Students take online route to earn & learn

Studying, making money and gaining experience, all at once. With a world of jobs and business opportunities opening up online, a number of students are earning and learning simultaneously.

Three years ago, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree, Pune resident Gaurav Jaju, 26, taught science to students at home to earn some money. The experience helped. Now doing a master’s degree in pharmacy, Jaju conducts online lectures for students in his free time. He is registered on a site, through which students and their parents contact him for lessons. Not only is he gaining valuable teaching experience, he earns up to Rs 15,000 a month in this manner.

Mumbai-based management student Tito Idicula, 26, also realised the earning potential of online opportunities early. In 2015, while pursuing his postgraduation, he skipped the chance to do an internship and instead co-founded an edu-tech firm, Programming Hub, with like-minded friends. The startup provides a one-stop solution for learning programming languages.
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Tito Idicula, 26, Mumbai
HIS EARNING MOVE: The student of e business co-founded a startup, which has won a mentorship under the Google Launchpad accelerator program. The founders expect to generate around Rs 1 crore from advertising revenue.

Idicula divided his time between the startup and studies. In May 2016, the efforts paid off when the startup earned a six-month mentorship under the Google Launchpad
Accelerator Program. For Idicula, it has been a dream run. He feels it was a wise decision to start an online venture where the earning potential from advertisements is immense.

Online jobs or business ideas are available to suit the interest, expertise and field of study of students. Says Santanu Paul, CEO and MD of online technology-enabled experiential learning platform TalentSprint: “Online work is critical for Indian students. It is an important way for them to enhance their employability and attractiveness in the job market. It is also a wonderful way to financial independence.”

The earning opportunities include blogging, tutoring, research, surveys, digital marketing, website development, designing, photo editing and selling. Neeti Sharma, Senior VP at human resource outsourcing and staffing firm TeamLease Services says, “You need to pick a suitable job based on your skills, knowledge and aptitude. Keep in mind whatever you do now will shape your career and life after completion of education.”

Take the case of 26 year-old Bibhas Hazari. A student at IIM-Raipur, Hazari’s hobby is photography and photo editing. Now, despite being a full-time student, Hazari makes anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000 selling his photographs on popular websites. “These websites are one of the best platforms to showcase our talent, create a brand and earn,” he says.

Students looking for assignments and project-based tasks in the information technology, finance or marketing space need to first register on sites like freelancer.in, upwork. com and fiverr.com. “These sites allow students to broadcast their capabilities and skills to a global customer audience and bid for specific assignments and projects where they can make a contribution, while earning valuable pocket money and improving their professional resumes in the process,” says Paul. Students can create their profiles according to their expertise on the site to gain attention. The advantage of gaining any kind of online job experience is obvious. If an employer has to choose between a fresh graduate with a non-descript resume and a fresh graduate with a resume that shows a track record of freelance work, the latter would have the upper hand.

However, students do need to be careful of frauds. Complaints about fake job sites, nonpayment after completion of project and bank account details compromised abound. Websites seeking a deposit even before offering a job opening need to be avoided. “Before you take up an online job, understand the company that you will be working for. Do your due diligence and talk to people from similar fields to get genuine feedback,” cautions Sharma.