How To Make Money As A Student: 6 Realistic Methods

When I was 10 years old, I marched into the kitchen grabbed some lemons, water, ice, and sugar, and made my first pitcher of lemonade. Alright, I’ll be honest: it was my mom who made it. But this was one of my first businesses. I walked outside of the curb with the table, set up my lemonade stand, and by the end of the day, I was a fourth grader with 50 dollars.

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My First "Business": The Lemonade Stand

I think by the time I got to fifth grade, I did this one or two more times with some of my friends. Sure, the money was nice, but it was a ton of fun running a lemonade stand with some of your best friends. So if you’re one of my younger viewers—and I’m talking like Elementary School—a classic Lemonade Stand might be a pretty good way to make some money.

In this video, I’m gonna break down six ways that you can make money while in school. And no, I’m not gonna say crypto, and I’m not gonna say Drop Shipping, and I’m not gonna promise these methods are gonna make you a lot of money. What I will promise is that these methods might give you some nice side income while you’re a student—and nothing more, unless you get really lucky.

Now, some methods are easier than others, and we’re gonna cover the pros and cons of each. We’re also going to rank each method on a scale from one to 10 based on earning potential, flexibility, stability, and difficulty.

1. Blogging & SEO: My Middle School Hustle

So when I left elementary school and got to middle school, that’s when I started my second business. Now, you might be saying, “Gohar, I’m in high school or college—stop giving me these methods for 13-year-olds!” Don’t worry: this is for you too.

At the age of 12 or 13, I started my first gaming blog, and this was the start of my foray into SEO (search engine optimization). In other words, I wrote articles and blog posts about different video games. Those posts surprisingly rank kind of high on Google, and I ended up getting thousands of visitors to my site.

Now, the way I made money off of this was by using Google AdSense. So I ran banner ads across my websites, and whenever someone clicked on them, I would make some money. The great part about this is that the money becomes relatively passive after some time: the articles stay up, you continue to get views over months or maybe even years, and you keep making a few bucks here and there.

Pros:

• Somewhat passive.
• You get to hone your design and writing skills.

Cons:

• Extremely steep learning curve.
• Takes a long time for content to actually start ranking on Google.
• A lot of competition.

Ratings:

• Earning potential: 7/10
• Flexibility: A
• Stability: 5/10
• Difficulty: A

2. Part-Time Jobs: Stability Over Glamour

If you’re in high school, this will probably be some sort of food service or retail job. If you’re in college, it could be one of those, but it could also be a campus job. I remember during college I did get one campus job it was called Tech Callers and essentially, me and a bunch of other students would sit at desks for a couple hours a day calling alumni and asking for donations. It wasn’t the most exciting part of my life.

Pros:

• Stability: This is the main option that really gives you a steady, predictable income.
• Structured work environment.
• Opportunity for socializing (make friends and talk to people).

Cons:

• More time-intensive.
• More stressful (dealing with grumpy customers).
• Limited pay (likely minimum wage).
• Less flexibility (weekend/late shifts).

Ratings:

• Earning potential: 4/10
• Flexibility: 5/10
• Stability: 7/10
• Difficulty: 5/10

3. Neighborhood Jobs: Tutoring, Babysitting, Pet Sitting

    If you’re okay with a little less stability and potentially more money, look for what I call “Neighborhood Jobs”: tutoring, babysitting, pet sitting, landscaping. You’ll definitely be able to make a lot more than minimum wage. For example, some tutors charge 30,30,40, 50,50, or 60 an hour. If you did well on the SAT or ACT or did well in any of your classes, you’ll probably be able to charge at least 20–20–30 an hour.

Pros:

• Flexibility.
• Higher pay.

Cons:

• Less stability (no consistent schedule).
• Prep work before lessons.
• Challenging students (misbehavior, lack of focus).

Ratings:

• Earning potential: 6/10
• Flexibility: A
• Stability: 5/10
• Difficulty: 6/10

4. Freelancing: Sell Your Skills Online

    If you want a job where you don’t have to be in person, explore freelancing. A simple version is selling your skills online (e.g., designing, coding, editing) on websites like Fiverr. Note: You generally need to be 18+ to use freelancing sites, but Fiverr allows teams with parental consent.

Pros:

• Extreme flexibility (choose when/where to work).

Cons:

• Tons of competition.
• Hard to stand out.

Ratings:

• Earning potential: 7/10
• Flexibility: 9/10
• Stability: 6/10
• Difficulty: 7/10

5. Content Creation: YouTube, Blogging, and Beyond

I used this method throughout middle school and still use it today. I wrote gaming articles and made YouTube videos (10 years ago!). Back then, I made more money from blogging, but today it’s probably the other way around. How you’ll make money: Ads (stable but lower pay). Brand deals (higher pay but less stable).

Pros:

• Unbounded creativity (feels like working on your own art project).
• Networking opportunities (meet creators in your niche).
• Build a community.

Cons:

• Requires discipline (consistent uploads).
• Slow growth (no overnight virality).

Tip: Start with short-form content (TikTok/Reels) to build skills faster.

Ratings:

• Earning potential: 7/10
• Flexibility: 5/10
• Stability: 7/10
• Difficulty: 7/10

6. Starting a Business: The Ultimate Challenge

    If you’re very entrepreneurial, skip dropshipping. Instead, solve real problems by developing your own product or service. For example: coding, graphic design, or writing—but sell through your own website, not third-party platforms.

Pros:

• Independence (no boss!).
• Develop product sense, marketing skills, and creativity.
• High upside.

Cons:

• Time-consuming.
• Upfront capital is needed.
• Legal/regulatory hassles.
• Theme: The more money you want, the more risk you’ll tolerate.

Ratings:

• Earning potential: Uncapped
• Flexibility: Varies
• Stability: Risky
• Difficulty: 9/10

Final Advice

• Be patient.
• Prioritize your health and academics.
• Experiment (try freelancing and content creation!).