The sense of relief you feel when you finally close the books on a year of your college career can be like no other. Those late nights studying, cramming for exams, and stressing over midterms is finally over – at least for one year – and now you can start to look forward to a summer lazing away on the beach, enjoying the outdoors, and sleeping past noon. While it doesn’t hurt to get some relaxation in during the summer months, if you need to start saving for college, for student loan payments, for rent and bills, or you just need some extra spending money in your pocket, you might want to start looking into some summer jobs for college students.
If you’re looking at summer jobs and trying to evaluate your options, you’ll want to consider things like:
- How many hours are you looking to log over the summer? Would you rather work in the mornings or evenings? Do you want to work full-time or part-time?
- You might want to try to find a job in the field that you’re studying in. If this is the case, your options may be limited and you might have to put a little more time and effort into your applications. You’ll also probably want to start looking for these jobs well before the summer starts. You may even be able to speak to some of your teachers and see if you can land a research position through one of them.
- When you’re evaluating summer jobs, you’ll need to make sure you can physically make it to your workplace. Will you need a car? Is it easily accessible by public transportation?
When you have a basic idea of the summer jobs for college students that you’re going to be looking for, it’s time to get your search underway! Here are some traditional summer job ideas for students, and a few out-of-the-box ideas in case you’re looking for something a little different.
Traditional Summer Jobs for College Students
If you’re looking for a seasonal, part-time job to keep your schedule flexible and earn some extra money, here are some classic summer jobs for college students to get you through summer.
Nanny
There are plenty of opportunities for students looking for summer jobs looking after children. If you want to get out of town and maybe even go overseas, you can look for open positions as an au pair. If you don’t want to leave your hometown or the city of your college, a lot of parents will be scrambling to find people to look after their kids while school is out for the summer. If you like kids, want to stay engaged and active in the outdoors, a summer job as nanny may not even feel like work!
Lifeguarding
When the sun comes out and the heat starts to ratchet up in the summer months, people flock to pools and beaches and lifeguarding positions start to open up. You can look for jobs at local pools and even at public beaches if you live near any.
Lifeguarding is a great job if you want to stay outdoors, stay in shape, and help keep people safe. You may be able to earn a little more money if you earn your lifeguarding certification.
Camp counselor
If you love the outdoors, looking after children, and developing your leadership skills, being a camp counselor is one of the best summer jobs for college students out there. You also might be able to find a position at a summer camp that may help you in your field of study. For example, if you’re a science students, working at science camp could look good on your resume to potential employers down the line. If you’re in art school, try looking for an arts and crafts related position at a camp. It’s also a great opportunity for prospective teachers to work with children in a leadership role.
Retail
If you like interacting with people and want to flex your selling skills, there are plenty of summer jobs out there at clothing stores, athletics stores, and other retailers. These jobs might be especially appealing if there’s a commission component tied to the role.
If you want to get into sales later in life, are interested in retail or marketing, or even if you want a low stakes role to fill your days in the summer, these jobs may be great for you. And if you just wanted a discount at your favorite store, no one would blame you.
Out-of-the-Box Summer Jobs
You could take the well-trodden paths of past summer students and look for one of the jobs listed above, but these aren’t the only summer jobs for college students out there. If you’re looking to embrace the 21st century and work online, you might want to jump into the freelancing world with one of these jobs. This might also be a great opportunity for you to start a side hustle that may eventually develop into full-time work.
Online tutoring
Tutoring used to be reserved for academically inclined students or prospective teachers who were looking to make some extra money over the summer, but with the Internet, there’s more tutoring opportunities now than ever. You may want to look for a seasonal position with an online tutoring company, or you might just want to offer your services up to local college, high school, or middle school students. Either way, if you have the expertise, you may be able to leverage your knowledge for this summer job.
Freelance designer
If you’re studying coding in school, know how to operate WordPress or other similar software, or if you’re well-versed in online design, finding freelance work on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr can be a great way to make money in the summer. Instead of working a full-time 9 to 5 job or part-time shift work, a freelance position will enable you to keep your work schedule flexible and leverage the skills you already have. Maybe someone needs their website designed, some plugins installed, or their blog updated. Whatever it is, if you have the ability to help people maximize their web presence, this might be the job for you.
Develop your own business or side hustle
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and feel like you’ll be wasting your time with any of the usual summer jobs for college students, the summer may be the perfect time for you to start working on your own business. With an abundance of expert advice and online resources at your fingertips, it’s never been easier to get your side hustle going and even avoid some of the typical costs of a startup.
There are plenty of students that have businesses that mostly operate in the summer. These could be things like graphic design, content creation services, or buying and reselling things on eBay or other similar platforms. Whatever it is, if you feel like traditional summer jobs aren’t for you and want to start developing your own business, the summer might be the time to start.
Consider these summer jobs if you’re a student looking for work
Between going to class, studying, extra curriculars, and your social life, it might be tricky to find as much time as you’d like to work at your part-time job throughout the school year. So as much as you want to kick back and relax for those few months in between semesters, it might be a better idea to use your time a little more efficiently.
The summer is a great time to earn some extra money to start an emergency fund, pay off your online loans, or have some spending money for the year. Whether you’re looking for typical part-time summer jobs for college students to get you through these months, or you want to try something a little more out-of-the-box, just make sure you use this time wisely and as productively as possible!
Any summer jobs you don’t see on this list? Share below!
Posted in: Lifestyle
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or other professional advice. For full details, see MoneyKey's Terms of Use.
