Students earn 10 million VND/month from part-time jobs.

(Baonghean) - Business is no longer unfamiliar to students; this job not only helps them earn extra income but also provides practical experience.

Diverse business approaches

A student earning 10 million VND per month? Many would surely be skeptical. But for Nguyen Thi Sao Mai, it's the result of two years of hard work pursuing her entrepreneurial dream. Studying Resource and Environmental Management, a field seemingly unrelated to business, yet this passion continued to drive this fashion-loving young woman.

Student Nguyen Thi Sao Mai has been quite successful in the fashion business. Photo: Quang An

To achieve the income that many students dream of today, Mai has overcome numerous difficulties. Starting her business with only 200,000 VND in hand, and having been independent since childhood, she didn't want to ask her parents for money because if it failed, she would bear the burden alone and wouldn't want to affect her family. With that 200,000 VND, Mai went to clothing stores and asked to "take goods on credit." After much pleading, the store owners allowed her to take the goods on the condition that she would repay the money immediately after selling them...

After two years of getting acquainted with the business, thanks to her good communication skills and guaranteed product quality, Mai gradually became known to people, and her business gradually improved. The monthly profit of over 10 million VND was used to cover shipping costs and the next order. Her parents also accepted Mai's passion and renovated a small space for her to run her business at home.

Mai said: "I'll be graduating in two months, and I'll try to find a job in my field. I'll have to leave the clothing business to my mother, but even if I don't find a job I like, I'll still pursue this profession because it's been my passion since childhood, and at least I have experience and connections built over the years."

As for Dang Thi Nhu Quynh, a third-year law student at Vinh University, she was always concerned about finding a way to earn money to help her parents. Quynh searched online for videos on making handmade items and tried her hand at it. After her initial creations, she posted them on Facebook and was surprised to receive many orders. Recognizing this as a business opportunity, Quynh dedicated more time to making more. Currently, she earns a decent income to cover her tuition fees.

With the boom in technology, many students are now selling goods both in physical locations and online, offering free shipping, which has helped many students increase their income many times over compared to traditional sales.

Student Le Thi Van from Vinh College of Education shared: “Before the holidays, we pooled our money to buy supplies. First, we arranged eye-catching flower baskets to post on Facebook groups and fan pages to introduce our products. When customers want to buy, our delivery team will deliver the flowers to their doorstep completely free of charge. Especially during holidays when the weather is bad and we can't sell on the street, we mostly sell online. Thanks to this, our income can increase threefold compared to what we expected.”

Students often pool their resources to start businesses together. Photo: Quang An

Currently, people are very worried about food safety and hygiene. Understanding this concern, many students have been proactive and creative in their business ventures. Utilizing social media, they have been bringing local produce to the city to sell, advertising on social media platforms, and attracting a lot of attention. These products could include fruits harvested from their own gardens, free-range chicken eggs, etc., with clear origins and the ability to contact sellers for quality inquiries. Therefore, these items are in high demand. This is one of the products that many students' families can produce themselves.

Essential tools for starting a business.

Despite the smiles of success and the tears of losses and failures, it's undeniable that starting a business while still in university has helped many students gain life experience, hone their communication skills, and earn a considerable amount of money to cover living expenses and help their parents with monthly costs.

Tran Manh Hung, a final-year student at Vinh University of Technology and Education, recalled: “When I first had the business idea, I faced strong opposition because my father wanted me to focus on my studies. But I was determined, so I borrowed money from relatives and rented a small kiosk to sell laptop and phone accessories. Initially, the profits weren't enough to cover the monthly rent. There were times I wanted to give up, but then, encouraged by others, I continued my studies in electronics and information technology, combining sales and repairs to earn extra income.”

To date, I've been in business for two years, and after deducting expenses, I've managed to save around 3 million VND each month. For a student like me who's working part-time, that's a considerable amount. And perhaps after graduation, with the experience I've gained over the past two years, I'll continue to pursue this profession.”

Many students choose part-time jobs to better manage their time between studying and earning extra income. (Photo: Archival image)

For students who engage in seasonal sales, holidays such as International Women's Day, Vietnamese Teachers' Day, Valentine's Day, etc., are "golden opportunities" to earn extra income.

Nguyen Thu Ha, a business administration student, said: "Every year, my female friends and I organize flower sales during holidays. Besides increasing our income, this job is like a practical training course for the profession. It helps us interact with many different types of customers, improve our communication skills, and learn how to calculate and make a profit with a relatively low initial investment."

Dr. Ho My Hanh, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Economics at Vinh University, stated: "Currently, the number of students engaging in business is increasing. They are both running businesses at their physical locations and selling online, and this is considered a common trend among dynamic and creative young people. At Vinh University, we highly value this trend and are ready to provide advice to help students enhance their entrepreneurial thinking while they are still in school."

However, the challenge is that students need to manage their time effectively, balancing their studies and business activities. There have been cases of students skipping classes to "ship goods" to customers, which is not good because, for students, studying is still the most important thing.

Quang An - Le Quynhh