Advice for Broke Students in Developing Countries: How to Rise When Life Keeps Punching You

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If you’ve ever sat on your bed staring at your bank balance, wondering if your wallet is playing hide-and-seek with you, trust me I’ve been there. During my university years, I survived on instant noodles, borrowed Wi-Fi, and the hope that tomorrow might miraculously get easier. Spoiler: it didn’t. At least not right away.

So when I read the email from a student facing financial chaos, family illness, and crushing debt all at once it hit close to home. Not because I’ve lived his exact story, but because I’ve lived the flavor of it: the “everything is falling apart and I’m supposed to act like I’m fine” era.

Today, I want to rewrite his story not the pain, but the direction. And maybe help anyone in a similar position find clarity where things feel hopeless.

A Reader’s Story: A Storm With No Umbrella

A university student from Nigeria wrote to me explaining that his father had taken a loan, then suffered a stroke, leaving the family with almost no income and aggressive recovery agents knocking at their door. His mother’s salary was reduced to NGN 1,450 ($100), and he’d lost his own job during the pandemic lockdowns.

He’s finishing a degree he called “worthless,” struggling to find opportunities, worried about debt, worried about survival, and desperate for direction.

He wasn’t asking for pity — just a path.

And honestly? His story is far more common than people admit, especially in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where a single financial blow can topple an entire household.

Step 1: Identify the Solvable Problem

This sounds simple, but it can be life-changing:

Not every problem you have is the problem you should be trying to solve.

You can’t cure a parent’s illness.

You can’t reverse a collapsed business overnight.

You can’t stop a lender from demanding repayment.

But you can change your income.

And income predictable, growing income is the root that stabilizes all the other branches of life: healthcare, debt repayment, education, safety, dignity.

So the mission becomes simple:

❗Increase income, sustainably and as quickly as possible.

Step 2: start with what you Already have

You may not have money, but you do have assets. The reader had:

Decent English

Internet access

Willingness to work ridiculously hard

Time

A basic degree

Life-or-death motivation

This is more than you think.

In today’s digital economy, English + internet + consistency is basically a cheat code to start earning globally.

Step 3: Stop Earning in Local Currency

I’m going to say something that might sound harsh, but it changed my career forever:

You can’t escape poverty when you earn in a weak currency.

If you live in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal,Sierra Leone etc., earning $3–$5 per hour online can be life-changing. It’s not glamorous money in the West, but it can rewrite your family’s future in developing economies.

Step 4: Start As a Virtual Assistant (yes, Really)

If you're broke and under pressure, don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t chase “high-income” skills on day one. Don’t spend months learning something that pays later.

Start earning now.

How? List yourself as a virtual assistant (VA) on:

Fiverr

Upwork

Freelancer

You can offer tasks like:

Email management

Data entry

Scheduling

Social media assistance

Basic research

Customer support

Even if you charge $5/hour and get only a few clients, it can multiply your income compared to local jobs.

Realistic earning timeline:

Month 1–2: $50–$150

Month 3–6: $300–$600

Month 12: $1000+ (if you stack skills and reviews)

Thousands of people from India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Indonesia already do this successfully. (Check freelancer case studies on Upwork’s blog for inspiration—great place to see real examples.)

Step 5: Learn one Sellable Digital Skill (Cheaply)

Once you start earning a little, reinvest in yourself.

Pick one beginner-friendly digital skill:

Graphic design (Photoshop/Canva)

Simple video editing

Social media management

Copywriting

Basic WordPress website building

You don’t need expensive courses.

Affordable places to learn:

Skillshare

Coursera

Udemy

YouTube (yes, tons of gold there)

FreeCodeCamp (for tech skills)

Don’t try to master everything. Pick one and get good enough to deliver real results.

Step 6: Build Proof Even if you work for free at First

You cannot succeed online without:

A portfolio

Reviews

Trust

Here’s the fastest hack:

Find small creators (3–10K followers) and offer free work.

Redesign their banner, edit a video, fix their website header — anything small but valuable.

In exchange, ask for:

A testimonial

Permission to showcase the work in your portfolio

This gives you credibility, and credibility gives you income.

Step 7: Aim for $1,000-$1,500/month Within a Year

This is a realistic target with:

Freelancing

A strong skill

Consistent client work

For many families in India or similar economies, this amount is transformational. It’s enough to:

Pay off loans

Cover treatment

Support your parents

Build savings

Continue education (if you choose to)

And the best part? Once you break into the global economy, your value is no longer capped by geography.

Step 8: Talk to the Lender-Don't Hide

Most lenders prefer renegotiated payments over defaults.

Because if you go bankrupt, they get nothing.

Explain:

Medical emergency

Job loss

Your plan to rebuild your income

Often, they will:

Reduce monthly payments

Pause interest temporarily

Extend the loan tenure

It's not guaranteed, but it's worth the conversation.

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Hopeless--You’re Early

Poverty isn’t a personality trait. It's a temporary condition that can be reversed with skills, strategy, and stubbornness.

You might feel like your world is collapsing, but sometimes life forces you into discomfort so you grow faster than you ever planned. You don’t need to be a genius. You just need to be consistent.

If you have:

Internet

English

Willingness to learn

Hunger to change your family's life

You already have everything required to escape your situation.

Your Next Steps

1. Create accounts on Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer

2. Offer virtual assistant services

3. Take cheap online courses to upgrade skills

4. Build a small portfolio

5. Start charging in USD

6. Negotiate debt repayment

7. Repeat daily

Success is boring — it’s just consistency disguised as magic.

Before You Go....

If you found this helpful, drop a comment — I’d love to hear your story or what you’re struggling with right now.

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You’re not alone. Let’s build something better from where you are.