Are you looking for the very best guide and tips on how to make money as a student in Nigeria without having to sacrifice your grades? If so, then read on.
Combining work with study can be a bit hard to manage. As a student, your number 1 priority should be getting good grades and performing well academically.
However, situations may demand that you include some side hustles along with your study. But, the question now is: what jobs can you do to make money while still managing to get good grades?
Whatever job or business you decide to involve in must never be time demanding, energy-draining, and must require zero or little investment to start up.
Furthermore, that job or business must be highly profitable. Which means, you get to work less and earn more.
Bearing in mind all the aforementioned conditions for a side hustle or businesses suitable for students in Nigeria, we decided to make a list of 15 of such jobs and businesses that can help you get the most out of your time, and at the same time guarantee high profitability.
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Here are 15 easy ways to make money as a student in Nigeria
1. Become a Freelancer
Freelancing is one easy way to make money online whenever you are free from any academic engagements.
Freelancing is not an opportunity for only students at the university. Even secondary school students can get jobs there; provided you meet the minimum age requirement for freelance sites, which is mostly set at 15.
If you register with any of the freelance platforms available in Nigeria, you can choose the number of hours or day you wish to work.
Freelancing jobs typically involve services you can render digitally.
Some of the online jobs Nigerian students can do on freelance sites include:
- Virtual assistance
- Transcription & Translation
- Typing services
- Graphic design, etc.
If you’re interested in learning more about freelancing, you can read our previous guide on that.
2. Become a niche blogger
Ever thought of becoming a blogger but due to the fact that your academic engagement doesn’t permit you gave up your dreams?
I have good news for!
It’s called niche-blogging.
A niche blog doesn’t require too much time, energy or resources to develop. And after you do, it keeps yielding profits for years and years to come.
In summary, a niche site contains all the basic information regarding a particular topic.
Since you’re a student, you can’t start an entertainment blog like Linda Ikeji. The reason is, it demands so much time and energy to update entertainment blogs.
If you’re not sure how to start a blog, read this step-by-step blog setup guide to do so.
3. Take paid online surveys
Taking paid surveys is one of the ways to make money online without paying anything. Surveys are a medium through which companies get feedback from their consumers in exchange for incentives.
There are several survey sites available in Nigeria. You can register with as many of them as possible. Thereafter, you’ll begin to receive invitations to take part in surveys that come with several incentive packages.
Most surveys usually take a few minutes of your time. So, you don’t have to worry about it conflicting with study time. Besides that, you can choose whether or not to attend to a survey invitation.
4. Start a photocopy & Printing business
Back then, while I was in school, I had a few friends who were into the printing and photocopy business within the school compound. So, I can tell you without an atom of doubt that it is highly profitable.
A lot of printing and photocopying activities go on in the school environment; which explains why it is a lucrative business to set up in school compounds.
Another good thing about it is that, since you’re your own boss, you can choose the number of hours you wish to work.
On another hand, you could choose to employ someone to take care of the photocopying and printing; so you can focus on your academics and only assume the supervisor’s role.
5. Start a recharge card or VTU business
Recharge card sales are not so profitable; however, if you sell them in large quantities, you’ll definitely make some extra-bucks. And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to consume so much time. Several Nigerian students already make money from selling recharge cards; I had a couple of them in my department back then in school.
Here’s how you should do it… buy them in large quantities and put them in your backpack or handbag. Thank goodness they are not heavy at all. Make an announcement, either through your course rep or by yourself telling other students what your line of business is all about.
I’m sure several people who’d have had to go out of class to look for recharge card sellers will decide to buy from you instead. If you’re not interested in paper cards, you could adopt the VTU (virtual top-up) method.
6. Take private home lessons
Taking private home lessons is something that shouldn’t consume too much of your time. In fact, you can combine and integrate it with your study seamlessly.
Similarly, I had several course mates who were not so strong financially and had to take private home lessons for some extra-bucks. And they still ended up doing exceptionally well academically.
7. Sell past question papers, textbooks and course material
What do you do with your past question papers, textbooks and course materials? Do you stockpile them even if you don’t need them anymore? Throw them away or just gift them out?
You don’t have to do all that. You need to make the most out of all these resources since you’re interested in making some money along with your studies.
Many students in Nigeria sell their old textbooks, past question papers and study materials in exchange for some extra bucks. You too could do the same. There’s not so much money to be made here, though. There are several other ways to make money along with being a student in Nigeria, so keep reading.
8. Submit stories to media companies
There are lots of happenings within Nigerian school campuses. Some of them are worth reporting to media companies or news sites so to say.
These happenings shouldn’t pass you by if you’re interested in making money, because several media companies are looking for news, pictures and updates on such events so they could post them on their websites or blogs.
And the good thing is that they’ll pay you for leaking such stories to them; depending on the potential of that story getting viral.
9. Organize tutorials for fellow students
Truth be told, not all the students in school are so strong academically. And such students need assistance to learn or understand certain topics.
If you’re very strong academically, these are opportunities you must take advantage of. I know you could offer freebies, but that shouldn’t be done when you’re in need of extra-bucks to cater for several needs.
Your target students could be the freshers if your course mates would be too much of a task to handle.
10. Start a football showroom (Viewing Center)
There’s no doubt whatsoever, that there’s a high demand for the services of a football viewing centre in school environments.
And the good thing is that the structures are most times never enough; that’s why you’ll discover people choking up viewing centres to watch their favourite team play.
If you have the financial might to start up this business, please do not waste any further time. The reason I recommend this business is because it doesn’t demand too much time to manage. Football matches are usually played during weekends and, sometimes, evenings during weekdays.
So, it’s a huge opportunity to make some extra money as a student in any Nigerian university while still giving your studies the utmost priority.
11. Build and publish a mobile app
Are you skilled at app development? Then you must take advantage of the opportunities such skill present you with.
Or maybe you’re studying computer science, which is a field closely related to app development. If that’s the case for you, then building and publishing a mobile app will even make more sense.
After working on and publishing a mobile app on Google Playstore, you won’t have to be directly involved in anything anymore. If the android lovers enjoy the app you built, they’ll download it in large numbers. And you get to make a few bucks if you monetize that app with AdMob.
12. Do menial jobs
What do you do during your holidays? Do you watch movies all through or just sit at home doing nothing?
If so, then you need to start doing more with your time, especially since you’re interested in making extra-bucks along with being a student.
There are so many menial jobs you could decide to involve in. Some profitable jobs out there do not require any certificate to start.
You could work at a salon, car wash, eatery, supermarkets during holidays; this way you’ll be able to save some extra bucks that will come in handy when you resume back to school.
13. Become a photographer
Running a photography business around Nigerian higher institution campuses is without a doubt highly profitable. Students simply love to take pictures.
So, if you’re skilled at photography and can use Photoshop very well, then you must take advantage of the opportunities within Nigerian school environments.
Running a photography business can be highly demanding of your time and energy, so you must be careful not to allow it conflict with your studies.
14. Engage in profitable social activities
As said earlier, the school environment is a field with several activities. Some of them are actually profitable. Like becoming the SUG president, becoming an MC, School comedian, dancer, etc. This way, you’ll be able to make a few extra bucks from the events that take place within the school environment.
But you must be very careful when engaging in social activities in school. It’s very easy to get overly engaged and forget the true reason you’re in school.
15. Start a hands-off business
A hands-off business doesn’t require your time and energy that much. What’s required most is having the capital needed to startup your intended business idea.
There are so many businesses you can set up and employ others to monitor on your behalf, in exchange for paying you daily or weekly returns.
Here are an example of such businesses:
- Transport services (Tricycle, taxi, bike, etc.)
- Beauty salon/ barbershop
- Poultry farm
- Supermarket, etc.
As earlier said, the one you should start depends on your financial might and location.
I have shared with you several smart ways to make money along with being a student in any Nigerian university. Which of those ideas do you wish to build upon?
Let us hear your opinions in the comment section below 🙂