How to Make $10,000 While Still Going to School

If you don’t want to be like everyone else, broke, stressed, and stuck in a never-ending cycle, you need to focus on one thing: making your first $10,000. When I was 18, I had no money and no qualifications, but I did have big ambitions. Instead of worrying about making millions, I set myself the smaller, more achievable goal of making 10K. Now, as a self-made millionaire, I can tell you that the first $10,000 was the hardest to make. But once I hit it, everything changed. It wasn’t just about the money. It was about proving to myself that making money is a skill and not luck. Once I figured out how to make 10K once, I knew I could do it again and again and eventually scale it into real well. So if I had to start from zero and make that first $10,000 all over again, this is exactly how I would do it in three steps.

Stop Chasing Quick-Rich Scams:

Most people make this way harder than it needs to be. They jump into crypto because their friend made money from it, or they tried day trading because some guru promised it would make them rich. The problem is that both these methods need huge upfront cash reserves and crazy luck. These are side hustles,  and they should never be seen as your main source of income.

Instead, think of them as tools to multiply your money. When you are just starting out, you need something that requires a small amount of money to begin with and constantly puts cash in your pocket every day. When you strip away all the noise, there are only really four options. I’ve tried all of these, and take it from me, this choice is crucial because some options offer higher scalability while others are more limited.

In the same way, some generate quick cash while others take more time to make money.

The Local Hustle:

Option one is selling in-person services. Look, you’ve probably heard of these before, but I’m talking personal training, delivery driving, dog walking, nail designing, barbering, videography, and so many more.

Although these services sound so common and basic, they’re actually one of the fastest ways to make money, so don’t overlook them, as they give you a way to get paid immediately. It’s also pretty cheap to get started. All you need is some skills and maybe a few tools, which means you can get up and running very quickly. If you choose to do this, then please don’t mess around trying to build a website, run ads, or make a logo. Just get out there. Find some customers in your local area. Deliver the service and get paid.

I even did this when I was in my teens. I used to walk around rich neighborhoods and offer to wash people’s cars. I’d look out for tidy gardens but dirty vehicles. Now, this might sound strange. However, I was betting that if they were obsessed with keeping their garden tidy, they’d also want a nice shiny car on their driveway to impress their neighbors.

Because these kinds of services are limited by your local area, it meant my demand was pretty up and down. Some months were busy, and others I struggled to make anything. When I was busy, I was only able to work with one person at a time, which limited how much I could make in a day.  So in-person services are great to get started with, but you can quickly feel like they’re limiting your potential.

Handmade Headaches:

That brings me to option two, which is local products. This is selling things like home-baked goods, handmade items, artwork, fresh produce, and much more. This can be a great way to make money, but it’s not something that happens overnight. Unlike services where you get paid as soon as the job’s done, selling local products takes time.

I gave this a go using some of the profits from my car washing business. I bought some cheap model playing parts, then spent some time building each one up, and then sold them to people at the RC Flying Club, which I went to on the weekends. However, I quickly realized I was putting a lot of work in for very little money.

This was hard for me to come to terms with because I really enjoyed building them. Most of my earnings were being eaten up by the cost of materials. And on top of that, my customer base was very limited as there weren’t enough people willing to pay what I needed to make it worth my time. So selling local products can be fun, and it’s definitely worth it if you wanna make some money from something you love.

The Global Cash-Trap:

Option three is global products. This includes starting a clothing brand, drop shipping, sneaker reselling, print on-demand, and so much more. Unlike in-person services or local products, going global means you have access to a much larger customer base, which gives you more opportunities to make money. You are not limited to just the people in your town or city; anyone anywhere can buy from you.

I was so excited about launching my own global products. I even flew all the way to China to partner with a manufacturer to produce my model airplane designs and sell them worldwide. Of course, you don’t have to do this if you choose to go down the drop shipping or print-on-demand routes. However, this wasn’t really an option when I started.

If I’m honest, things started off pretty slowly for me because I had to keep reinvesting my profits back into new products to sell. Every sale required more investment. Once I sold 10 items, I then needed to buy 20 more to keep up. Instead of pocketing the profits, my money kept getting trapped in this endless cycle of restocking. Ultimately, was it worth it? 100%. However, you should only do this if you have the patience to wait one to three months for everything to start kicking off. So when this is up and running, it is probably the most passive way to make money that actually works.

Why Online Services Rule the Fast Lane:

So that brings us to option four, selling online services. This option wasn’t actually possible for me when I was younger, but this is such an advantage nowadays. There are so many different online services you can offer. These include copywriting, video editing, thumbnail design, running ads, social media management, and the list goes on.

Selling online services actually combines the two biggest benefits of in-person services and global products. This is because you get the global reach, but the profit margins of a service. With products, you might make a 20 to 30% margin that needs to be reinvested. With services, you are looking at 70 to 80% margins that go straight into your pocket, plus you can start making money from day one.

Look, all of these are fantastic ways to make $10,000 as a student, especially these last two options. However, if I wanted to start making money as fast as possible, then I’d go with option four: selling online services.

The $10K Skill Pyramid:

So now we need to figure out exactly what online service to offer. So start by asking yourself three questions. What are you really good at? What do you enjoy learning about? And what problems do businesses consistently struggle with? The sweet spot is where your answers overlap.

Most people get stuck at this stage as they spend months or even years trying to perfect their skill before offering it to anyone. That is totally backwards. You need to start getting real-world experience as quickly as possible. So start by setting your prices under the normal market rate. Your main aim here is to earn and learn at the same time. Now, let’s take this one step further.

This is the skill pyramid made up of four elements that, when mastered together, transform a high-income skill into a $10,000 income. Miss just one and you’ll stay stuck at the bottom, working hard but never breaking through.

