23 Feb For Many College Students, Side Hustles Aren’t a Trend, They’re a Necessity

(Photo by Jose Losada on Unsplash)

Commentary, Arianna Caramagno

Reselling clothes, selling art, walking dogs, working for UberEats, braiding hair on weekends — if you know a college student right now, chances are they have a side hustle.

Side hustles can be a source of financial empowerment and a great way to make some extra money. But closely examining the prevalence of side hustles among Gen Z paints a much darker reality for how young adults experience the economy.

For college students in 2026, side hustles have become more of a necessity than a choice.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in December 2025, the overall unemployment rate was 4.5%. For people between the ages of 16 to 19, it was much higher at 15.7%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that same month that the total number of jobs was down by 966,000 from the previous year.

For young adults, finding a job comes with its own unique set of challenges. Having less experience and more academic responsibilities puts Gen Z at a disadvantage. Even if employers are able to accommodate the busy schedule of a college student, students usually only can work part-time and get paid minimum wage.

Being in college isn’t exactly cheap either. Students often end up spending a majority of their paycheck on tuition, food, rent and textbooks. In the Bay Area, where the cost of living is already high, it is not surprising that many students turn to alternative ways of earning money.

Side hustles offer variety and flexibility. Students can work on their own time and find jobs that interest them. This freedom is part of what draws students to side hustles and makes them so convenient.

UC Berkeley students Aidan Henriques and Mihiro Okubo, facilitators of the student-run course Side Hustles for Skill-Building and Extra Income, have both navigated that reality themselves.

“I want to help students find a midpoint between a full-on A.I. startup and driving DoorDash for extra income, something that helps them build relevant skills while making a good and scalable amount of money on the side,” Henriques said.

Henriques has resold electronics and clothing and done stock photography and affiliate marketing, while Okubo spent time over the summer selling her old clothes online. Their experiences are part of what inspired them to help other students start their own side hustles.

But managing a side hustle while simultaneously balancing the academic life of a student can be particularly challenging. Okubo added that time management plays a big role in how students navigate side hustles alongside their studies.

“The biggest challenge that most students have come across is the lack of time that they have to dedicate to a side hustle. It can take quite a bit of time and effort to sustain a side hustle alongside other commitments and academics,” said Okubo.

While having a side hustle as a college student might seem great on the surface, they are interwoven with an intense pressure to succeed. U.S. work culture frequently equates productivity with worth, making rest feel like failure.

But this notion of extreme productivity is an extreme burden on students who are just beginning to enter the workforce. In a world where productivity is highly valued and jobs are hard to find, side hustles become less of a fun way to make extra money and more an example of the obligation to be productive.

Henriques said that the current job market and UC Berkeley’s intense startup culture were some of the reasons that students felt the need to start their own side hustles.

“Many students want to have a backup, while simultaneously looking for the next million-dollar opportunity, ” he said.

For many students, working toward a degree often just doesn’t feel like enough to be considered successful anymore, especially in a day and age where social media changes the idea of what success should look like. Frequently looking at others with more “successful” lives can make your own achievements feel much smaller in comparison.

Over time, juggling multiple side hustles alongside school, internships and personal responsibilities can take a heavy toll on mental and physical health. “Success” by societal standards can often involve pushing yourself past your limits until you reach your breaking point.

Still, side hustles are unlikely to go away anytime soon And for some students, they do provide genuine empowerment.

Okubo said side hustles can offer confidence and a sense of accomplishment beyond financial gain.

“I don’t necessarily want to make millions of dollars from this, but rather I wanted to prove to myself that I can start something and succeed (e.g. make my first sale),” said Okubo. “It’s an incredibly satisfying feeling, and it leaves you feeling confident after getting past the hardest part, which I think is planning and getting started.”

Side hustles can be both freeing and exhausting. While not everyone has the privilege of choosing whether to take one on, it’s important to remember they don’t have to define a person’s value. Success doesn’t have a single shape, and rest is not failure.

Starting small, setting realistic expectations, and giving yourself room to slow down can make all the difference.