{"id":1488,"date":"2026-07-14T19:03:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1488"},"modified":"2026-07-14T19:03:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:03:40","slug":"the-student-hustle-balancing-business-and-books-at-delta-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1488","title":{"rendered":"The Student Hustle: Balancing Business and Books at Delta State University"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Daniel Othegbemeh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before many students settle into their lecture seats each morning, Oshevire Gift<\/strong> has already started working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 8:15 a.m., her phone is buzzing with messages from customers asking about prices, placing orders, and requesting deliveries. While others are preparing for lectures, she is trying to satisfy customers before rushing to class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Journalism and Media Studies student at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, selling clothes online is not simply a way to earn extra money. It has become an important source of income that helps her cope with the financial demands of university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I needed something to help me afford things in school,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift started her clothing business in October 2024 with the hope of easing some of the financial pressure associated with being an undergraduate. Since then, she has discovered that balancing entrepreneurship with academics is far from easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some days begin with customer orders. Others end with assignments. Most days involve both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s quite exhausting managing school and business,” she admitted. “Sometimes I skip classes for the business, but it’s worth it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many small business owners, her earnings fluctuate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sometimes I can make up to \u20a618,000 in a week; other times, it’s just \u20a65,000. It’s not predictable.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money is not her only challenge. Keeping customers satisfied can be equally demanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The hardest part is when a client orders something and it doesn’t fit. Maybe it’s too big or too small,” she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic about the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Of course, I want to continue,” she said with a smile. “It’s my dream.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few hostels away, another student is pursuing a different entrepreneurial path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing to remain anonymous, the student operates a noodles business that has become popular among fellow students. The passion for cooking did not begin at the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ve always had the desire to make noodles for people,” the student said. “It’s something I’ve loved since primary school.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After gaining admission into DELSU, the student turned that long-held passion into a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I decided that when I entered the university, I would start selling noodles, and that’s exactly what I’m doing now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combining lectures with running the business is not always straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s not really hard, but it’s a bit challenging. The time customers place their orders sometimes affects my classes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, the business has made a significant difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yes, it has helped me financially, very well actually.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories like these have become increasingly common across Delta State University. A walk around the campus or surrounding hostels reveals students selling clothes, food, pastries, cosmetics, hair products, perfumes, and offering services such as photography, graphic design, and digital marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many of them, these ventures are no longer side hustles. They help cover essential expenses, including transportation, feeding, handouts, internet subscriptions, and accommodation costs, at a time when the cost of living continues to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, success rarely comes without sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many student entrepreneurs find themselves responding to customers during lectures, packaging orders late at night after studying, or missing social activities because of business commitments. Every sale demands careful time management and discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the pressure, they remain committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gift and many others, running a business while pursuing a university degree is about more than earning money. It is teaching valuable life skills such as responsibility, resilience, patience, discipline, and financial independence, qualities that cannot always be learned in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Nigeria’s economic realities continue to push students toward self-reliance, campus entrepreneurship is becoming more than a trend. It is a practical response to rising living costs and limited financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind every neatly packaged order, every delivered outfit, and every steaming plate of noodles is a student working tirelessly to build a better future, balancing lectures with livelihoods, and proving that determination can thrive even in the busiest corners of university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Author Bio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Omokhape Othegbemeh<\/strong> is a student journalist and a 200-level undergraduate in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Delta State University, Abraka. He is passionate about feature writing and human-interest journalism, with a special interest in telling stories that reflect the everyday realities, struggles, and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians. Through his writing, he hopes to inform, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations on issues that matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Daniel Othegbemeh Long before many students settle into their lecture seats each morning, Oshevire Gift has already started working. By 8:15 a.m., her phone is buzzing with messages from customers asking about prices, placing orders, and requesting deliveries. While others are preparing for lectures, she is trying to satisfy customers before rushing to class. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":7,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[31,73,25,282,56],"class_list":["post-1488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viewspoint","tag-abraka","tag-business","tag-delsu","tag-opinion","tag-view-point"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1490,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488\/revisions\/1490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}