By: Nickolas Llana
As more and more uncertainty grows about how long this pandemic will last, so does the worry about financial responsibilities and how we are going to take care of them. As college students, many of us rely on part time or full-time jobs to pay for schooling, housing, or even provide for our families. We’re now scrambling to find any way to make money as many of our jobs have been shut down or layed us off. If you find yourself in this situation, you’ve come to the right place as I will be giving you a couple ways to help ease you out of your financial struggles.
Unemployment rates are reaching levels they have never reached before as millions of Americans continue to file for unemployment. While unemployment is still skyrocketing, many essential workforces are urgently in need of more and more employees. In an article by YahooFinance, various companies such as Amazon, CVS, Dominos and Instacart etc. are seeking thousands of workers to fulfill the growing demand for products. You can apply for these job openings on the company’s website, or on job searching websites such as Indeed or Ziprecruiter.
The quarantine has brought plenty of free time in our lives, so cleaning out your closet and getting rid of stuff that you don’t really use anymore or doesn’t fit you anymore could be a quick and easy way to make money. Apps such as Poshmark, Mercari and Depop make it easy to just snap a picture and sell your unwanted clothing. Most apps will provide you with the shipping label so all it requires is taking it to the post office and shipping it out. Soon, your clothing will start turning into dollar bills.
There’s a popular saying out there that goes: you must spend money to make money. As we are going into a very hard time for the economy, it’s probably the best time to start investing. Investing is more of a long-term profit, rather than money going into your pocket right now. Many stocks have been dropping in value to rates that haven’t been seen in over a decade, meaning it may be your best chance to get the most bang for your buck. If you’ve never invested or been too worried about all the nooks and crannies about the stock market, YouTube is a great place to learn everything you need to know about the stock market and how it works. There’s plenty of videos explaining how to invest and which companies could possibly give you the most return for the money you invest. Apps such as Robinhood and WeBull, make it easy for us college students, to invest right from our phones and keep track of all of our information. Sure, this option may not be the best for someone looking to make money right now, but if you have a bit of spare money, you should really consider putting it into stocks.
Lastly, I wanted to talk about financial support that FIU is offering. FIU understands that we are all facing some sort of financial troubles in one way or another, so they have opened a fund called FIUstrong Fund which would help those students that need it the most. The application is very simple as it asks what your situation is and why you would need the financial assistance. They are currently seeing a surplus in the number of applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as of right now have been able to give out about $280,000 in financial assistance. FIU has made it their #1 priority to make sure their Panthers have a safe quarantine while not having to worry about facing homelessness or malnutrition. If you have any questions about the FIUstrong Fund you can contact the Office of Scholarships at 305-348-0349.
Overall, these tough times have taken a toll on all of us financially but hopefully by following these tips it will help keep your head up but most importantly, PAWS UP.
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