Are you a college student looking for legitimate jobs online?
A job would help you offset expenses, pay your tuition, and generally help you through college.
But with the tight classroom schedules and extracurricular activities, it might not be possible for you to hold down a job that requires your physical presence.
And that’s where online jobs come in. These jobs don’t require your physical presence; you search and do them virtually.
Online jobs will offer you the flexibility that you need to create a balance between schooling and earning.
If you choose online jobs well, you can create a successful career path. Below is a list of online jobs that are legitimate and lucrative.
1) Social media manager
In this digital era, most businesses are using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, among others, to reach their clients.
These businesses are often not as experienced enough to handle their social media platforms and maintain an effective online presence.
They also might not afford in-house employees to do this task. They, therefore, need social media managers.
As a social media manager, your job is to create valuable content for social media use, engaging with customers, and create marketing campaigns.
You become the voice of the company online.
To get this job, you must be familiar with social media platforms, not all of them but a few.
Then acquire the necessary marketing skills such as creating valuable and engaging content, simple graphics, customer engagement, and doing Facebook ads.
You can then approach clients you would like to work with and let them know that you can manage their social media platforms.
We also have platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork, where you can find clients looking for these services.
You might not be an expert at first, but you will become an expert at it as you continue.
2) Blogging
Blogging is also a lucrative online job that you can pursue as a college student.
As a blogger, your work entails writing and producing content that your target audience loves and finds value in.
To be a blogger and enjoy this kind of online work, choose a niche you love or are familiar with. Then present your ideas in a way that your readers will benefit.
For instance, if you choose to be writing about bicycles, topics such as “Factors to consider when buying a bike” would be helpful to your readers.
There are many ways that you can earn money as a blogger. First, you can blog for other companies. Companies always need information on their websites.
You could also do advertising and affiliate marketing using your blog.
You could use your blog to sell services or products. All you need to do is have content that can stimulate readers’ interest in whatever you want to sell.
To become a blogger, you must know how to write first. Then create a website using platforms such as WordPress.
It is also important to incorporate Search Engine Optimization so that your website can rank highly on search engines.
3) Freelance web developer
Web development is another legitimate job that you can pursue online and earn decently while still studying.
It entails creating and maintaining aesthetic and functional websites for individuals and companies.
To become a web developer, you need to learn how to code or use Content Management Systems to create websites.
If you have no experience in web development, you can start with editing existing websites first.
To build new websites from scratch, you will need to learn different programming languages, which can take some time.
A good starting point to becoming an excellent web developer is by taking a course. A web development course from learning platforms such as Udemy can enlighten you on this field.
Well, one course might not be enough. That’s why you should continuously learn about web development from courses and other online sources.
There is a lot of information you can find online on freelance web development.
Web development skills and services are always in demand as companies want to leverage online marketing.
4) Freelance writer
Freelance writing is one of the best and easy to learn online jobs. It involves producing content in the form of articles, scripts, academic essays, publications, newsletters, and so much more.
Just like the name suggests, you need to know how to write. If you love writing, that’s better. But you can always learn how to write like a professional here.
As a freelance writer, you choose the type of topics to write about and the companies to work for.
The best topics are those that you are familiar with or have an interest in. However, you need to develop research skills that will enable you to write about different topics comfortably.
You can get clients from content mills such as Textbroker, Hirewriters, and Upwork. These platforms link freelance writers with clients looking for such services.
All you need to do s to send a pitch to these clients, explaining to them that you offer freelance writing services. If they are interested in your services, they can hire you, and once you finish the work, you will get paid via the platform.
Freelance writing offers so much flexibility. As you become an expert at it, you will get to work with many clients, enabling you to raise your earnings.
As a freelance writer, you will also be able to write well-researched essays for your schoolwork assignments.
5) Tutoring
You are in college to be tutored, but you can also earn money tutoring other people online. This is a perfect online job that is flexible and can help you shape your career path.
You can tutor several subjects and topics. You can teach others about foreign languages, technology, science, nursing, career, math, and so much more.
Even better, you can tutor others on the subject that you are majoring in in college. This will increase your knowledge in that topic, enable you to earn, and score highly in your exams.
