How to Make Money Online in Nigeria as a Student

Securing admission to any tertiary institution is an important milestone for every student since students are one step away from landing their dream jobs after completing their studies. However, the completion of a degree program can be hindered by financial constraints, and this can also act as a contributing factor to student underperformance.

This is due to the price hike in school fees, feeding, and accommodation. Students with minimal financial resources may neglect the primary reason for being in school.

Every young adults at some point feel inquisitive about hot to make their own money. They want to explore the money-making opportunities available to enable them sort their bills and afford a comfortable lifestyle.

Word on the street is that the only way to make money online as a student in Nigeria is through internet fraud, but that’s far from the TRUTH!

The goal of this blog post is to debunk that rumor while identifying several academic-friendly money-making ideas, such as freelancing, video editing, content creation, virtual assistant, and much more.

Some Nigerian students shy away from online jobs after considering their  academic performance, while some believe in offline jobs.

The reality is that students who work online can make better grades than students who only focus on educational affairs and online jobs is more convenient than offline jobs.

Making money online as a student provides a viable source of income after school, and students need not follow the trend of engaging in fraudulent actions to make money.

Why Students Look To Make Money Online In Nigeria?

There are several reasons why students look for online money-making opportunities and they are highlighted below;

Post-School Reliance:

One of the needs of finding a means of making online is the need of creating a source of income after school. Most Nigerian students usually face the reality of having no form of financial support from their parents, or sponsors after school. Parents or sponsors think that an individual should be able to fend for himself after completion of his studies.

However, due to the high level of job scarcity in the country, Nigerians struggle with finding jobs after school. Having an existing online source of income while in school saves students from the stress of aggressively searching for jobs or settling for unfavorable job conditions.

Financial capability:

Students have numerous needs aside from food clothing and the purchase of academic books. It takes wisdom to be able to manage the finance received from home; and in most cases, the money received from home is not always enough to afford everything a student need.

The tertiary institution is a different island where people live to impress their friends, coursemates, and neighbors. Most students also love to follow the trend by buying what other students are buying.

Overcoming Peer Pressure:

A larger percentage of Nigerian youths are into fraudulent activities, prostitution, and other despicable ways to make extra income. Nigerian students who want to maintain their value while earning money online can search for money-making opportunities that revolve online. Every Nigerian student desires to be able to afford whatever they want in other to curb peer pressure.

Convenience:

One of the most important factors to consider before choosing a side hustle job is how convenient it is to manage both school and the job at hand. In contrast to international countries, the time frame of most offline jobs is not usually convenient for students in Nigeria.

A student whose working hours clash with his studying hours is doomed to fail. Online jobs offer flexible working hours for students in Nigerian tertiary institutions. For example, a student who works as a freelancer can set aside 2 hours of his time to complete tasks and projects at hand.

Savings/Investment:

Students who work online can make smart choices with their finances by either saving for a rainy day or investing in several schemes to secure their future. Students who save and invest their money can in turn offer a helping hand to their parents or sponsors.

Skill Acquisition:

In the quest to make money online, students creatively think of skills to offer that can be converted to money.  This will motivate students to learn a new digital skill such as graphics design, programming, digital marketing, etc.

Mentorship:

Students who work online can impact the lives of other students on how to make money while studying. They can show them an alternative to making stress free money without engaging in illegal actions.

Family Convenience:

The Nigerian economy is currently not favorable to every citizen right now and students who depend on their parents to supply their needs may suffer during their course of study. It is tougher for people whose parents have to lift the financial burden of up to 4 kids in high school or tertiary level.

The reality is that most students look for ways to make money online to reduce the financial burden on their parents because let’s face it; the inflation in the country is making it hard for parents to cater to themselves and their children.  Making money online can reduce the stress on your sponsor thus helping them to make better use of their money.

Certification:

Most offline jobs will need to see a certification before offering employment to people and the chances of getting a job as a student are usually slim because employers want someone who will commit their whole body to facilitating their business rather than a student who will only be available to work on specified days and hours.

In summary, these and many other reasons explain why Nigerian students look for ways to make money online.

Exposed: 14 Proven Methods Of Making Money Online As A Nigerian Student

Online Business/E-commerce

This is one of the trending methods of making money in school environments. To start, students must be able to identify a market need, have a customer base, and have the startup capital. Businesses in school environments are bound to thrive because of the large audience within the area.

Students can choose to sell anything ranging from clothing, food items, fashion products, and other service to students within their proximity. You can also choose to take your offline business to the internet by constantly advertising your business on social media platforms.

Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, and Snapchat make it easy to advertise your product and services, while you handle delivery at your convenience time.

There are several examples of students who sell garri parfaits, tiger nuts, zobo drinks, peanuts, cakes, smaall chops, pastries, and other snacks in school who testify to selling faster because of their advertisements on social media platforms.

The key to thriving in any online business is to be readily available to deliver products or services. It is also best to specify available working time in other to set aside time for academic affairs.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the quickest ways to get rich without owning a business. It is a game of referral, but students will only be referring a person or individual to another person’s business. However, the scheme does not pay marketers until after they’ve referred someone who makes a purchase.

In simple terms, this business requires students to advertise other people’s products and services and receive a cash bonus every time someone purchases through you. A unique link is associated with every affiliate marketer making it possible to take records of every sale and distribute commission to everyone who makes sales.

There are various affiliate marketing platforms that offer Nigerian free membership but some may require registration fees. Students who desire to go into this type of online business must be knowledgeable about social media algorithms or know how to gather traffic off the internet.

Blogging

In layman’s terms, this create a web blog with a combination of web hosting and domain to send news and information to a wide audience.

