Kids in high school and college need money, and I’ve got a few suggestions that’ll show you how to do that through online or in-person side hustles that are viable. I’m not going to tell you to take surveys for pennies an hour like some blogs. These are legit opportunities that you can absolutely make more than minimum wage doing, all the while having the freedom to make your own schedule and not have to be under the thumb of an oppressive boss.
If you’ve already got a job, or if you’re looking to make some extra money after school, there are tons of great ways to earn in your teen and college years.
When I was 14, I started working at Burger King because most of these websites, YouTubers, and apps didn’t exist yet. If you can master a side hustle as a teenager and make enough to pay your bills or save up for a car, you can avoid the grease and rude customers that I was subjected to and have a blast in the process.
More importantly, these side gigs will give you entrepreneurial experience that will be valuable later in life, or may even lead to growing a legitimate business by the time you leave high school or college.
The Benefits Money-Making Side Gigs
Once you become a teenager, you start to have more expensive taste than before. You might want to go get food with your friends, save up for a car or college or even buy your girlfriend a nice Christmas gift.
Whatever it is you want to buy, you’re going to need more money than mom or dad may want to shell out. And if you’re like me and a lot of other people, you might want to find a side hustle that will allow you to make money from your house or at least without having a boss.
Getting some side hustles in your teenage years will give you great experience in running a business, working with customers and learning the value of money. More importantly, it’ll give you the freedom to still have your social life and it won’t leave you smelling like burgers or chicken.
I’ve always stressed that your teenage years are some of your most important ones because of the impact that the actions that you take during them can have on the rest of your life. Starting a side gig washing cars, tutoring kids or reselling merch might just turn into a legit business by the time you hit your 20’s. Maybe you won’t even want to go to college and you’ll just want to be an entrepreneur. No matter what, here are some of the great side gigs I’ve done or that people I know have done successfully.
- Retail arbitrage
Never heard of this? Check out this video. Retail arbitrage is the process of buying things in stores in your area for a low price, often when they’re on major sales, and then selling them on sites like eBay or Amazon for higher prices.
I don’t do retail arbitrage myself (I hate dealing with traffic and people too much for that), but I often see things marked on sale that I know I could sell for more online. For example, I was at Target recently and they had Merona T-shirts on sale for $2 each. These are high-quality t-shirts! I’ve worn them to nightclubs without issue. Normally they sell for $9.99-$12.99 at Target.
So, I could buy up 10-20 of these and then sell them online for $7-10 each.
There are incredible YouTube videos about this side gig, which is great for teens who aren’t looking to make massive money. I think it’s feasible that a teenager doing this side hustle could easily make $100-200 a week doing it.
The downside is to open an eBay or Amazon store you must be 18, but the workaround for that is that if you get your parent/guardian to open an account, you can use it with their permission. I’m sure your parents would love to see you making some money, so ask them about it.
- Merch Reselling
For teens who love YouTube and are looking for creative ways to make money, consider getting into the re-sale game.
I watch the Nelk Boys and they do merch drops probably once every 1-2 months and they’re super exclusive. They always sell out within minutes. Nelk often mention that some people who buy their merch go onto sites like Grailed.com and resell their it for huge profits. For example, someone who does this as a side gig might buy two shirts for $49 each and sell them for 2-3x that on Grailed.
I know I’ve also heard about people doing it with makeup products for YouTubers like James Charles and Jeffree Star.
- Car detailing
Car detailing is like getting a car wash on steroids. It’s an inside AND outside cleaning of a car, and it’s more than just a cleaning, it’s an art.
You can post your service for $5-10 on Craigslist and make sure you show pictures of your sample work. Make some flyers, too, and hang them around your neighborhood. Be sure to mention who you are and what you’re saving for because people might want to help out someone who’s working toward a goal.
To build a portfolio, you can detail your mom or dad’s cars, take pictures and then add the pictures to your flyer, website or social media.
My friend in high school used to charge $75 a car for detailing and made better money than I did working at BK.
Pro-Tip: To grow your side hustle and show it off, create an Instagram and Facebook page showcasing your work.
- Babysitting
Babysitting is the first job for a lot of teenage girls and it’s one I often wish I could have done. Imagine getting paid to eat food, watch TV and do your homework. You don’t even have to be very old to do this one!
For example, my sister started babysitting when she was 13 my friend’s family. Not only did she have fun hanging with the kids, but she also goes to relax and watch TV or do homework once she put them to bed. AND she got paid the whole time!
In high school, my sister started using Care.com and seeing great success. It’s quite popular with millions of users so there are definitely people in your area that would love to work with you.
- Tutoring
If you’re a student who regularly gets A’s, you can bet that you’d be of help to a lot of your peers or people online who need help for their kids.
There are a ton of websites that allow teens and college students to tutor people around the world in all subject areas. Check out Chegg for example. You can sign up and answer math questions or edit papers for people. I’d have crushed this when I was in high school.
When I was in high school, I tutored my friend Nick in Spanish because he absolutely blew at it, and I ended up being the reason he passed. Not only did I make some money to go our weekly trips to Buffalo Wild Wings, I legitimately helped my friend succeed in an area they were struggling in. This was a great feeling and a fun side-gig. I even improved my own Spanish.
- Video editing
If you have a laptop, chances are you have access to some sort of free video editing software. Additionally, your school or college can hook you up with free programs like Final Cut Pro and there are numerous YouTube tutorials on learning how to edit videos.
Video editing is a great and marketable skill. You can use it for life as freelance videography and editing will continue to grow in importance as more brands get on the internet and social media.
For now, consider trying this side gig by putting an ad up on Craigslist showing some of your video highlights or your YouTube channel. Don’t be afraid to offer to do a free project in exchange for boosting your portfolio and building your network.
Pro-Tip: Start a YouTube channel and Instagram account that shows off your work and then DM businesses on Instagram or small/medium-sized YouTubers asking if you can collaborate.
BONUS Side Hustle: Craigslist “Gigs”
If you’re a girl, I’d stay away from Craigslist because the internet keeps getting less safe every year. But for the dudes out there, or the girls who can bring a guy with them, check out the “Gigs” section on Craigslist. I’ve done everything from help strangers load up moving trucks with their furniture to filming and editing music videos for wannabe rappers. There are a lot of ways to make cash on Craigslist. As always, be cautious and if you go out on a gig, make sure to share your location with a parent or friend. Safety first!
Like this article? Check out more like them in the Good Strong Men blog section! Also be sure to hit us up with any comments or questions you may have, as well as future article recommendations.