News by: Vimala Shanmugam
Editor: Nazrin Sarnin
Source: Google Images
It is not news that Malaysia’s current economic status has pushed citizens from middle- and lower-income families to resort to secondary and even tertiary income options. And among those greatly impacted are university students, who are forced to pay their tuition and hostel fees, as well as other minor unavoidable expenses like university events, phone and data bills, and buying books and stationaries required for their classes. This leaves little balance from their allowances for three hearty meals a day and entertainment purposes.
Hence, students must resort to getting part time jobs, becoming young entrepreneurs and finding other clever methods of making an income of their own. If you are one of these students looking for a few ways to earn some extra pocket money, the list of ideas that follow just might help you get through your university days. These are options that are already applied by some of the students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Getting a part-time job
This one is a no brainer. These days there are tons of jobs catered towards university students, even within their university campuses. You could try the local shops, hypermarkets and restaurants within the vicinity, or even the cafes, stationary shops and student service centre’s found inside university campuses. There is also the added bonus of learning new skills, making new friends, being able to arrange your work schedule and most importantly, being able to add your experience to your work resume for the future.
Getting an Online/Work from Home Job
This falls under part-time jobs too but is often overlooked. If you are lacking time, transportation or just a little bit lazy, an online job might be the answer for you. Just Googling “work-from-home” jobs brings up many results suitable for students and their busy schedules. Even fast food restaurants like Domino’s Pizza sometimes offer jobs like taking customer calls and orders, all from the comfort of your dorm room.
Becoming Sales Agents for Start-Ups
Think Coway agents, only in a smaller scale. Lots of start-up companies tend to look to students as their target demography. And who better to sell to students than other students? Companies will offer students a chance to sell products like cosmetics and skin care products, accessories, food and other things, with a commission for each product sold. This is also a part-time job with incredibly flexible work hours.
Volunteering at University Events and Roadshows
There are always plenty of events and roadshows taking place around university campuses, and some of the organizers may reach out to students to volunteer for them with a small token of appreciation provided. These small, one-time jobs are a great way to make some extra pocket money to get you through a few more meals.
Becoming research assistants
Often Masters and PhD students studying part time or working with large sets of data look for undergraduate students to assist them with their research. Among the tasks they may outsource are passing out and recollecting questionnaires, tallying responses, transcribing interviews and focus group discussions, collecting physical samples in the field, and lab assistants, all for a token of appreciation. You might even get a free meal or a drink occasionally.
Offering Your Services/Freelancing
There is a myriad of possible services students can offer in their free time to other students, lecturers and residents surrounding the university. Among them are odd jobs like washing cars, home or room cleaning, laundry, food delivery, child or pet sitting, and elderly aid services. Skilled students tend to offer cosmetic services like barber and hair styling services, manicures and pedicures, hair removal, and makeup services for events. Students skilled at art, graphic design, videography and editing can take up these jobs from other students to help execute their poster or video assignments.
Answering Online Surveys
This option is also suitable for students who have limited free time in their schedules. There are apps like Surveyon and Milieu that allow users to answer surveys from researchers and companies for points, which can be exchanged for cash after a certain sum is accumulated. Websites like Rakuten Insight Surveys and LifePoints also serve a similar function in return for vouchers on apps like Boost, Grab and several fast food restaurants. This is one that I personally use and find is most convenient as I can do it anytime I am free with a phone or laptop on me, including on public transport journeys and between classes. While it takes some time to save up an exchangeable sum, a little does go a long way, especially considering the apps give cash returns in USD.
Selling Preloved Items
This one is a relatively new trend. Students who are on tight budgets love to shop at bundle and preloved stores, which opens up a market for other students to sell unwanted belongings which are still in good condition. These preloved items can be sold at flea markets organized by universities, in preloved sales groups on social media, or even sold directly to bundle stores for a small sum.
As you can see, there are tons of ways for students to make money these days, which leaves little room for excuses like lack of time and transportation. And the list does not even end here! So be sure to share around these tips and tricks with your friends who could use the extra cash. You yourself might just be able to get a fancy meal or extra movie outings too.
