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The Art of Freelance: Making College More Affordable

"The cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college, while many others are graduating deeply in debt. " Bernie Sanders

By Victoria LimPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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College and lectures themselves are tough, but when you have to think about funding all that education, you might get demotivated. Colleges are expensive, especially if they are one of those high-quality ones, but everything can become manageable and affordable. So, if you’re not a lucky child with parents who started your college fund the day you were born, there are some things to make the whole college experience more affordable.

Start Early

As soon as you decide that you want to go to college, you should start investigating your paying options. You can easily open up an investment account as early as you wish and start saving money there, tax-free. Also, there are things like prepaid tuition plans where you can start saving early. However, if you cannot afford to put aside some money, you could study hard for your PSATs and SATs, and if you do well, you can really get ahead in the financial aid game.

Complete the FAFSA

Another way to have some extra money while in college is applying for FAFSA. Federal Application for Free Student Aid can be picked up from your high school guidance office, or at any college admission office, and you can pick it up and submit it as soon as possible after January 1 of the year when you will be attending school. Also, there is an online version of FAFSA, available at the Department of Education.

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships and grants are great because they can get you the education you like almost for free. However, you really have to do your research in the library or on the internet in order to find free resources. Just make sure those are not out-of-date. However, if you decide to use a paid service, make sure it is a reputable company, develop a great resume and submit the applications as soon as you can.

Finding a Job

Excellent grades, extra saved money, and scholarships can help you a lot, but it’s not always possible to have these and rely on them. That is why you should opt for making your own money. However, since you have to attend lectures and be active in school, you cannot get a full-time job. That is why freelancing is great! You can work remotely, organize your own working hours, and really make some money. So, let’s see which freelance jobs are great for students.

Content/ Blog writing

Almost anyone can be a content or blog writer, especially if you are creative and enjoy writing. There are thousands of companies looking for content writers for so many different things. There are a few things that you have to learn first, but if you’re fluent in the needed language, and know your way with words, everything else you will learn along the way. Plus, it is a great experience, and it may even become part of your future career one day. What is more, many small businesses need content writers for their blogs, and money can be really good.

Photography

You’re probably already taking a lot of pictures with your phone, so why not turn them into money. There are companies who need various photographs for their business and a freelancer is always a great choice. Also, if you like editing images and creating interesting things, you can always rely on free or not so expensive tools and resources for Photoshop such as Sleeklens has for example, and really make those photos look professional.

Social Media

There are dozens of companies in your area that probably need someone young to make their social media accounts sparkle. Since you’re already spending a lot of time on such platforms, it wouldn’t hurt to get some money out of it. Companies usually look for someone to make their posts, interact with people and make their profiles really stand out.

Graphic Designer

If you’re creative and want to earn some money for college, graphic design could be the way to go. Plus, if you’re really good at it, you can really make a career out of it. Many companies look for freelancers to design their website banners, logos, or any other graphical assets they need. You can take jobs from several websites and do the work. Plus, this is a great addition to your resume, especially if you’re studying something along those lines.

Translator

Being fluent in a foreign language does not only look great on your resume, but it can provide you with some extra money for your tuition. Many people need help translating something or they need someone to do the work for them and they are willing to pay, so why not apply? On many freelancing platforms such as Upwork, many people are offering some great money for simple translations, translation of their college papers and many other things. So, do your research and find what you like. Plus, if you ever wish to become a translator, this is a great place to start.

Web developer

If you have a talent for any kind of programming and technology is your strong suit, and you know how a good website should look, build websites for people. However, the competition on the market for this is huge, but there are plenty of people and small business who need web developers, so there are a lot of opportunities. The best way to start here is to maybe find a business with a really bad-looking site, and offer them to fix that for them for a fair price. Once you get better and make a good online presence, the jobs will come to your themselves. Plus, this is a great thing to have in your resume.

Even though college can be expensive, not all hope is lost. Besides getting an early start and applying for scholarships, you can easily make your own money and have a little extra of it. That is why people have come up with freelancing and it really pays off as soon as you find something you wish to do.

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About the Creator

Victoria Lim

Victoria is a lifestyle writer with expertise in scribbling a lot of unnecessary words, walking a dog for miles and miles, getting bites from her pet squirrel and choosing tea for her next cup.

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