10 side hustle that made me money while being a student

A few weeks ago, I was attending my friend’s 70^th birthday party when a lady stopped me on my tracks and said:

“You may not remember me, but you painted one of my bedrooms almost two decades ago!”

I totally remembered her!  Not only was she the first customer my friend and I had for our little painting gig, but she also chose a light aquamarine color to cover an entire room of dark brown walls.  Those two things made her unforgettable; it was a bit ironic we crossed paths again after all this time had gone by.

Bumping into her was a nice reminder of the many jobs that I’ve held since I moved to the United States.  Back home, I never really had a job aside from helping my dad in his store when I asked to go with him. 

With regards to comfort and material things, moving away from home took me from doing nothing and having everything to doing everything and having nothing. As a teenager, it was a welcomed freedom though; I was no longer my parent’s daughter but my own person.  For the first time, I had to figure things out on my own.  

Back then, my English wasn’t great, and I didn’t have much experience on anything.  Side hustles were both a necessity and an adventure led by my newly-found independence.

I was navigating many new things at the same time so my jobs were whatever I could land. They weren’t necessarily lucrative and career-building roles but they got me started regardless of the challenges I faced as a foreign student in a rural setting.

I didn’t want to forget all the memories that came rushing back after encountering the lady with the brown walls. I grabbed a napkin, a pen, and listed all the side hustles I remember having during my school days when I was as broke as I’ve ever been.  

These are the 10 side hustles that kept money on my pocket while I was heading to class. 

1. Assistant coach

Being involved with the athletic department in college and formerly playing for a high school tennis team as an exchange student kept me connected with coaches in the area.  Having these connections helped me learn about seasonal jobs assisting coaches for summer camps or after school programs.

Offering private or small group coaching lessons was another option for income, especially because I enjoyed teaching kids and had the skills to help them improve their game.

2. Maintenance crew

Towards the end of my freshmen year, I learned that I wasn’t going back home for the summer as originally planned.  I had to find a job fast, and the first opening I found was a position in the college’s building and grounds department. 

I became part of the painting crew and we went around the college property painting dorms, apartments, and sidewalk curbs.  This job taught me many trades that I am still using today plus being the only woman in the crew helped me build a thick skin that I didn’t quite have before then. I also overcame my fear of climbing ladders because being scared wasn’t an option.

3. Painting

Working on the maintenance crew got me thinking that I could use my painting skills independently to make additional income.  So, my friend and I started our own side hustle as painters by letting friends know we were available for small residential jobs.

When I told my mom, I was working as a painter her first question was “so where are you selling your art” – we still joke about that today. 

4. House cleaning/organization

There will always be people who want a clean house and are willing to pay someone to do it. 

Organizing pantries, closets, basement, and garages also seem to always be in people’s to do list. Every time I heard a hint that help was needed I offered mine. 

Keeping a few before and after photos (mainly for organization jobs – and with proper permission of course) made me look legit and got me hired quick.  Sometimes I would underestimate the time a job would take but more hours meant more pay, so I wasn’t going to complain.

5. Senior aid/care

One of the hardest things about leaving home was separating from my grandma who pretty much raised me.  I always felt closer to her when I got the chance to help take care of older people. 

I mainly worked with a lady who had Alzheimer’s just like my grandma did. This specific woman was very physically healthy but couldn’t be left alone as she would find a way to escape the house.  When I was hired, I was told that my job was to keep an eye on her but pretend I was doing something else around the house.  Eventually, she warmed up to me and we would talk for hours about her life when she was younger which I totally loved.

6. Babysitting

I only got this job because apparently all the ladies that had experience and loved kids didn’t last too long with this family.  There were three very active kids ranging from 1-5 and their parents required a sitter that would be invested in their education.

I showed up for the job interview and was very honest when I said I didn’t even know how to change a diaper.  They hired me anyway, may be because I didn’t lie and got the kids to laugh – the older tow kept giggling because “I spoke funny.” 

I stayed working as their on-call babysitter for years and recently one of them (now in college) helped me with my son- funny how things come full circle.

7. Catering

Catering jobs were available during the semester and in the summers thru the campus dining services.  Our role was to set up, serve food, and clean up.  Every so often we got to take food home which was my favorite part of the job.   

8. Shoveling snow

Not a lot of people look forward to shoveling during and after a snow storm.  So, when it snows and you are broke, every inch in the ground is a potential payment.  I gave my phone number to a few people I knew that lived around campus and always made a few bucks shoveling snow which was also my work out of the day.

9. Tutoring

I started as a Spanish tutor in my college Academic Center which then expanded to also tutoring chemistry, physics, and math. I did it for college and high school students around the area.  Tutoring is a great side hustle and probably the one that made me the most money due to consistency and pay rate.

10. Performing arts

Counting rehearsal time, I probably made pennies per hour but getting paid as part of a professional dance company was one of my favorite side hustles ever.  

This one happened during graduate school as I started taking dance classes and decided to audition for a performance team.  We had performance opportunities for a variety of events from festivals, to weddings and corporate parties.  At some point I remember putting all my checks directly towards my credit card so it wouldn’t be untrue to say that I dance my way out of debt.

As I folded my little side-hustle napkin to put it on my pocket, one of the couples that was attending the party sat right next to me.  They were also foreign like me and we started to chat about our lives back home.  They shared how they taught ballroom dance when they were younger, and they even showed me these black and white pictures the gentlemen had photographed with his phone.  

It made it for a fun and uplifting conversation about the jobs that may not quite become our careers but shaped us more that we ever imagined when we were doing them.

What side jobs do you remember most from back in the day? Which one was your favorite?

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