5 Side Hustles for Nerds 🤓

Around 60% of college students have less than $1,000 in savings.

But when you add the cost of school supplies, textbooks, food, and late-night DoorDash, you see that this is FAR from enough.

Now sure, one option is to get a job. Maybe you can work as a cashier, barista, or even a babysitter… but most college students barely have time to take care of themselves, let alone another human being.

So that's where side hustles come in. These are more flexible ways for busy students to earn money.

And since I know that most of you are are nerds (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) here are five side hustles just for you.

Run a Paid Newsletter

This first method brought to you by our sponsor, beehiiv!

Okay, here's a side hustle that most students don't think about: running a newsletter. More specifically, a paid newsletter.

If you're able to make tutorials or study guides, you're sitting on valuable knowledge. Why not package it into a weekly or monthly newsletter?

Maybe you can break down SAT math problems every week. Maybe you can share productivity tips for pre-med students. The possibilities are endless.

And this is where beehiiv comes in. It's the platform I use to send out this newsletter, and it makes everything ridiculously easy.

You can set up a paid subscription in minutes, track your analytics, and even use their built-in referral program so your newsletter basically grows itself.

And even if you're not thinking about paid subscriptions yet and just want to grow a free audience first, beehiiv has real growth tools—like a recommendation network that puts your newsletter in front of people reading similar content. And once you’re ready, you can turn on monetization options like ads or paid subscriptions down the line.

The best part? beehiiv is literally how I've scaled my own newsletter to thousands of subscribers. They've got a no-code website builder, customizable templates, and an analytics dashboard that shows me what's working—so I can spend my time writing instead of dealing with tech headaches. If it works for me, it'll work for you.

Look, I'm not saying you'll make thousands of dollars your first month. But if you can get even 50 people to pay $5 a month for your premium study breakdowns? That's $250 in your pocket every single month.

And since you're reading this newsletter, you can get 30% off your first 3 months on beehiiv with code GOHAR30.

Post Tutorials on Social Media

The first side hustle is to post tutorials on social media. Take a specific academic topic, game, or even hobby that you're obsessed with and teach it on video.

Now I know what you're thinking: "Gohar, I don't want to show my face on camera."

You don't have to.

I posted my first tutorial back in 2010 without my face or even voice. I simply downloaded a free screen recorder and filmed walkthroughs for my favorite online games.

And trust me, it's worth making content even if you're not making money at first. During the process, you’ll learn about scriptwriting, video editing, graphic design, and even time management. These are the exact skills you'll need if you want to start a business or land a job in marketing.

My best advice is to get specific. Don't make a video about "how to study" since YouTube has thousands of those already (guilty as charged). Think narrower. Do you have a special acronym for memorizing the Krebs cycle? Do you have a special tip for people who want to learn to play ukulele? This is the kind of knowledge you should share with the world!

Create Digital Study Guides

The second side hustle is to create digital study guides. In the weeks leading up to a big exam, such as the APs, GCSEs, SAT, or ACT, thousands of students are scouring the internet for all the resources they can find.

So grab your exam notes, open up a Google Doc, and break down a topic that trips up a lot of students, such as orgo. Don't just dump everything into a document. Synthesize your notes and include sections, bullets, and visuals to make your study guide easy to use.

Once you've finished your study guide, export it as a PDF and list it on a website like Etsy or Gumroad. You can then share this link with friends or classmates, or even on social media.

But I know what you're worried about… what if you go through all this effort and make zero sales? Well… think about it this way. By making the study guide, you yourself got to study the concepts. And by promoting it on social media, you pick up digital marketing skills.

So even if you don't make money, you're gaining the knowledge that can help you make money down the line.

Tutor

Speaking of knowledge, that leads me to the next side hustle: tutoring. This one may sound simple, but you can take this as far as you want.

What you choose to tutor will determine how much you can charge. If you're teaching an academic subject like chemistry or calculus, you'll generally charge less than if you were tutoring for a high-stakes exam, such as the SAT, ACT, or APs. The more advanced the material, the more money you can potentially make.

You can start with in-person one-on-one tutoring with neighbors, classmates, and family friends. Or you can level up to group tutoring, either in-person or online. This is where the line between side hustle and business starts to get blurry, but it can be worth it if you're up for the challenge.

Become a Virtual Assistant

These next two side hustles are based on my predictions for what will become much more popular in the coming months.

First: becoming a virtual assistant for creators. A report found that in the U.S., the number of full-time "digital creator jobs" grew from around 200,000 in 2020 to around 1.5 million in 2024. Millions of these creators will need help with scheduling content, sending emails, analyzing data, and doing research.

Look out for small-ish creators growing quickly, as they probably need the help. Shoot them a message make sure the message is personalized—show that you understand what their content is about and how exactly you can fit in.

Create Edits

Finally, the weirdest side hustle: create edits. I'm sure you all know what edits are, lol. They’re cinematic montages of athletes, brands, cars, movie scenes, and sometimes totally random items.

Do you remember that Creed edit that went ridiculously viral? It ended up getting nearly 20 million likes and increased the movie's viewership by 30%. I would not be surprised if movie studios, brands, and even creators start paying for edits.

Unlike clipping which is the most basic form of editing, creating edits is probably the most advanced. You need to understand sound design, color grading, visual effects, and so much more. But in a world where social media is becoming more popular and more young people want to start their own business one day, you can never go wrong knowing how to create eye-catching videos.

Do you have any other side hustle ideas? DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know!

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar