Navigating a busy college schedule is hard. Navigating a busy college schedule while running your own business is even harder.

For Elena Bonvicini, who founded the viral clothing brand EB Denim in high school, scaling her business during her time at the University of Southern California was a tall order. By the time she was a junior, EB Denim was bringing in over $1 million in revenue and Bonvicini was managing a handful of employees and interns.

The success got her thinking: Why keep paying tuition and taking classes when she already had her dream job?

“I was realizing I was already doing what I wanted to do with my future and I was making money,” she told CNBC Make It. “Like, real money that was tangible.”

On top of studying and attending class, Bonvicini would spend her weekends acquiring hundreds of pairs of jeans at the Melrose Trading Post or Rose Bowl Flea Market and building relationships with suppliers. She would then have those jeans reworked into new designs, set up shop in her sorority house and invite her Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters to browse the selection.

If she could drop out of school, Bonvincini thought, she would have even more time to grow her business.

“I probably said it to my mom at least a couple dozen times,” she said with a laugh. “I was on the verge of tears having to study for finals and I was like, ‘Please, mom, I don’t want to go back!’”

Her protests, however, fell on deaf ears. She knew there was “never a question” that she wouldn’t get her degree. Despite the difficulties of juggling her academic and professional responsibilities, Bonvicini made it work.

“It was definitely a balancing act,” Bonvicini said. “I would blow off class if I had to. There were times where I was going to Fashion Week and traveling and I’d just have to let my professors know, ‘Hey, sorry, I’ll have to pay the consequences, but I’m just not going to be there.’”

The now-26-year-old tried to make the most of her time at USC to help her grow EB Denim. She studied public relations and entrepreneurship, fields she said are “directly applicable to my business.”

“As much as it was annoying to have to get out of bed and show up to class and do the assignments, I ultimately was like, “OK, well I’m still applying it to my business, so it’s not the end of the world,’” she said.

Looking back, Bonvicini is glad her mom never gave her permission to drop out.

“My classes made me think about everything in a more professional and sophisticated lens,” she said. “Which I think really helped me in so many ways.” 

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It’s the season of giving, and billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott just announced she’s handed out more than $2 billion to 199 different organizations this year.

That brings the total amount donated by Scott since 2019 to $19.2 billion, based on her past public announcements of her charitable giving. Forbes still estimates a $31.6 billion net worth for Scott, who became one of the world’s wealthiest women following her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon in the divorce settlement.

Much of this latest round of donations went to organizations focused on alleviating poverty, Scott wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

“Roughly 75% of them are non-profits that support the economic security and opportunity of people who are struggling,” she wrote, adding that the organizations offer services ranging from access to affordable housing, healthcare and financial counseling to child development and post-secondary education.

Other organizations that received gifts from Scott focus on areas like “human rights and natural resources conservation,” she wrote.

In 2019, not long after her divorce settlement, Scott signed The Giving Pledge and committed to giving away the majority of her wealth in her lifetime. Since then, she’s routinely ranked on Forbes’ list of the most generous billionaires, giving away roughly one-third of her net worth, according to the publication’s most recent list, published in February.

One goal of her philanthropy is “to de-emphasize privileged voices” such as her own, “and cede focus to others,” she wrote in a 2021 blog post.

“People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in stories about change they are creating,” she wrote at the time. “This is equally — perhaps especially — true when their work is funded by wealth.”

In that same vein, Scott has tasked her investment advisors with identifying “funds and companies focused on for-profit solutions to these challenges” she tries to address through her philanthropy, Scott wrote on Wednesday.

In doing so, Scott would be following in the footsteps of other notable billionaire philanthropists who have embraced what’s known as “impact investing.” That includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund, which focuses on the global health space, and Walmart heir Lukas Walton, whose Builders Vision investing and philanthropy platform shifted 90% of its billion-dollar endowment into impact investments in 2022.

For Scott, the goal is make a difference by investing with funds and companies offering solutions to societal issues before she takes her returns and donates them to non-profit organizations. 

“When I make gifts, rather than withdrawing funds from a bank account, or from a stock portfolio that increases the wealth and influence of leaders who already have it, I’d like to withdraw them from a portfolio of investments in mission-aligned ventures, with leaders from the populations they are serving, or from generally undercapitalized groups like women and people of color,” Scott wrote.

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The place where workers are happiest with their pay isn’t a Big Tech company based in an expensive coastal city, but rather an HR business located in the Sun Belt.

Paycom, an HR and payroll tech company based in Oklahoma City, was named the No. 1 company for best compensation, according to the latest analysis from employee review site Comparably.

