Off to college soon? Worried about expenses? If you’re not afraid of a little work, you can hustle your way through college with little to no debt. Whether you have scholarships or financial aid- or neither- an education is still possible. Read on to see if you’re ready!
Understand Your Budget
Before you even get to college, know how to budget your expenses. Take ownership of your college experience. If you want to go to the latest party, know that you’ll be sacrificing not only sleep, but also possibly a job or time studying. Know how much it really costs to pay for a month of college in terms of food, transportation, clothing and rent. You won’t waste as much time and are likely to take your schoolwork more seriously.
On or Off Campus Job
On campus jobs for students are ideal. Less travel time, and they take into account your class schedule. From an early morning custodial job, to assisting a teacher, to working for an education department, on-campus jobs also give you good experience and might let you do homework during down time. Off-campus jobs can be trickier, but most employees understand that you are a student and that your class schedule will change each semester.
Side Job
Market yourself well. If you can tutor younger kids in a subject, get your name out there for that. If you’re willing to give up weekend nights babysitting, exchange with a few people for their advertisement on your respectability and see how quickly your clientele grows. Pretty soon you’ll be making bank. Just make sure you have the skillset for whatever it is you want to do. There’s no limit to the number of ways you can earn money with a valuable skill, hobby or artistic knack. Think about crafts, clothing design, music lessons, and tutoring.
Live Off Campus
If you can, live at home for a while. Especially if you live most of your life on campus at class and then working your job or jobs, you’ll only be going to your parent’s home to sleep. Otherwise, live with friends in a cheaper area. Again, it doesn’t really matter what the size of your room is (as long as it’s in a safe neighborhood) because you won’t be spending that much time there. The purpose of your hustle is to earn an education in a smart way so you move on to bigger and better.
These tips are to get you started in the right direction. Keep applying for scholarships, as your education becomes more specific, the scholarship direction narrows and the competition eases as candidates are less likely to keep looking. Another option is the armed forces, if time is an issue look into the National Guard to exchange your service for assistance through your education. A hustler always pursues progress and constantly works to get things done. If your goal is a college education, get your hustle on and graduate!