(Veronica Kaibigan / Fourth Estate)
Why more college students are choosing side hustles over part-time jobs
BY MADISON CHANG, STAFF WRITER
While scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, it is common to find college students running their own small businesses. More and more are leveraging their talent to earn a quick buck while balancing homework and exams. From freelancing to small online shops, side hustles let students take control of what they earn — and, sometimes, turn their creativity into income along the way.
Though traditional part-time jobs like working retail or food service have long been the norm, more students are turning to side hustles as a way to make money on their own terms. They can use social media and digital platforms to build businesses straight from their dorm rooms. While the appeal of flexible hours and creative freedom is clear, this growing trend can also be demanding and time consuming.
What’s driving this shift toward side hustles? Rising living costs, more accessible digital tools and social media’s ability to turn hobbies into profitable ventures.
According to an Intuit survey, 66% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents reported having or wanting to start a side hustle, highlighting a significant entrepreneurial shift among young adults.
As the economy and perceptions of work continue to evolve, many Gen Zers and millennials are redefining the “American Dream” — and for many, owning a business is the key to achieving it. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Etsy offer instant access to potential clients and ways to build brand awareness — tools that previous generations didn’t have.
Veronica Kaibigan, a senior at George Mason concentrating in graphic design, runs a small business called Koppopi, which sells handmade charms, keychains, and stickers. It started off as a hobby, but quickly evolved into a way to make extra money. “Once you start getting good at something, family members will be like, ‘You could make money off of this, or, ‘You should try to sell your art.’ So, I kind of slowly tried to incorporate an online store.”
The initial success of Kaibigan’s side hustle has sparked a desire to take things further. “My non-realistic dream would be to just keep making stickers and prints because the connection and the experiences that I get from seeing people enjoying my craft and I would so do that like, ten times over working a server job,” she said.
Kaibigan also expressed her interest in turning her small business into a full-time career if the opportunity arises. “If I could turn it into full time, I would. I always joke about being a stay-at-home person, and [having] someone else support me, but I know that’s unrealistic,” she said.
Melissa Wang, a sophomore at William & Mary, also started her side hustle with a hobby. Wang, who has been crocheting for years, runs a small business called YarnPop, which she saw as a way to continue her craft without being limited to personal projects. “There’s only so many things that I wanted to make for myself, so starting a business was kind of like the perfect outlet,” she explained.
Wang has been running her business since high school and doesn’t plan on expanding it beyond her local area. “My main reason for having this is kind of a way to de-stress for myself, but also, like, gain some of that hands-on business experience on a smaller scale.” The business is a fulfilling hobby rather than a full-time career ambition for Wang, but she still hopes to grow her operation in a sustainable way.
“I would love to have a website going and have more consistent orders and listings. For right now, that’s my biggest goal.”
Balancing school, stress and a business isn’t easy, but the trend of student side hustles shows no signs of slowing down. The journey from passion project to full-time business is just beginning. As more students dive into this world of opportunity, the future of work might be defined by a new wave of student entrepreneurs who are driven to build something new.
