In Search of Online Freelance Writing Jobs for College Students

If you’re in college, it can sometimes be difficult to find ways to earn money. Some students can get help from their parents, but not everyone has this ability. With the uncertain economic climate and scarce job market, it can be hard for college students to find traditional part-time jobs in retail, food service, or low-level office positions. If you can write well, one of the best opportunities to make some extra money in college is freelance writing. There are plenty of writing gigs offered online, and anyone who can write well is free to apply. You don’t need a degree, and you don’t need to be majoring in English or journalism.

Getting Started with Freelance Writing

Many people aren’t quite sure how to get started as a freelance writer, but it’s actually easier than you might think. All you need are a few writing samples and, in most cases, a Paypal account, and you can start making money online. If you’ve never published anything before, that’s okay. You can write up a few articles about topics of your choice, or even use some of your school papers and essays. What’s important is that you demonstrate your writing ability to potential clients.

Many people associate professional writing with magazine articles or writing novels and nonfiction books, but this isn’t usually the case. A lot of what you’ll be writing exists for business and marketing purposes. Some of this involves creating web page copy for home pages and “About Us” pages, but nowadays, many companies maintain a blog. Blog articles serve two purposes: connecting with audiences by providing useful and relevant content that establishes a brand as an authority; and boosting a website’s Google rankings by incorporating keywords that people search for. These companies routinely hire writers to create this content for them, which has created plenty of work for freelancers.

There are several places online where people routinely post writing jobs, looking for the right person for the job. Some of these include:

• Bidding sites. Sites like Elance and Upwork allow clients to post jobs, and workers then place a bid. You’ll choose a job you want, then provide some information about yourself, a resume if you have one that’s relevant, and some writing samples. You will also place a bid on how much you would charge for the project. Many beginning writers start off with relatively low-paying jobs, although the assignments are short and can often be completed quickly. However, as you gain more experience, the amount you can make can increase considerably. Many experienced freelance writers charge $50 or more for a typical blog article.


• Content mills. “Content mills” are websites that provide work to writers. Although the pay isn’t particularly high, they’re often one of the best places to get started as a writer.


• Classified sites. Sites like Craigslist also have writing jobs and writing gigs occasionally, making it another good source of new clients.