Blogging offers lots of benefits to students, and students who blog can choose any convenient time to handle their business. It is also a great option for students who desire to earn passive income for the long term.

A student can start a blog with less than N10,000 and has the possibility of earning up to N70,000 within the first 3 months. This line of business requires patience and consistency because of the problems involved with generating traffic.

Bloggers in the right blog niches are opened to generate daily traffic are one step away from monetizing their website through ad platforms, affiliate programs, sponsored posts, or marketing a product or service.

Online Tutor

Students undergo a learning process every week in the classroom and are vastly equipped with knowledge in different subject matter. Students who are exceptional in specific subjects can organize an online tutoring program for other students within their campus, or outside their school environment for a subsidized fee.

Getting students to tutor wouldn’t be an issue especially if the course that’s been taught is a complex one. For example, everyone knows how a mathematical subject is complex, and a student who happens to have a higher understanding of these types of courses will have lots of students.

Online tutors in Nigeria also stand a chance of getting international students who will pay more than compared to people in local countries.

Content Creation

Content creation is the new oil money for Nigerian youths. Social media platforms have provided the youths the opportunity to get paid to create content in different niches. Students who have a passion for acting, comedy, cooking, styling, and more can create content in any of these niches and get monetization options from the social media platform or through sponsored posts, partnerships, etc

Cryptocurrency Trading & Investment

Cryptocurrency offers myriads of options for students looking to make extra income after school but the main focus of this post is on the trading option. Students can buy any type of currency pair for as low as N1,600 and trade it on any verified crypto exchange platform such as Binance.

It sounds simple to make money through this platform, but it requires patience and mentorship from a successful trader.

This is another means of making money online without any prior knowledge of cryptocurrency. For this to work, Nigerians will buy any coin of their choice for as low as $0.50 and watch it grow. In most cases, it is best to buy a newly launched coin with a large market cap and watch it grow.

Other times, it is best to buy coins during the bearish season and wait for the value to increase during the bullish season.

Another means of becoming crypto investors is through airdrops where beneficiaries receive a specific amount of coin value and watch it increase in value before buying other coins with the accumulated profits.

Task Platforms

There are different platforms on the internet that allows students perform simple tasks and get paid in return. In this context, the website Hawkit.ng will be used as an example; This website offers Nigerian students a platform where they get paid for using social media. Every day, young people use the internet to browse what’s trending on the internet.

With Hawkit, students get cash bonuses for interacting with social media platforms. This platform does not require a laptop or any form of experience to get started, and social media freaks can get paid doing what they enjoy best.

Virtual Assistant

This is another lucrative job in Nigeria and overseas for students looking to earn an income online. The job description is similar to that of a personal assistant except that it’s more convenient and it does not require certification.

People who work as virtual assistants also have the luxury of working additional jobs offline or online because of the ease involved.

Social Media Management

It’s no news that young people are more conversant with social media platforms. They understand social media algorithms, hashtags, and terms better compared to adults. This explains why companies and brands trust students to help them handle their social media pages.

Students who generate good results from managing different social media and email platforms have a chance at getting future employment opportunities with the brand or company they are representing online.

Online Courses/Digital Books

This is another means of creating a passive income for students. Students who are knowledgeable on a particular topic, skill set, or subject can teach others while getting paid. This is a good option for people looking to make money online without any investment and students can visit the school library to access more information on the area they want to write on.

Students can use this medium to sell any skill or knowledge such as teaching people different life hacks, how to code, how to earn money online, etc. This job also does not require any form of skillset, neither do students need to have an in-depth knowledge of the topic their course is centered on.

Freelance Writing

This job opportunity is opened to students who are creative thinkers and flexible with the use of a pen or digital writing tool. This is a good option for students looking to make money online because every Nigerian student is expected to know how to read and write.

Freelance writings allow Nigerian students to write for bloggers, book authors, website owners, etc. However, the person who hires you for the job gets to take full credit for your content.

Many platforms give Nigerians the chance to kickstart their freelance writing career but Fiverr and Upwork are the people’s top choices. However, getting selected for gigs on these platforms is usually cumbersome because the demand market is over-saturated. But if you remain persistent with the submission of proposals, you will be on the pathway to earning thousands of dollars.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is another excellent way to make money as a Nigerian student without affecting your academics. You can make money by helping a brand owner sell their product while posing as the owner. For example, if you know someone who wants to buy specific clothing, you can help the person outsource the exact item and set your own price for the time.

Dropshippers can also help brand owners in their environment to market their products or services or refer buyers to them while they give commission off every sale that comes through the referral. You can get your potential customers through different social media platforms, or by running advertisements on different online marketplaces.

Video Editing

There are lots of content creators in Nigeria and the diaspora. Most content creators do not have the time to edit their content which is where you can come in as a student looking to make cash. Video editing can be achieved with different apps on your mobile phone such as Inshot, Viva Video, PicsArt, and many others.

5 Common Mistakes Students Should Avoid When Making Money Online

1. Students must however avoid spending too much time on their business than they do on their academics.
2. Avoid paying scammers for mentorship on any of these money making methods. Instead carry out extensive research about the person you choose as your mentor.
3. For increased productivity, students should avoid doing more than two jobs online.
4. Avoid going for job opportunities that do not match your area of interest. The key point of this publication is to help students make money while doing what they enjoy best in their leisure time.
5. Avoid quitting when the journey gets rough.

Conclusion

This post highlighted several ways to earn cash online without having any skill or certification. Students have the responsibility of comparing different job options and choose that matches their area of interest and timing.

Juggling between making money online and balancing academic grades in school may seem impossible, especially for students who are struggling in their academics. However, with the right planning, and determination students can become successful in any of their selected online money making platforms as well as their academics.