What to Do if You Don’t Like Ramen Noodles, Part II

Written by Lauren Smyth

“A pin a day’s a groat a year,” as Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac. That nifty little saying may not mean much in modern language, but it suddenly becomes comprehensible when you’re a college student and you’re considering selling your organs to purchase coffee. Maybe you’re asking yourself: What kind of pins was Franklin talking about? Does Kroger accept groats in exchange for goods and services?

The obvious key to saving a pin—or, more realistically, a penny—is having something to save in the first place. Here are eight ways you can make money in college, even with a full-time study schedule and a primary focus on academics.

Find an on-campus job. No one knows what it’s like to be a college student better than the College itself. Thus, if you need a flexible work schedule that can accommodate midterms, deadlines, and emergency getaways with friends, the College can provide it.

I interviewed for my writing job with the Marketing Department before I’d finished my first week on campus. I wasn’t originally planning to get a job right away, but I was tempted by the (rare) opportunity to make money through writing. One interview and a few test-drive articles later, I had my first-ever college job—one that I grew to love even more once I learned the ropes.

Even if you don’t like to write, Hillsdale offers plenty of other jobs you might enjoy. My roommate worked for maintenance, where she got to explore parts of campus most students don’t get to see. Another friend worked as a chalkboard cleaner, visiting the classrooms after-hours to get things cleaned up for the next day. Others serve coffee, shelve books at the library, or assist campus security.

Find remote work through a Hillsdale College job fair. I certainly had no plans of getting another job when I attended a journalism job fair held in the student union. In fact, I almost didn’t show up at all. But I did, and within a week, I had two offers of flexible-schedule journalism work, plus an opportunity to freelance for another publication.

A common misconception about college job fairs is that employers are only looking for students who are about to graduate or who want to work full-time over the summer. That, in my experience, isn’t necessarily the case. Many employers want to offer you part-time work now so that, if the relationship flourishes, you can work for them full time after graduation. They’re looking for young talent, people who are just discovering their career interests and are open to new experiences, and people who are eager to work hard.

So, even if you aren’t currently looking for work or aren’t sure you want to work in a certain industry, attend college job fairs. At the very least, you’ll get to dress up in fancy clothes and meet interesting people. And you might be able to pick up a fun side gig, complete with resume credits, while you’re at it.

Freelance. Are you good at producing music? Can you churn out SEO-optimized articles in one hour flat? Do you have an eye for grammar mistakes? Can you design social media posts? Do you have the perfect voice for reading audiobooks? All of these talents are marketable skills that you can sell online, to small businesses, or to local individuals.

The key to developing a good freelancing gig is to figure out what you can do that many other people can’t. If you’re designing websites, what can you make WordPress do that your average small business owner can’t? When you write your advertisement, explain that, and you’ll attract customers whose needs will be perfectly aligned to your skillset.

College is also a good place for word-of-mouth marketing. I’ve become “the boba earrings person,” because—well, I make and sell boba tea-shaped earrings. Students wear them, another student asks where they got them, and voila: I have a new customer. Many business owners will agree that online marketing is good, but a recommendation from one friend to another is even better.

Become a tutor. Okay, this sounds like another, possibly fancier version of a campus job. And it certainly can be. Each department at Hillsdale College offers student tutoring services, and signing up to be a tutor can be a great way not only to meet new people, but also to earn a little extra cash.

Tutoring can also be done remotely. Just ask Lydia Chenoweth, ’25, who teaches young students tae kwon do via video calls. (I always used to wonder what she was doing when I saw her hitting martial arts poses in front of her computer on the back patio of our freshman dorm.) You don’t need to be a black belt, however, to be a good tutor. Even if the only thing you’re good at is speaking fluent English, you can still become a language tutor online.

Indulge your crafty side. Boba tea earrings, anyone? Jewelry-making is an excellent stress relief activity for me, and it’s also a good way to earn a bit of coffee money on the side. If boba isn’t your thing, consider making art, stickers, photographs, journaling supplies, or other easy-to-store items you can sell locally or online. For one Hillsdale student, Olivia Rome, ’25, a crafting side hobby became a successful on-campus alterations business. The key to success is making something that other people enjoy having.
Apply for scholarships. If you want to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars all at once, consider applying for scholarships. Not only do you get an adrenaline rush from opening decision letters (whew!) but you also have the chance to occasionally receive checks that significantly outweigh your regular paycheck.

You can become eligible for scholarships simply by pursuing your interests. Extracurriculars make particularly good opportunities to earn scholarship money, since many donors are eager to help students advance in specific career and sports disciplines.

Sell back your old textbooks. Let’s face it: You’ve passed the class, and now you’re never going to open your Calc I textbook again. (Unless you’re like my dad, who still has his calculus textbook from the 1980s and still insists that it’s the best one ever written.) Textbook buy-back season kicks off during exam week and provides students with a convenient opportunity to sell gently used textbooks back to the college bookstore. Once you hand over your books, they’ll send you back to your dorm with cash in your hand and a much lighter backpack!
Find local work. Downtown Hillsdale is full of industrious small businesses, which are looking for students who can stick to a schedule and provide high-quality work. If you can’t find an on-campus job that suits you, or if you’re looking for a little extra variety, consider applying for some jobs downtown. You could even save on gas money by walking to work.

As a bonus, here’s a final word of advice from Franklin: “By diligence and patience, the mouse bit in two the cable.” You may not become a millionaire during your first semester, but bit-by-bit, with a lot of perseverance and a strenuous work ethic, you’ll be able to afford the expenses of college and spare a few pins for shopping trips, too.

Lauren Smyth, ’25, is an economics major and journalism minor. Outside of starting arguments in philosophy class, she enjoys curling up on a bench outdoors (sun, rain, or snow) to write novels or articles for her blog, www.laurensmythbooks.com.

Published in October 2023