The Comparably ranking considers 20 million anonymous employee reviews from the last year and recognizes top employers based on workers’ evaluations of their total compensation package, including how happy they are with their salary, raises, bonuses, benefits, stock and equity.

Workers were asked to respond to prompts including:

• Do you believe you’re paid fairly?
• Are you satisfied with your benefits?
• How often do you get a raise?
• Does your company give annual bonuses?
• If applicable, are you satisfied with your stock or equity?

One review from a Paycom employee noted the company’s generous commission structure, time off and health-care benefits. Meanwhile, at No. 3 Adobe, an employee praised the cloud company’s unlimited PTO, and a reviewer at No. 5 Salesforce was happy with their consistent raises and generous equity.

Here are the top 10 companies where workers are happiest with their pay and benefits.

• Headquarters: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Business: HR and payroll technology company

• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
• Business: Consulting firm

• Headquarters: San Jose, California
• Business: Software company

• Headquarters: Spring, Texas
• Business: Provides waste collection and disposal services

• Headquarters: San Francisco, California
• Business: Cloud-based software company that provides customer relationship management services

• Headquarters: Pleasanton, California
• Business: Provides cloud-based enterprise applications for finance and HR management

• Headquarters: San Francisco, California
• Business: Platform for search-powered solutions

• Headquarters: San Jose, California
• Business: Software provider

• Headquarters: New York, New York
• Business: Website-building and ecommerce platform

• Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Business: Customer platform to support businesses in sales, marketing and customer service

A growing share of people aren’t happy with their pay, according to recent data from Pew Research Center. As of this year, 29% of U.S. workers say they’re dissatisfied with their salary, with many concerned that their pay hasn’t kept pace with the cost of living, they’re being underpaid for the quality or amount of work they do, they don’t earn enough to pay their bills or they’re paid less than a coworker who does similar work.

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In 2022, I quit my job to fulfill my longtime dream of traveling the world full-time for a year and a half. My journey through 12 countries in Asia and six in South America cost exactly $34,563.38.

I stayed meticulous about one thing from beginning to end: I tracked every penny I spent, from a $600 flight to a 50-cent trip to the bathroom.

I spent an average of about $1,920 per month, which is about my typical monthly budget living very frugally in LA and previously, in NYC. To make ends meet and save for my trip, I rented in uncool parts of town and lived with roommates in small spaces for five years. I ate out a couple times a week and only made coffee at home, unless I was working from a café.

Here’s everything I spent during my 18 months in South America and Asia, broken down by category.

This category includes the survival essentials I stocked up on before the trip, such as a suitcase, packing cubes, cargo pants, hiking shoes, and water shoes. 

In retrospect, I should’ve focused on packing items that can’t easily be found elsewhere, like my favorite brand of mosquito repellent, instead of items I could easily buy abroad. I regretted, for example, being burdened by the dead weight of too many clothes I had to lug on cars and planes all over the world. 

I could have spent as little as $5 to $15 for a bed in a hostel, but I craved the comfort of my own space at the end of a long day exploring. On average, I spent $20 to $25 per night for my own room in a comfortable mid-range hotel, usually with breakfast. 

Stays I considered great value at that price point included Chandi Hotel in Bali, Indonesia; Hoianian Central Villa in Hoi An, Vietnam; and S2 Residence in Krabi, Thailand. 

There were outliers too. For example, I paid just $9 per night for a hotel of similar quality a block from the beach, in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Similar quality hotels cost closer to $50 to $100 per night in the major hubs of Brazil, China, Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Luckily, my mom or husband joined me in all these places except Brazil, and we split the bill.   

Flights: $4,885.14

Ground transport: $3,189.53

I took 40 flights during my trip, in economy class with checked luggage. There were many opportunities to take an overnight bus for one-quarter to half the price. But I hated the idea of sleeping on a bus, using bus restrooms, or driving narrow winding roads in the dark. 

Flights within countries typically cost between $50 to $100, and twice that to fly across very large countries like China or Brazil. Flights between neighboring countries cost me $100 to $200. Flights between non-neighboring countries cost me from $100 to $300. The farthest distance I traveled was from Osaka, Japan, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and it set me back $140.28. 

I also used about 200,000 credit card miles to cover some of my flights.

When I didn’t fly, I took buses, vans or bullet trains. Three-to-seven-hour bus and van journeys cost me $10 to $20. The bullet train across about 860 miles from Xian to Shanghai in China cost me $94. A two-week unlimited bullet train pass in Japan cost me $224. 

I used a lot of rideshare services, which often cost just $1 or $2 for a two or three-mile ride by motorbike.

Coffee: $411.05

Alcohol: $557.95

Everything else: $6,109.36

Aside from a couple salads I made in Japan, I never prepared my own food. Half the time, breakfast was included at my hotel. Otherwise, I usually ate at charming or trendy mid-range restaurants as well as vibrant night markets. 

My favorite go-to spots included Temple Coffee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Milu by Nook in Bali. I usually paid $7 to $10 for an entrée and non-alcoholic drink. Meals at no-frills spots or night markets where many locals eat typically cost me $2.50 to $6. Night market treats cost about $1 per serving. 

I tried fine dining a couple times, paying just $12 for lunch and $22 for dinner for exquisite multi-course meals in Bolivia.  

I often ordered fancy lattes at trendy cafés for about $2. I was surprised to learn that my iced latte habit only added up to $411 in 18 months. 

I drank alcohol about once a week, paying around $5 at mid-range restaurants and bars, and $10 to $12 at the most high-end venues. 

My biggest splurges included $500 for a four-day three-night all-inclusive tour through the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, and $270 for a three-day two night all-inclusive excursion on a motorbike through the Vietnamese countryside of Ha Giang. 

I took 25 guided eight-hour tours in Southeast Asia and South America, each costing about $20. The most memorable include island hopping and swimming in turquoise waters in Thailand and chasing waterfalls and running through rice paddies in Bali, with my own private guide. 

I visited many museums, places of worship, castles and natural landmarks. Entry fees typically cost $1 to $5. 

I spent $1,263.72 for traveler’s health insurance, which would cover up to $100,000 in expenses in case of an accident or illness. That insurance came in handy when I had one case of food poisoning and one very bad case of Covid. 

I paid $563 for travel vaccines, including for yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A, and Japanese Encephalitis. The latter would have cost $400 to $500 in the U.S., according to my research, but I paid just $58 in Bangkok. 

After I lost my retainers in Vietnam, I had them remade in Korea for about $150.

Clothes: $1,048.24

Souvenirs: $216.86

Gifts: $661.91

I mostly shopped at hole-in-the-wall boutiques or vendors set up on the street, where there are no price tags and it’s all about bargaining. To avoid overpaying, I held off on buying right away and kept in mind that competition was often on my side. 

I inquired about pricing with multiple vendors. That process helped me figure out the lowest acceptable rate, or the last price I was offered before vendors let me walk away. 

That’s how I knew I was getting a good deal on custom-made Vietnamese silk dresses in Hoi An. After inquiring around, I ended up paying $34 per dress and left Vietnam with 14. 

Sometimes I bought things on the spot when I felt the price seemed very reasonable. I didn’t mind if the vendor earned a few extra dollars, because I still felt it was a great deal and the money would mean more to them than it did to me. 

For the most part, as an American citizen, I didn’t need a visa or paid for visas on arrival. Those typically cost about $30 to $40. 

There were outliers, though. The visa for China cost me $205 in application and printing fees and the visa for Bolivia cost $160. I was surprised to learn of that requirement two hours before we reached the border from Peru and scrambled to gather the necessary documents before arrival. 

I occasionally indulged in luxuries I almost never spend money on in the U.S., where I often feel I can’t justify the cost. I got gel manicures for about $15 and massages for $5 to $10. I took yoga and meditation classes in beautiful facilities in Bali, which cost $10 each. Haircuts cost about $8. I also regularly stocked up on toiletries, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent.

This encompasses fun activities for the sake of escapism that don’t count as sightseeing or cultural experiences. That includes entry fees to the few nightclubs I visited, arcade games, a Spotify music subscription, and hookah with friends.

I’m surprised at how little I actually spent on escapism. You can party hard very affordably with other tourists in Southeast Asia and South America, especially when staying at hostels. In my early to mid-20s, I would have jumped at the opportunity, but in my early 30s, I didn’t feel drawn to it. 

Abroad, I lived extremely comfortably on about $1,920 a month — more so than the average backpacker I met. I never cooked for myself, ordered fancy iced lattes on a regular basis, and splurged on 14 custom made silk dresses in one week.

I had become very jaded living in expensive coastal American cities, feeling like I could never afford a house or kids and constantly comparing myself to people who have more than me. I felt poor, like I never had enough and was never doing enough. 

Tracking my spending showed me that I have enormous purchasing power in most of the world. I’m not a helpless victim of inflation and the soaring cost of living in the U.S. Actually, I’m extremely privileged and lucky. 

The experience helped me to shift from a mentality of scarcity and helplessness to one of abundance and gratitude. It reminded me of how rich I am and how much I have to be thankful for. It helped me realize I have — and am — more than enough. 

