How Can I Make Money After Graduation?

Making money and earning a living now that you’re done with school is probably pretty high on your priority list, especially since those student loans have turned against you (sob).

While you’re poring over online job listings and actually giving a second thought to those newspaper clippings your mom keeps sending, here are a couple more ways you can make some money after graduation.

Stash away some of that graduation money

Okay, hang with me – and close those tabs proudly displaying four different 4K TVs that you’re racking your brain to choose between. If you want an easy way to earn a little extra money before you have a steady job, an online savings account is going to be your best friend as long as you start filling it now.

Online bank accounts typically have much higher interest rates than your average hometown bank (or even national ones) because they don’t have to worry about physical location costs. Less cost for online banks means more interest for you, so you’re literally earning money by not spending it.

You won’t necessarily be raking in the dough, but you will have money stashed for a rainy day and essentially be getting paid to do nothing.

Dabble in some freelancing

“I hear you, but I’m not a specialist at anything,” you cry. “If I can’t find a job in the field I majored in, what on earth am I supposed to do?”

And then I point you to this guy, who is literally making money by singing Happy Birthday to strangers on the internet – opera style.

Chances are, there’s someone out there who needs your particular skills, like making birthdays a little more bourgeoisie. Plenty of sites like Etsy and Fiverr are waiting to be the middle man so you can market yourself!

Learn how to make your taxes work for you

Oh yeah, about those taxes! Gotta get my two cents in here.

Now’s the time to start keeping tabs on any financial records you have; you never know what might help you save on your taxes next year, from moving expenses to student loan bills to receipts. Whether you keep them in your laptop or a hand-me-down filing cabinet, you’ll thank yourself when Tax Day rolls around again if you keep your records in one place.

Post-grad life may feel a bit overwhelming right now, but fear not, brave new adult. Just because you don’t have a 9 to 5 right off the bat doesn’t mean you’re going to be couch surfing forever.