When I quit my job back in 2019 to blog and do gig work full-time, I found myself needing a place to work. I’m one of those people that doesn’t work well from home – I get distracted way too easily – so I always have to get out of the house to do work.
Fortunately, back in 2019, the American Express Business Platinum card had what I think is one of the best deals it has ever had. If you got the card, not only did you get the signup bonus and all the other benefits that came with the card, you also got a free 1-year membership to WeWork. At the time, the card had a $595 annual fee, which easily made it worthwhile for me. Even if I didn’t get the signup bonus or any other benefits from the card, I still would’ve gotten it because it gave me a WeWork membership for effectively $50 per month.
I loved my WeWork membership. It gave me a great space to work. Free coffee. The occasional snacks. And I felt like a professional since I was in an office working with other young people. The amazing thing was that my WeWork membership let me work from other WeWork offices too, so I could have a nice place to work, even when I was traveling. I worked from WeWork offices in Washington DC, Chicago, New York, and Austin during that year and loved that feeling of being a digital nomad.
At the beginning of 2020, American Express extended the WeWork benefit for another year, so I renewed my Business Platinum card since the WeWork membership made the annual fee worth it.
You can probably guess what happened next. The pandemic suddenly hit in March and I stopped going to the WeWork. I switched to working from home and I let my membership lapse at the end of the year.
Once I was fully vaccinated, I wanted to get back out there. But without my American Express WeWork benefit, I would have needed to pay for a coworking space. The spaces I did find all cost about $200 per month – a bit much for me (especially since my coworking membership had been basically free for two years).
I tried a bunch of different places as a coworking space alternative. I started out in coffee shops. Did the occasional visit to a library. But then, I found what I think is the best free coworking space available – college campuses.
Here’s why I think college campuses make great coworking spaces.
Why College Campuses Make Great Coworking Spaces
Doing my work from campus made a lot of sense. I lived in a college neighborhood, so the campus was always a defining feature for me.
My son’s daycare was also by campus, so it worked out well. I could drop him off in the morning, then make my way over to school to get some work done. At the end of the day, I could swing by the daycare and pick him up, then make our way home. When we moved to a different house farther away from campus, we kept my son in the same daycare, so it’s still been easy for me to drop my son off at daycare, then head off to campus to do work.
When you think about it, college campuses are built for coworking. Consider all the features they have:
- Nice buildings and tons of comfortable spaces to work from. Finding a good table to work from has never been a problem.
- Free WiFi everywhere.
- Plenty of outlets you can use, so I can easily charge all my devices.
- Lots of young people working, which gives a lot of energy to the place.
- Tons of food options, so I can always get a good lunch or snack.
- Water fountains (and filtered water even).
- Clean public bathrooms.
- Lots of bike parking. And during the day, it’s pretty safe to leave my bike locked up outside because there’s so much foot traffic from students.
All these features were a major improvement from working in a coffee shop. While I like coffee shops, the popular ones are always really crowded during the day, which makes finding a spot to work difficult. In a coffee shop, I always had to buy coffee too, which meant spending a few dollars every day on something I didn’t always need.
By contrast, I’ve never had issues finding a comfortable spot to work on campus. There are so many tables and places to work that if I can’t find somewhere to work in one place, I can easily head to another.
No one ever bothers me either, even though I’m not a student. If it’s a public college, I think they always have to be open to the public during the day, so access has never been an issue for me. It also helps that I look pretty young. Even though I’m in my mid-30s, I can easily pass for a grad student. If you’re older (or look older), maybe you’ll feel more self-conscious working next to a bunch of students, but I feel like a student when I’m here.
Since there are so many different buildings to work from, I can also switch up where I’m working from, although I’ve found myself sticking to three main places (which I’ll talk about in more detail in the next section).
Where To Work On A College Campus
I’ve found myself gravitating towards three main places on my college campus. The first is the student union. There are two places in the union that work out particularly well. The first is a seating area near a Starbucks. It’s nicknamed “the Cube” because it’s shaped like a cube and has huge windows all along the walls. Interestingly enough, it’s where I did all my studying back when I was in law school.
In the summer, the Cube works out really well because most students are on summer break, so there’s always plenty of seating. It’s a bit less convenient during the school year since a lot of the good tables get taken pretty quickly in the morning, but if I get there early enough, I can usually snag a decent table.
Another option in the student union is the bowling alley in the basement. You wouldn’t think of a bowling alley as a good place to work, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. It’s not busy during the day (who bowls in the middle of the school day, after all). There are a ton of tables with outlets nearby. And you can order cheap food there too.
The final place I discovered that’s a great spot for me to work is the alumni center. This is a big building that usually holds events and conferences, but there’s a great seating area with a fireplace, tables, and lots of plugs. It’s super comfortable and almost always empty. I don’t think a lot of students realize this is a place that’s open to students.
Saving the $200 per month has been nice. Sure, I don’t have a fancy formal coworking space anymore. But it doesn’t matter too much when you have great places like this to work from.
Final Thoughts
The biggest benefit of using a college campus as a coworking space is that it’s free. I can even bring my own coffee from home if I want to!
I’ve always been a fan of college campuses. Whenever I visit new cities, I almost always check out the local colleges to see what they look like. The nice thing is if you’re looking for a free coworking alternative, I can probably bet that you have a college campus near you that would make for a great, free coworking space.
I did like my WeWork membership a lot. But since I realized I could work from campus and get a lot of the same feel, I haven’t felt like I need to get a coworking membership. Until something changes, this is what I’ll be doing for a while.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022. As long as you get your account opened before October 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($350) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Fifth Third Bank ($250) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
- Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
- One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
- Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
- Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- Upgrade Bank. Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Note that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
- Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
I like this idea!!
I always get energized walking around campus and feeling all those young ass and hopeful vibes, haha…
Never thought to *work* out of a space there, but you’re so right – hits almost ALL angles, except for maybe parking if you’re going the car route (why is it always so hard at schools?!).
Maybe i’ll need to whip the skateboard out and better fit in at the same time 🙂
That’s why you gotta use a bike or scooter to get around campus. Or get an electric skateboard my man 🙂
Electric is cheating!!! 😂