Abby B. Looking for the best side hustles for college athletes? Unsure what you can do as a side job? Here are 19 ideas!
As college athletes, you either get some pay from your school or none at all. One way or another, there’s always room to make more! It will definitely help with your living expenses, tuition or savings for rainy days.
In this article, I’ll be sharing 19 side hustle jobs for college athletes and recommendations of what you’ll need to start. At the end of the post, you can find more tailored options for making money on the side as a college student.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
19 Best Side Hustles For College Athletes
1. Become a tour guide on a part-time basis
If you’re a local for the area you’re living in and know your way around well enough, you can offer tour services for new students, juniors and parents that are needing more information about the place.
Leverage on the knowledge you have and think of what new students and/or parents would like to explore when visiting the school.
It took quite some time for me to get used to my university which was an hour away from where I grew up at and had a hard time making friends. But events helped me tremendously!
Business going well and its a prime tourist location? Open it to others! You can choose your hours as a part-time tour guide but spending at least 4-8 hours per week should be enough.
| What do I need to start? | – Tour package details – Social media or basic website to promote your service – Join event sales platform or list on Airbnb experiences |
2. Offer fitness sessions or yoga classes
Athletes love working out – whether it’s true or not for you, you can make money doing something that comes so natural for yourself.
Instead of becoming the typical fitness instructor at the gym, you can make it an online remote side hustle as well. Coach your clients remotely via video calls if they find it easier and more comfortable.
You can also do the same with teaching Pilates or yoga. It’s also a way to break out from your current workout routine and relax after a long day or week.
| What do I need to start? | – Relevant certification to become an instructor – A module to work with – Platform to market your services |
3. Create a YouTube channel for topics in your field
Want to explore your creative side? Creating YouTube videos is something I’m personally going into to share insights of my travels and food adventures.
Although it takes time to create and edit the videos, it can be super fulfilling once you see the results and have it uploaded to your own channel. I feel super excited every single time!
I believe that anyone can make money as long as they share educational or entertaining content. The key is to stay consistent with your postings, learn from each upload and give yourself time to grow.
You can create videos targeting college students and college athletes on topics you’re familiar about. Alternatively, explore your other passions!
Interesting YouTube channels in the college athlete niche:
| What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
4. Start a podcast targeting college students
Not all college athletes are extroverts and sometimes, we really just want to do something that doesn’t involve much work or socializing. If you’re an introvert looking to become a content creator, starting a podcast is much more feasible compared to YouTube.
You don’t have to think much when recording i.e. your looks, and focus more on the content you want to deliver. It also takes less equipment to start and lesser time to edit as you’re only looking at a single aspect i.e. sound.
All you need is audio editing software and a good microphone to speak into. Work your way up slowly by recording videos of yourself doing the podcast and sharing them on YouTube. It makes your overall content planning easier and cohesive.
Podcasters generally earn from number of downloads they get and brand sponsorships related to their niche.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 40 best student podcasts in numerous fields
Another way of becoming a content creator and making passive income as an introvert is to start your own informational blog. You can choose to write for the sports and outdoor activity niche, or alternatively explore another passion of yours e.g. baking or traveling.
Most people think it’s difficult to create a website as it involves a lot of technical work. But to create a simple blog, it’s actually manageable even for beginners like you and I.
It can take quite awhile to make a good income with blogging. If you’re not looking to make a quick buck – start with this beginner course right here.
Common ways to earn from your blog is via advertising revenue, affiliate income, sponsorships and even offering your own digital products e.g. courses.
Don’t have any spare cash to invest? Check out my free article on how to set up a blog (step-by-step).
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Domain name & hosting – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Read: Why I invested in a blogging coach before doing anything else
One of the most easiest ways to earn on the internet even with a small number of followers is to promote affiliate products and services. You’ll need an engaged audience to promote to and it’s best to stay genuine by promoting things you personally love!
It works the best on YouTube, Twitter and your own blog, but it’s also doable on TikTok and Instagram. Compared to brand deals, affiliates are more passive and doesn’t involve much active work.