Element 1: Stop Working for Individuals, Start Hunting Whales:

Element one is positioning. You see, not all online services are equal. The real money is in offering to help businesses make more money. That’s because businesses think about money differently from individuals. When a business is making $50,000 a month, spending $2,000 to solve a problem isn’t a big deal as long as it helps ’em make more money.

And take it from me, they have a lot of these problems. They need more customers. They need better systems. They need to stand out from their competition. And they need to convert more leads into sales. These problems never go away, and businesses are always willing to pay to solve them.

On top of this, some industries simply have more money to spend than others. And if you think about how you can reposition yourself, you’ll start making real money faster. Here are some ideas to get you thinking. Instead of being a video editor for small YouTubers, you could edit videos for an entrepreneur who sells a product. If you make random thumbnails for clients, you could instead aim to become the main designer for an established creator.

And if you’re a copywriter, don’t write cheap articles. Instead, focus on optimizing landing pages. This isn’t about learning more skills, it’s about putting yourself where the money’s being made.

Element 2: Value Over Hours—Your Price is Their Profit:

Element two is leverage. You’ll never make $10,000 without leveraging value over time. Businesses don’t pay for effort. They pay for results. If you stop charging for the hours you work and instead for the return on investment you provide, you’ll instantly make more money.

Let’s say you choose to run Facebook ads. If you charge per hour, you are stuck with a fixed rate, and the client will always want to keep your hours low. But if you charge based on the money you bring in for the business, suddenly they’re not thinking about cost, they’re thinking about profit. And when they see that your work is directly making them money, they’ll happily pay you more for it.

The same goes for if you decide to offer social media management. If you just schedule posts and reply to comments, you are replaceable. But if you can prove that your strategy is bringing in more engagement, more leads, and more sales, you become a valuable asset, not just an expense. Trust me, the moment you shift your pitch from what you do to what they gain, you’ll find a lot of people are suddenly willing to pay a lot more.

Element 3: The Secret to Making Clients Chase You:

Element three is reach. One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting is thinking they always have to chase clients, but that’s not how the game should be played.

Right from the start, you need to be thinking about how to make clients come to you. Recently, I was looking for a graphic designer for a specific task, making movie-style posters. So the first thing I did was look on TikTok for people who made these kinds of designs, and one person dominated the search results. So I reached out to him and asked him for his prices. He told me he was just posting some of his designs for fun on TikTok. He wasn’t even doing it as a side hustle, so he politely declined.

However, his videos kept growing in popularity, and his inbox was flooded with DMs asking to work with him. A few weeks later, he reached back out to me, asking how to start getting paid. I helped him set up a proper business, and now he works for me and many other clients.

This just goes to show that you should always be putting your work out there online, even if you’re just starting out or just doing something ’cause you enjoy it. You never know what opportunities might come from it. So if you edit videos, show before and after clips to highlight how much better your edits make the content. If you design thumbnails, explain why your design got more clicks. And if you are learning social media, document how you are growing an account from scratch.

Element 4: The Underrated Asset That Guarantees Repeat Clients:

Element four is automation. 95% of people who tried to start a side hustle or business fail before they even really get going.

Here’s why: After working with countless copywriters, thumbnail designers, web developers, and video editors, I can tell you that 95% of them promised to deliver on time, then completely missed their deadlines. The thing that will make you stand out the most isn’t talent or charisma, it’s reliability. And overlooking this is the biggest mistake young people make when starting out. The people I’ve ended up paying thousands to aren’t always the best at what they do, but they’re the most organized. They never miss deadlines. They always communicate clearly, and they make working with them effortless.

So take it from me. Being good at what you do is one thing, but being reliable is what gets you paid again and again. So how do you do this? Well, the most successful people I know don’t rely on memory or messy notes. They use automation. And if you’re thinking about making money online, you need something to help you keep track of everything.

That’s why I recommend using a CRM system. Odoo CRM is great. It helps you remember who you talk to, what they wanted, and what you need to do next. Instead of scrolling through emails or DMs trying to find what the client said, everything is in one place. I mean, you can visualize all your opportunities with this call board, which helps you see the expected revenue at each stage, so you know where to focus your efforts. You can also use it to schedule calls and meetings effortlessly. Plus, with your emails, notes, and files all in one place, staying organized is very easy. You can use it to easily track your clients and projects, so you never miss a deadline. You can set reminders to follow up with people, so you always look professional.

At the end of the day, clients don’t just want someone skilled; they want someone they can count on.

Conclusion:

I don’t care how much money you make. Until you see at least $1 million in your bank, you shouldn’t be wasting it. Making your first $10,000 while still in school isn’t about luck, it’s about learning the right skills, staying consistent, and focusing on real value. Forget quick-rich schemes and start small, whether through local services, online work, or global products. The key is to build a skill that solves real problems and makes clients come to you. Stay reliable, keep learning, and reinvest your time wisely. Once you hit that first $10K, you’ll realize it’s not just about the money, it’s about proving that you can build something from nothing.

FAQs:

1. Is it really possible to make $10,000 while still in school?

Yes, if you focus on learning high-income skills and stay consistent with real value work.

2. What’s the fastest way for a student to start earning money?

Start selling online services like copywriting, video editing, or social media management.

3. Should I try crypto or day trading to make quick money?

No, avoid quick-rich scams; focus on skills that bring consistent income.

4. How can I attract clients without experience?

Show your work online, stay active on platforms like TikTok or LinkedIn, and build visibility.

5. What’s the most important skill to make $10K?

Reliability, because clients pay more to people they can count on.

6. What should I do after earning my first $10K?

Reinvest your earnings, improve your skills, and focus on scaling your online services.