Most college students find themselves working part-time to pay for expenses such as books, lab fees, meals, and everyday expenses. Traditionally, the best jobs have been either on-campus jobs such as tutoring and helping out others, or working off-campus at restaurants and other establishments. The problem with off-campus jobs is they are typically evening and weekend jobs, and pretty labor intensive, which leaves you very tired.

What if you could work at home (or in your dorm), work your own hours, and make just as much or more money? Well heck yea! That sounds good doesn't it! A lot of students these days turn to the internet for a way to make a few extra dollars, however there is SOOO much HYPE out there it's hard to determine what's legitimate and what's a scam. The fact is that most are SCAMS, or ridiculously expensive to get into, and not very practical.

So where do you find online jobs for college students that are practical?

First, let's realize that any viable online job will require some effort on your part, and there is no such thing as something for nothing. You are not going to "get rich quick". If you see something that says you will make gobs of cash overnight, don't fall for it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Here is a list of practical online jobs where you can make some real money, listed in order of income potential.

#1 - Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is great from the standpoint that you can start in this business for next to nothing (You need an internet connection and a computer), and the income potential is only limited by YOU. What you need to succeed in this business is a good work ethic, a plan, and a little Internet Marketing training. You can find a plan, FREE training, and all the resources you will need at the bottom of this page, but you will need to supply the desire to succeed. You can easily find yourself generating plenty of extra cash, and a way to pay off those student loans as well!

#2 - Writing Articles

Articles are in high demand on the internet, and there are plenty companies and marketers that will pay you for quality articles. We are talking 300-500 word articles in most cases. You can find business in forums, online ads, and places like AssociatedContent.com and Elance.com. Top writers make upwards of $5000/month, but keep in mind they've been doing it awhile. If you can write quality articles and you are consistent you can probably pull in $1000-$2000 per month after you get going in it.

#3 - Paid Surveys

Yes, you can make money doing online surveys. No, it's not going to make you rich. Finding the right survey companies and participating in focus groups is the key. You will find a lot of products that claim to have the best resources for finding quality survey companies, but it's been my experience that you can pretty much find them on your own by doing some research online. Check out forums and blogs related to paid surveys. You can probably pull in $1000/month if you do your homework and at least 3-5 surveys a day.

Conclusion

My personal recommendation out of the list above is #1. The reason being, that you can put in the same amount of work as #2 and #3 and have residual income flowing in from your work. It's working smart in my opinion. Additionally, the income you can make is virtually unlimited. You can start small, get some cash flowing, and then start generating multiple streams of income.

No matter what your decision, good luck, and I applaud your hard work getting a higher education. Knowledge is power!