My college roommate sold feet pics to help her pay her tuition.

That experience—and thousands of similar stories from our community—inspired our first major marketing campaign: "Stop selling your stuff. Start selling your skills."

Why We Built This Campaign

When we started planning our debut campaign, we had two options:

Option A: Safe messaging about "building your future" with stock photos of students smiling at laptops.

Option B: Start with reality—acknowledge how Gen Z/college students actually make money, then show there's a better way.

We chose reality.

The Campaign

Our campaign, fully designed and executed by Gen Zers, spotlights the scrappy, sometimes ridiculous ways students earn cash—sperm donations, selling clothes, feet pics, you name it—and then introduces what we think is a much better option: getting paid by brands you love for skills that actually matter.

The creative contrasts these two worlds: on one side, the quick-cash GIGs that make for funny stories but don't build your future. On the other side, Home From College—where your graphic design skills, social media expertise, and cultural insights become paid opportunities with real brands students actually care about.

What we did:

Times Square takeover – Because if you're going to make a statement, make it big
Wildpostings across NYC – Guerrilla-style messaging where students actually are
Pizzeria takeover near NYU – Free late-night pizza plus messaging where it matters most

Creator collaboration – 100+ Gen Z creators and H\FC loyalists sharing their most absurd college money-making stories and why it's time for opportunities that actually count

Why This Approach Matters

We skipped the polished corporate messaging and started a real conversation about how students actually live and work. Gen Z is already redefining careers—prioritizing flexibility, authenticity, and values-driven opportunities. They don’t need permission to hustle; they need better platforms to channel it.

Bottom line: Gen Z will always find ways to make money. Our job is to make sure that hustle builds careers, not just pays bills.

What's the wildest way you made money in college? Send me your stories at julia@homefromcollege.com, I'd love to read them.

Join Home From College now for a better way to make money.

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University of Iowa

Class of 2026

Iowa City, IA, USA

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