When selecting the topic to tutor on, you must consider your experience and knowledge that you have in that field. It is always essential to ensure that the people you are tutoring benefit from you.
You can find tutor jobs online on platforms such as Tutor.com and Chegg Tutors. These platforms have a wide range of topics that you can specialize in.
6) Online influencer
Did you know that you can turn your passion, hobby, or talent into money online? All you need to do is become an influencer in whatever field you like.
Online influencing entails building a reputation as an expert and thought leader in a particular area.
If you consistently communicate about something in an informed way, people who follow you online will believe in you and view you as the best person to consult with or buy from in that area.
For instance, you can influence your audience in areas such as cooking, singing, driving, shopping, and news reporting, among others.
First, to become an influencer, choose the kind of topic you want to be talking about. Then create a strong online presence. Social media platforms are handy for this kind of work.
On these platforms, you must keep your audience engaged consistently. Reveal to them secrets, facts, or tips that would be helpful to them.
Document your everyday life showing them how you do things in photos or videos and share with them.
This type of content will portray you as an expert in that field.
Along with these, you can be selling products associated with your area of specialization. If you are an influencer on matters cooking, you can sell cookware to people. You can also offer cooking classes.
7) Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants, commonly known as Vas, are people hired by companies to carry out tasks that must not necessarily be done in-house.
Some of the VA tasks include data entry, answering emails, and making travel arrangements.
Companies might not have the financial ability to employ people for such tasks permanently, and that is why virtual assistance services are on demand.
The first step to becoming a virtual assistant is determining the kind of tasks that you can carry out for a company virtually. It is useful if you already have the skill, but you can also learn.
You can then approach companies stating the kind of virtual assistance you can do for them. You can use platforms like Fiverr to connect with potential clients searching for such services.
To be a virtual assistant, you need a strong internet connection and be familiar with communication tools such as Skype.
As a college student, you can work as a part-time virtual assistant so that you can balance work and school.
8) Product reviewer
Do you enjoy trying out new products? If you do, you can get paid for it by writing reviews.
With so many products being sold to consumers, companies need people to review their products to convince customers to buy from them.
You can do product reviews by way of writing about them or by doing videos. While at it, you introduce the product, talk about its features, and target customers who will benefit from using it.
To start your product reviewing job, begin by picking a niche. Pick a niche that you are passionate about, as this will help you know exactly how to review the product in the best way possible.
You can then create a website or YouTube channel whereby you will be sharing your reviews.
Building subscribers is significant since these are the people you want to inform about various products to make wise purchasing decisions.
Most importantly, invite companies that would want their products reviewed on your website or channels.
You can earn in several ways as a product reviewer. Companies can hire you as the brand ambassador.
You can also do affiliate marketing and earn a commission for every product bought through your channels.
The key to being an excellent product reviewer is availing all the information that the audience needs to know about the product. Focus on both the benefits and shortcomings of products.
Your followers will be relying on you to make decisions, and you should never give them wrong or useless information about products.
9) Proofreader
Proofreading is also an excellent online job for college students. You will also need proofreading skills for your school assignments.
Your job as a proofreader entails making sure that content is free of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, poor wording, among other errors that writers make when writing.
When presented with content, you should go through it to ensure that it is well structured and easily read. You will need to carry out this task well and slowly to ensure that the content is error-free and of excellent quality.
All you need to become a proofreader is to know the language presented, excellent written and verbal communication.
You must also pay keen attention. Errors such as the inappropriate use of punctuation marks can smoothly go unnoticed, which is why you must be attentive.
You also need to be familiar with Grammarly tools that help you detect and correct errors automatically.
You can apply for proofreading jobs on platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr.
Conclusion
Securing a legitimate online job as a college student can help you in many ways. It will enable you to earn money and help you establish a proper career path.
The first thing you need to do is know precisely what you want to do.
With college work, working can create a lot of pressure, negatively affecting your academic performance. For such reasons, settle for an online job that can offer you a lot of flexibility.
As you work online, you will develop other skills such as job application, financial management, and time management, among others.
These are skills that you can implement even after school.
Now that you know some of the online jobs you can pursue, go ahead and select the one that suits you best.