Helen Zhao is a former video producer and writer at CNBC. Before joining CNBC as a news associate, she covered residential real estate for the LA Business Journal. She’s a California native and a proud USC Trojan and UCLA Bruin. 

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Not all side hustles require you to fill up your gas tank or form an LLC.

The right virtual gig can help you make extra money from the comfort of your own couch, say side hustle experts. Most options only require a laptop — cozy blankets and college degrees optional — and some can pay up to $270 for only 30 minutes of work.

The average American has about five hours of free time per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — so it helps to know which side hustles are worthy of your time. Gigs like artificial intelligence training and virtual assisting can take longer to start, but they usually pay more than other low-effort side hustles, even if you can only commit one night per week, says Nick Loper, founder of the Side Hustle Nation blog.

“There’s a whole world of low-paying survey apps, and you can get paid to play mobile games,” Loper says. “For a little bit higher earning power, you’re probably going have to fire up your laptop.”

Here are four remote side hustles you can start right now:

Online surveys

Some websites and apps will pay you to answer survey questions, typically so they can use or sell the data they collect for customer and market research.

Some, like Swagbucks, allow you to take surveys, play games or participate in cashback shopping, and get paid through gift cards, PayPal or a check. But you don’t earn very much money per activity, meaning other options provide a better per-hour rate, says Kathy Kristof, who runs the side hustle review blog SideHusl.

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to earning passive income online

Kristof’s recommendation is research firm Prolific, which pays participants a minimum of $8 per hour to fill out surveys for AI firms and universities, according to its site. But there’s currently a waitlist to join, and sites with higher payouts do typically have more rules and barriers.

Research platform Respondent, for example, only allows you to take surveys that need responses from someone in your demographic range or with your level of professional experience. Current listings include a general survey about sexual wellness, which pays $40 for 20 minutes of participation, and a CEO survey about generative AI that pays $270 for 30 minutes.

The average Respondent project pays $75, according to its website.

Virtual tutoring

You can virtually tutor on any subject, from academic classes to music lessons or even social skills. Platforms like Outschool or Wyzant typically allow you to set your own rates, meaning the amount you make can vary depending on your experience and topic expertise.

You might need to take some time to figure out which skills are in-demand during your available hours, and use that knowledge to start building a loyal clientele. Bar exam tutors on Wyzant typically charge between $40 and $90 per hour, and elementary math tutors charge between $30 and $50 per hour, according to the platform.

Wyzant keeps about 25% of each transaction, and Outschool keeps 30%, according to their websites.

Steve Menking, a former equities trader at SMB Capital, found success charging $150 per hour on Wyzant back in 2017 for tutoring in subjects like accounting and calculus, he told CNBC Make It last month.

For extra cash: If you create your own teaching materials, like worksheets or lesson plans, you can sell them on Teachers Pay Teachers, an Etsy-style online marketplace for professional educators.

AI training

AI trainers evaluate the accuracy, precision and effectiveness of chatbot responses. At some tech companies, that’s a full-time job — but everyday people can sign up on websites like Remotasks and DataAnnotation Tech to chip in during their free time.

To get onto DataAnnotation Tech’s platform, you to take an hour-long assessment on your ability to decipher AI responses. If accepted, you can get paid about $20 an hour through PayPal, according to the website.

Some tasks can take longer, depending on their difficulty and your own experience, and you’ll have to take more unpaid assessments if you want to work on higher-paying projects. The tasks themselves tend to take a fair amount of mental energy, says Loper.

“The onboarding process is a little tedious. They put you through the ringer to make sure you’re human and can form sentences,” Loper says. “But [I’ve heard] it’s like if you passed high school English, you ought to be able to pass this test.”

Virtual assisting

Especially around the holidays, many businesses need help managing their increased workloads, says Loper. Enter virtual assistants, who remotely handle administrative business tasks like managing email inboxes, scheduling meetings, organizing Excel docs or working customer service.

Platforms like Belay and Time Etc connect virtual assistants to employers, and pay a minimum of $17 per hour once selected after an application process, according to their websites. You can find similar jobs posted directly by employers on job search websites like Robert Half, LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, and you can advertise your virtual assistant services in Facebook groups or on freelance platforms like Fiverr.

The amount of time required probably depends on the specific job and the employer’s preferences.

“Solving other people’s problems” with your own skillsets can always be lucrative, Loper says. “I’ve hired people for content writing, for podcast editing, for video editing, website technical improvements and even. Pinterest marketing strategy. You can find support for graphic design, for editing and proofreading.”

Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Sign up for CNBC’s online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories.

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