Web helping broke students

Students no longer have to be known as "broke students" thanks to a number of tools available online that help them earn a consistent stream of revenue throughout the year.

"Students can avoid working a minimum wage part-time job during the school year," reports PRMediaNow Founder Scott Ledingham (scott_led on Twitter), "and instead use the Internet right from their dorm room to earn money."

There are a number of options for students depending on their interests and the program they’re enrolled in.

For graphic design students there are sites like CafePress and Zazzle that allow the artistic types to sell their designs on various clothing, cards and posters to earn commission.

For the more serious entrepreneurs and business and marketing students Shopify.com can have an online store easily up and running in minutes for anyone, regardless of their Web experience.

Students even can carry their store(s) with them to class on their smart phone, thanks to a new application. Students are then managing their online stores during those "long boring lectures." 

For writers, blogging sites allow journalism students to write about their interests while making money off ads and gaining experience at the same time. Sites include American Public Media-financed Gather.com, which pays in points that can be redeemed for PayPal payments.

Meanwhile, anyone with any interest can participate in online store/blog experiences such as Squidoo.com. Students can create a "lens" that spotlights their interests, whether curricular or not, and select items from Amazon.com and other online retailers that complement their content. Squidoo then cuts the students a check for a percent of the commission it gets from the online retailers.

How about you? What strategies do you know of to help make money (legally) online while in school?