When looking for a job or side hustle, you need to pick something that you enjoy. Nobody wants to wake up and work a job they don’t like. I will be sharing with you different jobs and side hustle that best suit your personality or preferences.
As you probably already know, working part-time or even full time is a normal and easy way to accumulate money, as well as teach you hard and soft skills* for jobs you might get in the future.
As a minimum wage worker, you will often work long and hard for a relatively small chunk of change. In high school, if you have $200 in your wallet, you would most likely feel richer than your friends, as having cash in your wallet, especially since larger amounts, is unusual and infrequent.
You may think right now that it is a lot of money, but when you leave high school, you’ll quickly find that $200 won’t get you very far when you consider you might be responsible for buying groceries, paying for gas, rent and taxes, etc. Through my research and experience, I will go over some side hustles perfect for experienced or inexperienced teens so that you can start growing your money early and making it work to your advantage.
I started refereeing at the age of 12. Soccer is a passion of mine and so I decided to start officiating as a side hustle and to get to know the game from a new perspective.
I had many amazing mentors that helped me rise up through the KSRA (Kamloops Soccer Referee Association) as a young referee. I was making $30 as an assistant referee and $60 a game as the head referee for the men and women’s recreational league. I made many connections and many new friends, which was by far the best part of the job.
After a few years, I was asked to help with training of new referees and to become a mentor and progress evaluator, which I was once again paid extra for.
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- If You Love Being Around People or Providing Service.
Refereeing:
Refereeing is an amazing way to make money. You can pick the sport you love and the times you are available. The pay can be really good, as starting referees can make around $15 to officiate a single game (depending where you live).
Recommendations: If you decide you want to give refereeing a try, whether it be football, soccer, hockey, etc, you should not be doing it solely for the money. You need to show compassion and leadership, especially if you want to be respected. The sport you referee should be a sport that interests you, whether you play it yourself or watch it on tv. As a referee, your job is to enforce rules and regulations but most importantly, to keep the player, coaches and fans safe.
- If You Love Being Around People or Providing Service.
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Coaching:
If you love a sport, becoming a coach is a great way to interact with people. You learn many life skills, helping you to build better connections with people. You’ll learn what to do and what not to do around children and how to motivate them to help them reach their potential.
Recommendations: Start out as an assistant coach and ask the head coach lots of questions. Do lots of research and interact with the players. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to handle the players and the more they will respect and listen to you. Use your past experience as a player to consider what you liked and didn’t like about coaches you’ve had and try to use those as inspirations for how you approach this job.
Server:
Becoming a server/waiter/waitress helps you build solid social skills. It teaches you basic dining etiquette and how to anticipate other people’s needs before yours. You’ll learn how to read people and help them out, as well as making predictions and when someone is in need of something.
Recommendations:
When I started as a server at The Italian Cultural Center in my city, I was a little nervous about messing up orders or dropping things but once I got into the flow, everything was super easy and time flew by. If you are nervous, just remember that everyone makes mistakes and that thousands of other people do this job, so you can do it too!
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- If You Love Being Outside
Dog walking:
If you love the outdoors and animals, dog walking is perfect for you! There are plenty of owners who don’t have the time to walk their dogs. You can even create a service that takes care of the dogs until the owners get back. Kind of like babysitting, except for pets.
Recommendations: Make sure you have all the necessary equipment, like a leash and bags for animal waste. If it is hot, bring water for yourself and the animals. Avoid pavement, as it can be very uncomfortable for them to walk on.
Mowing lawns/shoveling snow:
This is something almost everyone has tried before, especially at a younger age. Shoveling snow during the winter and mowing lawns in the summer is an amazing way to make money in a relatively short amount of time.
Recommendations: If you plan on mowing laws and shoveling driveways, it is a good idea to make a plan on how you are going to charge your clients. For example, small lawns/driveways are $10, medium are $15 and large are $20. When you decide on the prices for each individual property you might be working on, go and ask the owners if they are willing to pay this price. Don’t be discouraged by the people who don’t need your services. Remember to be polite and thank them for their time. Maybe on day they will be in need of someone for those services and remember you. You shouldn’t take advantage or try to have certain people pay more, as not only is it immoral, but charging a person less might just ensure that the next time you knock on their door, you are given a smile and not a frown. Always remember that if you are doing something like this for money, you need to make sure that the quality is very good, or you may be turned away in the future.
Yardwork:
In the spring, the snow has melted and people’s lawns are big messes. Rent an aerator to poke holes in the ground to help it breath or a spreader to replant seeds for grass. Both can be easily found at hardware stores like Homedepot. People always want to have nice looking lawns, so you’ll be very busy for a month or so, which means you’ll be able to generate a big chunk of money.
Recommendations: You don’t have to buy these machines, most of the time the store will let you rent them out for cheap. Depending on how many lawns you are planning on doing and if it will be a yearly thing, then you may want to consider renting instead of buying or vice versa.
Setting up Christmas Lights/Decorations:
One of the hassles every Christmas is setting up the Christmas lights. Elderly people most often don’t feel safe climbing up on a ladder to hang lights from their house and setting up lawn decorations can be quite time consuming
Recommendations:
Make sure you ask the person exactly how they want it done, as some may only want half the house, front yard or just bushes in the front yard. You should also look at the weather and scout the property beforehand to make sure it is not too dangerous.
