Side Hustles

find-a-fulfilling-non-academic-side-hustle

In this last post in the Make Money in Grad School series, I outline a different kind of option for making money in grad school—doing something totally and completely unrelated to grad school. Something that enriches your life and makes you happy.

So far in the series we’ve covered several approaches for funding yourself through grad school:

1.) Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants
2.) Research and Teaching Assistant Positions
3.) Applying Your Academic Skills to Tutoring and Freelancing

Each of these can be great for leveraging your existing abilities and past accomplishments, as well as building experience and investing in new skills. And there are many professional and financial benefits to using a combination of these approaches. Don’t let fear of failure or rejection prevent you from pursuing a great opportunity. Whether it’s going for a fellowship to fund your dream research project or applying for a teaching assistant position that will give you experience with a class you’d have a blast with, you have little to lose and a lot to gain by pursuing new opportunities.

Before I wrap up this series, there’s one more option for making money in grad school, and I think it’s important enough to warrant its own post.

Read more

tutoring-and-freelancing-apply-your-skills-beyond-the-university

In the last part of the series Make Money in Grad School, I outlined the benefits of seeking work as a graduate research assistant or teaching assistant. In this post, I cover some alternative ways to put your skills to work in your local community and beyond.

Many grad students work on their university campuses as research and teaching assistants as a way to fund themselves through grad school. But these positions aren’t available—or attractive—to everyone. Some academic fields, particularly those where the research is not typically funded by large grants, might not have as many funding opportunities. For other grad students, the stipend from one of these positions might not be enough to cover all expenses. Finally, some grad students prefer to keep their work and studies separate, finding work that is unconnected to their advisor, program, and fellow students. Regardless of your reasons, alternative income streams can help mitigate the need for taking out interest-accruing loans. It’s hard work now, but your future self will thank you for the lighter loan payments later.

The good news is that there are numerous options. In this article, I focus on three possible income streams that overlap with your graduate skills, but get you beyond the university—tutoring, freelance writing and editing, and freelance coding and technical work. 

Read more