There are sites where people bid on how much they'll do a project for (usually web projects) but don't expect much pay from that.  I've heard people earning a bit off that, but I say that's more of them BSing to try to make themselves look better.  Unfortunately, bidding like this, you're competing with a lot of people, including those which work in cheap labour countries.

Personally, if I were in your situation, I'd look to try to convince them.  For example, many jobs nowadays require work experience, so doing a casual job would help you qualify for jobs later on.  Unfortunately, many casual jobs often target younger people so that they can get away with paying less, so you can't really leave these til later on either.
Note that I am not entirely sure about the US job market.

Failing that, I'd just comply.  You schooling is probably only going to last a few years more at the very most.  And you just have to deal with not getting a lot of niceties - it's quite doable.