- If You Are an Introvert
If you are an introvert, like myself, you’ll find that talking and up-close interactions can be nerve racking. For the last few years, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and forced myself to be able to start conversations with people. The more you are able to practice, the easier it will become. Not all jobs require the same amount of interaction and through research and experience, I have come up with jobs perfect for those who would rather keep to themselves, at least for the time being.
Car Washer:
Washing cars is a great way for beginners to make money. It is relatively easy to do and the equipment required is cheap and easy to find. Cars are always dirty, so what if instead of people going to a car wash, the car wash came to them? To add an extra bonus, rent or buy a high-powered vacuum like a shop-vac and charge extra to clean the inside of the vehicle!
Recommendations: To efficiently and effectively wash a car, rinse the whole body, then use a soapy brush or sponge to get all areas of the vehicle. If it’s a hot day, do the car in sections (front, back, driver-side and passenger-side) as the soap can dry up and damage the paint.
Cleaner/Caretaker:
There is never a shortage of people who need their house cleaned. Whether it’s painting a fence or house to cleaning windows, there will always be someone who needs help or is willing to pay someone else to do it. Like car washing, the equipment is most often cheap and easy to obtain.
Recommendations:
Keep in mind the time of day and the weather. Working outside during a heatwave or painting a fence a few hours before it’s supposed to rain are often forgotten or overlooked. Be patient and wait out the weather and double check to make sure you have a big enough time window to get the job done correctly.
Junk Hauler:
This job is great for anyone and very straight forwards. Create and put out an ad either online or at a rec center. Write a short description of what you are doing (using a truck or trailer to haul away junk and unwanted items either to a dump or recycling plant), the amount you are offering to do it for and necessary information (phone number or email) for people to contact you. Hauling junk can be very easy, as all you really have to do is throw things in the trunk of your truck or in a trailer and drive it away. Keep in mind though that most garbage dumps charge to drop garbage off, so make sure you are charging enough to cover your expenses and still make some money.
Recommendations:
Make sure you wear proper safety equipment, including gloves and good shoes/boots, as scrap metal, broken furniture and other things can scratch or cut you. You might need help with heavier things as well, such as washing machines or broken refrigerators, so make sure you ask what you are supposed to take away so you’ll know if you need help from some friends.
- If You Are an Entrepreneur or Love The Thrill of the Sale.
If you are someone who loves business or the idea of selling your products or services, then this is the section for you!
This section is for you if you are motivated to get your products out to the world and make a profit, as well as being a people’s person and making connections.
Flipping Vehicles:
With technology nowadays, you can shop online for millions of things, constantly finding better and better deals. One of the best ways to make money is by buying cheap and fixing up and selling for more than you previously paid. This most often happens with cars. Someone selling an old or damaged car and then the buyer fixing it up, maybe making modifications and/or painting it. You can do this too, but it sounds much easier than it actually is.
Recommendations:
It would be best to have lots of knowledge about cars and be able to work on it yourself rather than having to bring it into a shop and pay a mechanic thousands of dollars to fix it for you. You will need to do lots of research to make sure the vehicle you are planning to buy is actually worth it, as a bad purchase will set you back thousands of dollars.
Reselling objects:
Selling vehicles and other objects share the same concept. You will buy cheap and fix it up to sell it at a better price. There are tons of items from clothes to furniture that you can pick up at bargain price. The best places to look are flea markets, garage sales and, of course, online. Kijiji, ebay and Facebook Marketplace are just a few of the amazing places people use to get rid of and sell items they no longer need. You will frequently find high quality items that just need a touch of paint or repairs for cheap.
Recommendations: If you plan on buying and selling, never rip off the people you are selling to. If you have an account for whichever website you are selling on, ask them to leave a positive review. The better the reviews, the more the systems will push your products to be seen by other people, resulting in more sales. Negative reviews will decrease the amount of people that view your products, as the platform will see the negative reviews and will try to show people the better stuff. You will also find it harder to sell your products to the people who do end up seeing it, as the negative reviews will turn them away to another seller
Yard Sales/Garage Sales:
Yard sales and garage sales are great ways to get rid of old, unwanted stuff, helping you to declutter your house and turn a profit. They are very easy to set up and advertising can be done very easily to bring lots of potential customers. You can also use Facebook marketplace and other online web stores if you do not want the hassle of setting up outside.
Recommendations: If possible, try to get lots of your neighbors to do a yard sale at the same time. This means more advertisement and when people come to see their items, they will be able to see yours as well and potentially buy more stuff.
School Sales:
Selling stuff at school is a very easy way to make money. Kids and teens love junk food and the vending machines and cafeteria can often be over priced. Selling the same items slightly cheaper is almost a guaranteed win for you. You will often be able to buy gum, pop and chips in bulk, selling them to make massive profit. Just make sure you talk to your principal or person in charge to make sure they are okay with it a bit of friend;y competition.
Recommendations: Whenever possible, try to buy in bulk. Yes you might end up with lots of things to sell, but it will ensure you don’t sell out and always have enough to meet demands. Try to carry the items you are selling in a separate bag or container, as people will be more inclined to buy their snacks from a clean bag rather than a backpack full of gym clothes and schoolwork.
If all else fails…volunteer!
In this day and age, it may be difficult to get a job. The best thing to do is go out into your community and start volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to build connections, gain new skills and build your resume up. Who knows, it might even lead to a paying job or powerful connections. In this digital age, a lot of opportunities still come from connecting with humans face-to-face and volunteering in an excellent way to practice making connections.