Studying further is always a good idea. It helps set us on the right career path, makes us stand out above the rest when applying for jobs and gives us a great base of knowledge on which to base your career choices and what you learn will help you be better at what you do. However, while a few people are afforded the opportunity to study with their parents funding it, most need to look at alternative ways to be able to fund the studies. Regardless of whether you’re fresh out of school or have been in the working world for several years, footing the bill for the academics is a hard task to achieve. Here are some ideas on ways to pay for your studies

Traditional banking approach

Personal loans for students are a simple way to fund your studies. It does mean you will be left with a big debt in your bank balance that will take several years to pay off but hopefully with your enhanced academics, you will find yourself in a good earning position to pay it off quickly. Personal student loans are often at reasonable rates because they are used as an opportunity to gain you as a client with the hope that when you go into a more lucrative career the bank you have loaned through will be your bank of choice.

Do some freelance work

If you can write, draw, teach music or any other skill which can be done after hours and on the side, this is a good place to start to offer services to help pay for your studies. The benefit of freelancing is that you have much more flexibility and control over your hours. If things are getting busy towards the end of the term with assignments and exams, then you can cut back on the work to allow more time to spend with the books. There are tonnes of freelance sites that you can use to pitch your skills and find odd jobs. If you don’t think you have a skill that you can outsource, join crowdfunding sites that aren’t dependent on a huge amount of skill but pay a little cash that will help. Examples of these are to do transcribing of audio, write SEO articles, perform odd jobs such as product testing, have your car branded.

Apply for bursaries and scholarships

Spend time searching the internet for bursaries or scholarships that you can apply for. There are dozens available and you might not qualify for all of them, but there will still be plenty that caters to your age, your area of academics and background. Some scholarships are connected to businesses that will offer you a position once you have completed your studies. If you’ve been awarded one of these, you can ask that company if they’re willing to give you holiday work to help pay the bills. This also gives you a good opportunity to gain industry-specific work experience.