My first year in college included meals of Ramen noodles and apples. By the time the second year rolled around I discovered there was money to be made in the writing field, which translated into better food and new clothes. For a struggling single parent, that was good news. Today, with the advent of the Internet, there are more writing opportunities than ever before for students needing funds for the essentials and some extras. Many of the writing opportunities I explored are still available today, and many more have been created by the rapid global expansion of the Internet. Your course of studies, expertise, and personal life experiences give you a certain type of expertise in those areas. Explore opportunities that call for the knowledge you already have. If you are fluent in more than one language, your opportunities are increased.
Writing Resumes
Members of the graduating class are always looking for students to assist them in writing job resumes. An entry-level resume written by a professional service has a cost between $295.00 and $350.00. Very few unemployed students can afford a resume at that price. You can write resumes for $100.00 and make a minimum of $25.00 per hour. Since an entry-level resume includes little work history, and is primarily an educational summary, three to four hours of work is usually sufficient. After you gain some experience writing entry-level resumes, you can move to professional resumes, which can earn between $400.00 and $500.00. You can find instructional information for writing resumes online.
Writing Greeting Card Content
You won’t get rich writing verse for greeting cards, but you will bring in extra cash in smaller amounts between $10.00 and $35.00 on a regular basis. It can add up quickly and help pay for your regular expenses. The basic skills required for this freelance opportunity include a good sense of humor, a creative imagination, and the ability to spell. There are different card styles, and if you are versatile you can write for all of them. Adult greeting cards in the studio style (long and thin) are very popular, and there is a growing market for risque cards. Studio cards cover the standard friendship, birthday, anniversary, and new baby markets. There is still plenty of demand for the rhyming sentimental love cards, and if you can write between six and eight lines of rhyme and meter, you can easily earn $25.00 per verse. If your writing is fresh, new, romantic, humorous, or risqué humor, you may do well writing greeting card verse. It isn’t exciting work, but it can be fun and put some spending money in your wallet. Visit greeting card websites on line to find their individual submission requirements.
Ghostwriting
There are people who want to publish a book, but have no idea of how to write it. There are online sites where these “wantrepreneurs” will pay you to write a book for them. I have written a few of these, and while it wasn’t something I wanted to do for a career, it certainly helped pay some bills. Some people have a book written that requires considerable editing. That also pays a decent amount. You have to charge based on the size of the job. Science fiction, fantasy, romance, adult, and biographies are the most popular areas requesting ghostwriters. A 250-page book can earn you between $700.00 and $2500.00. It depends on whether you are doing all the writing or just rewriting and making corrections. You can find requests for ghostwriters on several online writing sites. These sites charge a commission, but they find clients for you, collect the money, and pay on time. You can also find ghostwriting jobs on Craig’s List, but be cautious. Some writer’s have not received payment for their work.
Write eBooks
If you have some expertise in an area, you can self-publish ebooks on Amazon, with no outlay of cash. Do you know some helpful study methods? Are you a math guru? Do you know how to eat for $25.00 a week? Any information you know that can be helpful to other college students can be written in an ebook and sold on Amazon. Price your ebook reasonably, (under $10.00) and advertise your work on all your social media sites. Ask your friends to advertise it on their sites, and get your school paper to write an article about your ebook. Good promotion will increase your sales and put money in your pocket.
Website Content Writing
Every website needs content, and much of it is written by freelancers. If you are a tech guru, there is a constant need for high-quality articles on the latest hardware, software, and applications. Security is another technology topic that sells well. Websites, such as Constant-Content has clients that need web content in dozens of categories. You can write for specific clients or write articles on a speculative basis and offer them for sale in their catalog. You are charged a percentage for their services, which is similar to the fee you pay an agent for finding you clients. Price your articles so you receive the amount you want after the commission is paid. There are other sites that offer similar services. Some sites require you to bid on jobs with other writers. I have no personal experience with bidding sites, but the reviews are not favorable. An Internet search for writing sites will provide you with several options. Read all their requirements and payment information before making a decision to write for one. If you can write for more than one of these sites without interfering with your studies, there is opportunity for some good paychecks.
There are plenty of jobs available for college students to make money with their writing skills. Explore the various niches, and find the one that fits your style. Once established, you will get repeat business along with new clients, and your freelance writing business will be paying your bills.
