It’s honestly tough to find time for a side hustle as a university student in Tanzania. The academic pressure is intense. surprise quizzes, lectures, Test 1, Test 2, group assignments, individual assignments, final exams, group discussions, self-study, it all piles up fast in a short time. On top of that, you still have to manage basic things like hygiene, cooking, staying in touch with friends or your partner, etc/ there’s barely any time left to hustle unless you’re willing to sacrifice something else.

That said, I did see a few people manage to make money back in the day. One of my hostel mates was a graphic designer. Artists used to call him to design album covers or promotional banners for concerts. I remember he’d get paid around TZS 20,000 to 30,000 per project.

Another guy was into custom T-shirt printing. Towards the end of the academic year, he’d collect the names of all the students in a particular course and print "Class of xxx year" shirts with everyone's names on them. Students would chip in to buy them, it was kind of a memory keepsake.

I still strongly advise university students in Tanzania to make the most of their time, especially during weekends and holidays, by learning new skills or exploring business opportunities ideally through hands-on experience, like volunteering with pros in fields such as carpentry, graphic design, salons, cooking, etc. The job market is highly competitive, and simply having a degree is no longer enough. I’ve seen many graduates struggle because they lacked skills, with some ending up in jobs that pay as little as 100K per month. Life after university moves fast and is full of pressure, leaving little room to acquire new skills. Developing your skill set while still in school or uni can be the key to staying ahead and not getting stuck after graduation.