Some affiliate marketplaces to check out are Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. Just sign up for an account, get a link for a suitable product/service based on your audience and start promoting!
| What do I need to start? | – Affiliate products or services you can promote – Social media account with growing followers |
7. Learn photography and sell photos on stock websites
Not looking into content creating? You can also explore a creative side hustle by taking photos and selling them on stock websites!
Large websites and other content creators are always buying stock photos online to use within their content. Demand can be seasonal depending on the niche but some evergreen recommendations are sports photography, landscapes and buildings.
Although you need to put in some work upfront to build your collection and start earning, it can be a great source of passive income in the future!
Stock websites you can join to start:
| What do I need to start? | – A good camera – Photo editing skills – Consistency to upload photos frequently |
8. Offer home maintenance services in your area
Have a handy skill that can solve problems within a house? You can turn it into a side hustle! Aside from general cleaning, you can offer to cut grass, clean swimming pools, wash sofas or paint houses.
These are some activities that most people need help on and it can be a monthly task. You’ll need that repeating income so you don’t always need to look for new customers to serve.
Just doing two houses for two hours on the weekends should give a good side income! Share your contact details in community groups or pay a visit to community centers.
Also, you can ask for a higher rate if you specialize in a single task!
| What do I need to start? | – The right tools for your chosen expertise – Promote your service to your community |
Check out: 55 types of cleaning services to offer
9. Become a freelance writer for other sport websites
Interested in writing blog articles but not looking to create your own blog yet? You can practice your writing and earn from it by writing for other websites and blogs instead.
Similarly, you can choose to write for sports-based topics or explore another passion of yours! Clients are more willing to pay a higher rate if you specialize in writing for a specific type of content niche.
So be a professional and master just one or two niches in the beginning. Freelance writers usually earn up to $100 per article and even more if they’re specialized.
This beginner freelance writing course is the one I took myself to start my writing career. It’s created by a blogger that hires writers herself so she’s really giving you all the tips you need to start earning tomorrow from clients all around the world!
| What do I need to start? | – Writing skills – Good command of English or language you want to write in – Platform to promote your freelance writing service |
10. Tutor kids online or sell paid online courses
As a college student and even more so a college athlete, you can make money by tutoring your juniors. Anyone aspiring to achieve similar sports success as you would be willing to pay for your guidance.
If you’re not planning to teach sports, consider tutoring young kids and highschoolers on language studies e.g. English, mathematics, history or political science. You might be good at any of these subjects!
Teaching requires patience and time as people don’t always get better overnight – you know this the best.
Although tutoring is much more effective face-to-face, it can also be done online as long as you’re able to manage your tutee. It pays by the hour and you’re leveraging on knowledge you already have.
Alternatively, you can make it a passive side hustle by selling online courses on learning platforms. The usual price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67. Feel free to create courses for anything you want as long as it’s helpful to others and is high in demand!
Some sites you can host online courses on:
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to deliver or record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses is too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
11. Take up simple jobs or tasks online
Don’t have a lot of time to spare and just need an occasional side hustle? You can take up side gigs online or random jobs within your area.
You’ll have to install and sign up for apps that help you get side jobs. This can include buying groceries for others and delivering items. App varies depending on your location so I leave that to you to research!
Don’t fancy running around? Another way to find easy doable side gigs online is to join marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork.
Since you’re young, there’s a huge chance you’re probably a lot better at using tech apps and the internet compared to older generation. This makes side jobs like data entry, logo designing or even making presentation slides highly possible.
Even if you’re not the best at it, small businesses and solopreneurs are always needing someone to help them out on these simple tasks. Take time to do research on what kind of tasks you’re able to do online and start promoting your services.
Some ways to promote your services:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- PeoplePerHour
- Indeed
- TikTok (because anything can go viral here)
- Build your own website
| What do I need to start? | – Computer literacy skills for a specific task – Your hourly rate charge |
12. Become a weekend pet sitter for friends and neighbors
If you’re a pet lover, the best and fastest way to make extra money is by offering pet sitting services in your area. Most people love their pets a lot and would spend a great chunk of money ensuring their comfort.
You can stand out by making your services extra unique and prioritizing their pets’ comfort. Pet sitters can easily make $200-400 in a single weekend by going for at least 5 visits per day. On average, they would make $15-20 per visit!
Pet sitting is a highly advisable side hustle for those with natural pet skills and experience handling their own pets.
Services you can include with pet sitting:
- Walking
- Home boarding
- Sleepovers and night care
- Training
- Bring to vet
- Basic grooming & care
- Travel trips
| What do I need to start? | – Good skills with pets e.g. dogs, cats – Tools for the service you want to offer – Socializing to get clients |
13. Get paid to drive for Uber or Lyft
One of the most common ways of making money today is by driving others with Uber or Lyft. It’s something you can do on the weekends, during your off days or between your scheduled plans.
You may find driving a therapeutic activity especially when you’ve spent too much time on the fields and training. Good news is, if you have a functioning car, you can make some side income with it.
If you’re quite an introvert and don’t prefer driving others, you can also deliver packages or food with Amazon Flex or Uber Eats.
| What do I need to start? | – A vehicle to drive – Smartphone to receive ride orders |
14. Buy & resell second hand items for profit professionally
When I felt like I’ve spent too much on a certain thing in a single weekend, the quickest way to feel less guilty is to let go something else that I no longer need. Instead of donating it to others for free and have them unappreciated, I would rather sell my old things for some extra cash.
If you own a lot of things in your home or dorm, go through them and set aside what you no longer use. Join sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Poshmark to sell them for a price that’s reasonable to you and buyers.
I personally made more than $2000 in a year reselling my unused stuffs – both online and offline. Even joined second hand physical markets myself!
Love the feeling of selling? Make it a serious side hustle by buying second hand items for cheap and reselling them for profit.
You’ll need a good eye to spot these underpriced treasures from online marketplaces or flea markets. Not everyone knows the true value of their items!
| What do I need to start? | – An eye to spot underpriced goods – Skills and platform to sell online or offline – A small budget to purchase your first second hand item |
Check out: How to start reselling things as a side hustle
15. Start a rental side gig online
The rental business is an extremely lucrative one. You can rent out anything that you own – ideally something that’s quite expensive for the other person to buy it themself. This can be as simple as renting out your car.
If you have extra money to invest into a rental business, go for something people would need for perhaps a once in a lifetime event. You can think of graduation ceremonies, what do people need that they might not be able to buy?
Events like weddings and graduations bring in a lot of money for big and small businesses alike!
Renting is usually a cheaper option for most people. You make your money with returns by just renting it out over and over again – usually, your initial cost is covered in less than four times renting it out.
| What do I need to start? | – Item that you want to rent out – Platform to market your rental services |
16. Become a mover and help others move houses
Have the strength to carry items around? Turn it into a side hustle by offering moving services for those looking to relocate or move houses.
Aside from helping new people settle in your area (or move out), your new juniors would also need a helping hand when moving in or out. It’s also a good time to socialize!
Depending on the business model you’re going for, you might need a truck to do this!
| What do I need to start? | – Vehicle to transport items – Tools for easy moving – Platform to market your services |
17. Sell digital products on Etsy
Selling online does not always involve keeping stock, packing orders or running out delivering items. It can also mean selling digital products where none of those activities are involved.
If you’ve been using Etsy, take a look at the kind of digital products you can sell on the site. Products like social media templates or printables are usually made once by the seller and sold multiple times on Etsy.
Once a customer makes a purchase, a file is automatically shared to them to download. The only thing you need to manage is ensuring the product is up-to-date and answering any questions your customers might have!
| What do I need to start? | – A digital product idea – Tools to create the digital product – Platform to sell on |
18. Make coffee art as a café barista
Love coffee and have always been eager to learn how to make good coffee with art? The best time to start is now!
Professional coffee-making is a skill that you can use for life – whether it’s at home or at work. Since you’re still in college, you can make extra cash by working as a part-time barista.
Depending on your location, getting part-time retail jobs should be fairly easy compared to any other kind of work. You’ll just need to approach a local coffee shop and ask if they’re hiring part-timers.
Once you’ve mastered the art of coffee-making, make even more money by teaching others how to do the same. It’s also nice to get free staff meals or croissants while at it!
| What do I need to start? | – Barista training certification – Love for coffee |
Check out: 6 tips and tricks on becoming a barista
19. Design merchandise with print on demand and sell passively
Been wanting to start an online business or try dropshipping but don’t know how to? The easiest way I believe anyone can start is by doing print on demand.
Print on demand works pretty much like dropshipping. But instead of selling random ready products from others, you’ll be selling merchandise that you designed yourself.
These merchandises e.g. tote bags or candles, will only be printed with your designs once a customer makes a purchase. It’s only possible with suppliers like Printify and Printful that makes selling on Etsy or Shopify possible!
The easiest way to make your own designs is by using Canva or Kittl. You can also buy ready designs on creative marketplaces like Envato Elements or Creative Fabrica and start selling tomorrow!
| What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
How To Make Money While In College
Here’s a step-by-step process on how you can start making money while in college:
- Identify your interests and strengths
- List the type of part time jobs or side hustles you’re able to go into for each interest
- Rank the list by how much you think you’ll like the job e.g. 1 to 10
- Give an estimation of how much money you can make for each job in a month
- Decide which ranks the best when combined – how much you like it + how much money it gives
- Search online for available part time jobs near you or offer the services remotely
- Join forums and Facebook groups to market your services
- Try it out for 3 to 6 months to see if you actually like it
- Scale up the part time gig to a business, even if you only commit to it on weekends
13 Side Hustles For College Students
Here are 13 ideas on side hustles for college students:
- Become a pet-sitter for cats and dogs
- Blog about useful topics
- Tutor high school kids for basic subjects
- Promote affiliate products via social media
- Sell stock photography
- Share educational content with YouTube
- Start a podcast around your passion
- Sell pre-recorded online courses
- Create useful digital products for sale on Etsy
- Design merchandise with print on demand
- Create low content books for Amazon KDP
- Offer computer-based services on Fiverr
- Become a part-time barista at a café
The list is non-exhaustive and truly dependent on your interests. I am in the online marketing field and these are jobs I find in high demand at the moment – which I believe anyone can pivot to!
9 Best Side Hustles For Athletes
Here are 9 best side hustles for athletes:
- Tutor juniors or school kids for sports
- Join sport competitions for cash reward
- Become a part-time mover
- Offer home maintenance services
- Coach others for gym fitness or yoga
- Write sports-related content for websites or blogs
- Work as a retail assistant at a sports equipment shop
- Start part-time modelling
- Teach others or create vlogs of your daily life on YouTube
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustles for college athletes you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
With or without experience, it can be scary to start something new – I’ve been there myself too. The key to achieving great things is to just start!
While time may not be on your side as a law student, your perseverance is what matters most. Start organizing your life to get ahead of others.
Most side hustles that involves the internet and making money passively are generally made for long term thinkers and those who are patient. Stay consistent!
Here are 19 best side hustles for college athletes:
- Become a tour guide on a part-time basis
- Offer fitness sessions or yoga classes
- Create a YouTube channel for topics in your field
- Start a podcast targeting college students
- Share your knowledge by writing for your own blog
- Promote affiliate links on your social accounts
- Learn photography and sell photos on stock websites
- Offer home maintenance services in your area
- Become a freelance writer for other sport websites
- Tutor kids online or sell paid online courses
- Take up simple jobs or tasks online
- Become a weekend pet sitter for friends and neighbors
- Get paid to drive for Uber or Lyft
- Buy & resell second hand items for profit professionally
- Start a rental side gig online
- Become a mover and help others move houses
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Make coffee art as a café barista
- Design merchandise with print on demand and sell passively
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by Emily Rose
