The new economy, whether you call it: the sharing economy, the collaborative economy, the gig economy or by one of its many other names, is helping college students most. Just 7 years ago, when I went into my first semester of college, the only job options were the usual: retail, restaurants and babysitting. It wasn’t inspiring and it didn’t give me the opportunity to find out what I wanted to do after I graduated. All the internships at the time were unpaid. Like many people, I had to pay my way through college, so that wasn’t an option for me.

Even now many internships want to give you college credit or require you to have a bachelor's degree. What’s with that? How can you expect college students to get the experience they need if you don’t give them the opportunity to do so while in school? It’s the catch 22 scenario of I need experience to get a job, but no one will give me a job to get the experience. So you’re stuck in a situation where you’re taking jobs, that yes, will allow you to live paycheck to paycheck, but doesn’t allow for growth.

The new economy offers students opportunity to get experience in different niches in their city. Fiverr, elance, and Cloud Peeps are great examples of platforms that allow you to explore your skills in a freelance setting; so whether you are interested in graphic design, marketing or programming you’re able to exercise those skills with real clients. There are endless options to find something you love.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no shame in working in the customer service industry, I did it for years, but this gives those who don’t want to go that route freedom to explore opportunities more closely aligned with their career goals. Chances are, by the time these young millennials graduate, they’ll be going into a position within this genre of business. So why not start early?