4 Ways to Make Money While Looking for Your First Post-College Job
The time in between graduating from college and getting your first post-college job is often a financially stressful one. Between student debts and housing expenses, the pressure to make money can be intense. Here are four of the best ways to make money while you’re looking for your first job after college.
Sell Your Textbooks
Remember how expensive all of your college textbooks were? Once you graduate, you can safely get some of your money back for them by reselling them to other students. Whether you’re selling them directly to younger students you know personally or listing them as used on Amazon, you can get a decent amount of money for old textbooks, provided they’re still in good condition.
Start an Online Side Hustle
Even if you’re gunning for a high-paying job, it’s often a good idea to have a secondary stream of income set up. For this reason, starting a side gig online is one of the best things you can do to make a bit of extra money after college and ensure your own financial independence later on. Whether you’re freelancing, creating YouTube videos or building up a blogging business, online side hustles are wonderful options for creating a bit of additional income.
Get Rid of Your College Clunker
If you’re like most college students, chances are that you had a cheap car to get you through your school years. Believe it or not, you can get money for junk cars by selling them for repair or for their scrap value. While it may not be a huge amount, the money you get for your old clunker can help you get through while you look for work.
Pick Up Odd Jobs for Relatives
Even though it may feel a bit odd, doing yard work or other chores for older relatives can help to plug the gap in between college and your professional life. If you have grandparents or other older relatives who don’t find heavy work around the house as easy as they used to, you can charge a reasonable price to help them out. Keep in mind that this isn’t a long-term solution, but it can give you a bit of extra spending money to work with until you’re gainfully employed.
By taking these four simple steps, you can begin making money before starting your first post-college job. During this time, it’s also important to keep your expenses low so that you can start building up a savings once you’re earning a regular paycheck.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan