CEBU, Philippines – Since not all of us are born with Olympic-sized swimming pools in our backyards, granite-and-marble kitchens, and a walk-in closet the size of three bedrooms, it’s only clear that we can rely on Mom and Dad for that Mac Air we’ve been dying to have since it came out. Really, for those whose dream birthday gift of bagging a cool 11-day Euro tour will remain nothing more than a dream, it’s quite cumbersome simply to think how much of your baon you have to save up, before you can buy that fab pair of shoes beckoning at you since last season.
If you’ve already set foot in the wonderful halls of your chosen university, taking up whatever course suits your (or your parents’) fancy, you might have come to the realization that you actually have more time in your hands. Believe me, sometimes, all that free time can get a tad too boring. So, instead of simply loitering around campus when you have extremely long breaks, turn all that down time into opportunities for a raket. That way, you won’t only be able to sharpen your skills on whatever talent you have—you’ll be able to earn some extra cash, too. How ‘bout that?
So if you have the time and the talent to boot, here are some student-friendly part time jobs you just might want to dip your hands into.
Writer
So you have the knack for writing news, features, creative non-fiction, and the like, don’t you? Get out there and get paid for what you write. This is a great way for you to be able to experience what the world of real work is like since you will be working with a professional editor—and no longer your school paper Editor-in-chief. You’ll also have lots of opportunities to travel should your beat allow it. Of course, as if it isn’t enough, the freebies are yours for the taking. For this kind of job, make sure you are keen on the deadlines and high on creativity.
Photographer
If you work best behind the lens of your DSLR, you might want to try freelancing in photography. With the right camera, the eye for art, and the portfolio to boot, the cash flow can be unbelievable with this kind of sideline. Build up your portfolio first, then ask your pals to refer you to other potential clients. If the business goes great, who says you can’t invest in photography and make it a full-time thing?
Graphic Artist
It’s not just about laying out posters, you know. If you’ve got a good hand (and a good head) at Photoshop or Corel, you can lay out party invites, tarps, posters, stickers, and what not, for a fee. Make sure you have enough sample works to show. If you’ve got a swanky laptop and the latest version of your software of choice, you’re good to go.
Video Editing
You can pair this up with videography but you can charge for both, differently. Stock up on the right video editing software and make sure that your desktop computer has loads of space so you can edit videos with ease. It wouldn’t hurt for you to have your own external drive which can come as low as Php 3000. If you can get enough referrals, you’ll be able to recoup whatever you’ve invested into building your capital in no time. Just to pique your interest, the least that some of the video editors/videographer I know charge for their freelance work is Php 800/30 seconds. How’s that for a sideline?
Copy Editor
Copy editors are very much in demand nowadays, given the dedication one needs for this kind of work. It pays if you’ve got lots of prior experience so you won’t get shell-shocked with this kind of job. You’ll need to have enough patience to deal with bad English and incomprehensible paragraphs. But this is the kind of work you can easily squeeze into your free time. For this job, an eye for detail and an unforgiving character towards grammatical blunders are valuable assets.
Make-up Artist
This is the kind of sideline meant for someone who has the flair for fashion and for looking good, in general. It takes lots of skill to pull this sideline off and keep the clients coming. After all, you’ll be dealing with people’s faces. Build up your portfolio for this one and try to be versatile with different kinds of looks—from theater, to pageant, to glam. If you’ve got the makeup kit, the brushes—you know, the works—you can fetch as high as Php 500 for every face you paint.
Website Designer
You could have learned to spruce up a website in a class or maybe through a friend or a summer workshop. In any case, it’s about time to make money out of the one thing that you do best. You can send portfolios to various companies after you start out designing for friends. That way, you can build up your client base. Proficiency in Photoshop and Flash are great pluses with this one.
Event Organizing
Okay, so maybe you’re not so much into the tech stuff. Why not try your hand in whipping up parties or weddings? You can start with a friend’s debut and build up from there. If the event puts the S in Successful, you’ll have a string of other events to organize in no time. Prior experiences in organizing school events like Acquaintance parties and the like, will come in handy. Keep photos of the events you organized so you’ll have stuff to show your potential clients.
The possibilities are actually endless when you think about going into a part time job to augment your monthly or weekly baon. But no matter what kind of raket that is, it’ll be more than what it pays if it’s something you actually love doing.