It is no exaggeration to say that there is an endless supply of money waiting to be earned online (or at least as much as anyone would ever need to get by). If you tap into the right source, you could develop a lucrative side gig or even ditch your dead-end job for the opportunity to be your own boss.

If you are still in school and are looking for ways to fight back against a mountain of student debt or you just want to have enough money to cut loose on the weekends, the opportunity is there. Today, we would like to focus on five areas that offer easy ways to earn and require little to no investment to get started. Which of these do you think would be the best fit for you?

#1 – Complete Surveys For Money

Surveys are among the oldest and most reliable ways to make money online. You can earn anywhere from a few pennies to a few dollars per. Some companies will pay you even more. Most online surveys only take a few minutes to complete and if you amass enough inside of a month, you can net a sizable payoff for your efforts.

With so many sites offering cash for your opinion, it can be difficult to know where to begin or which ones are trustworthy. This article offers some great information on survey sites and, yes, there are plenty that operate outside the United States.

#2 – Open an E-Commerce Store

E-commerce is a great option for people who are skilled with creating crafts and other custom products like jewelry, clothes, and more. If you create one-of-a-kind or custom merchandise, you stand to earn a significant income in e-commerce.

If, however, you don't have the skills (or the time) to produce products on your own, select a popular niche and start drop shipping. As a drop-shipper, you aren't producing product and you don't have to lay out any money to maintain your inventory. All you do is sell the product on your store and the company offering the product packs and ships it to the customer for you.

If you're worried that you don't know or understand enough about e-commerce to get it right, don't worry. There are a number of valuable resources like this one to help you, or you can just search “e-commerce training” (without the quotes) to discover even more.

#3 – Become a Freelancer

Freelancing gives you the most control over how you earn. In all fairness, most of the suggestions on this list fall under the cover of freelancing, but the major freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr tend to gravitate toward specific services under the freelancing blanket.

Some popular freelancing options include:

Graphic design

Programming and app development

Copywriting

Photography and custom visuals

Voiceovers

Audio and video production and editing

One of the easiest of the above markets to tap is copywriting. There will always be a need for skilled writers to fulfill various tasks from writing blog posts and emails to more involved projects like e-books, scripts, white papers, long-form sales letters, and more.

One growing niche in copywriting is academics. More and more students are looking for help completing writing assignments from simple 5-paragraph essays to college-level term papers. EssayPro offers writing services within this niche and its writers have helped countless students improve both their grades and their knowledge of the writing process.

If you see anything else on the above list that stands out as something you are already good at or would like to learn to do better, consider trying it. Diving into freelancing with both feet is the best way to develop the confidence and skills needed to make a significant online income.

#4 – Be a Virtual Personal Assistant

Being a virtual personal assistant (VPA) is a great way to earn money online. You set your own schedule and complete tasks with which you are already comfortable and skilled enough to charge money to complete. Some VPAs work with a single client, but most only do a few hours' worth of work for several regular clients. Most clients only want to contract for a few hours a week or month, but compensation is typically significant.

#5 – Start a YouTube Channel or Podcast

If you've got the gift of gab and something even remotely interesting to say, take it to YouTube. If you're worried about being in front of the camera, podcasting might be a better option. In either case, you get to choose your topic and present it in an entertaining way.

Whatever your subject or area of interest, there's an audience for it and you can make good money by simply showcasing an interesting subject and adding your own style and personality to it. This one is the most fun, but it is the least immediate in terms of making money. If, however, you commit to it and learn how to promote your channel on social media, it is easy to build an audience quickly ad start generating ad revenue.

Do What Makes You Happy

Remember, the easiest way there is to make money online is the one that makes you the happiest. Settle on something that will keep you motivated and enthusiastic otherwise you will be likely to give up before you get your idea off the ground. If you have an idea that isn't already on this list, go for it. Do your research and figure out how to make it happen because, like we said, the possibilities aren't limited to these five things; they are virtually endless as is the income-earning potential associated with most.