College Students: Tips on Making + Saving Money for Travel
I wrote this blog post when I was a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. My goal was to help college students save money and travel during the "broke college student" years and I believe my advice back then still applies today. I have good news for all of you aspiring traveling college students out there. First, this period of "broke college student" goes by so fast and you are going to miss it, so live these four years up! Second, nineteen-year-old Erin put together some tips and job recommendations for you. Dive in below.
Senior Year Marine Biology Class - Studying Elephant Seals! Fun Fact: I got my degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Anatomy and Physiology.
Note from nineteen-year-old Erin:
"The number one question I am asked as a traveling college student is "How do I afford it"? As a student I know how hard it is to not only make money, but also to save it for the next adventure that calls. I know the feeling of the constant pressure and stress to do well in school while working part-time. It becomes hard to balance school, work, your social life, and staying active and healthy. Throughout my years working three jobs and going to school full time, I have learned through trial and error which jobs are worth your time. I want to share with you my little tricks for making the most money in the least amount of time for maximum outcome. I have divided these worthwhile jobs into three categories; The Resume-Builder, The Brain-Exerciser, and The Overnight-Money-Maker.
THE RESUME BUILDER
This is the type of job that you need to fluff up your resume and prepare you "to get to where you are trying to be in 5 years”. Some examples of resume-builder jobs include marketing internships and clinical lab assistant positions. Many companies utilize the term “internship” to make you think that you are gaining invaluable skills so that you will work for free or for the experience. They call this an “unpaid” internship. I myself do not believe in unpaid internships or jobs, I value my time too much to let someone use it for free. I understand that some unpaid internships allow you to get your foot in the door, however, I have been able to find similar paid jobs or internships that provide equal training and experience.
I like to limit myself to working 8-10 hours per week at my resume-builder job. There is no need to work more than that for many reasons. First, it is not worth your time to work 15-20 hours per week when you are getting paid $8.00 per hour or not getting paid at all. Secondly, you are definitely not learning additional skills by working an extra 5-10 hours per week. Therefore, 8-10 hours per week at your resume-builder job is perfect. Leave the remaining 5-7 hours open for your brain-exerciser and over-night-money-maker jobs.
Medical Internship, shadowing surgeons with the Atlantis Project in the Azores, Portugal. Summer of 2013.
THE BRAIN-EXERCISER
This is the type of job that exercises your brain and can increase your academic success. I think that the brain–exerciser job is extremely important for students because it can be detrimental to take time away from studying to go to work. This is when I realized the benefits of tutoring! There is no better way to study than to teach someone what you know. Did I mention that the hourly rate for tutors is about $20+ and is all under the table! Think about it, if you tutor for at least 4 hours per week, it is equivalent to working your resume-builder job for 8 hours, now that is making the most out of your time!
THE OVER-NIGHT-MONEY-MAKER
This type of job is my hidden gem and will probably change your life for the better. The Over-Night-Money-Maker job is my little secret to how I make enough money to travel and adventure whenever I want. And my little secret is… my own eBAY business! I know, crazy right? Whenever I tell people this, the first thing they ask me is “eBay? What do you sell on eBay?” I always laugh at these question because you can sell anything and everything on eBay. The best part is that people will buy it. I no longer allow anything to sit in my closet. If I haven’t worn it in the past 6 months or I don’t see myself wearing it in the future, I put it up on eBay. It is a great feeling waking up in the morning $60 richer because one of your old sweater cardigans that you haven’t worn in years sold on eBay. If you take one hour per week to list old items on eBay, I guarantee you will be thrilled with the profits. Try it! I dare you ;)
Tip for saving: I'd let my PayPal account accumulate money from my eBay business and I wouldn't touch it until it was time for a trip or adventure!
Some other Over-Night-Money-Maker jobs include: driving for Uber/ Lyft, selling your items on Poshmark or Offer-Up, and investing in the stock market or crypto. I'd love to hear some of your ideas for making money on the side in college in the comments below!