot go wrong by investing in a book like, Answering Tough Interview Questions For Dummies or Interview Like A Pro. However, I also have in-depth guides on answering common interview questions in 2023. Check out my article on Answering Tell Me About Yourself in Interview, how to respond to Why We Should Hire You? and Why Do You Want to Work Here? or even How to Answer What is Your Greatest Strength!

Suppose this is your first ever interview? In that case, you can read all about What to Wear to An Interview, advice on the Best Questions to Ask in an Interview, and What to Do After an Interview.

Back to today’s topic…

Final Thoughts

Securing a job while you are in college can do much more than putting money in your pocket. It can provide some work experience to put on your resume and can come with free training. If you do well, you also may be able to score a valuable reference and make some critical connections.

If possible, it is a good idea to choose a job that relates in some way to the industry you plan to work in. This will allow you to dip your toe in the water and make sure that the industry is really for you. Moreover, working can teach valuable skills that are difficult to learn in a classroom or from a textbook.

Happy job hunting!