Sure there are work/study programs and jobs at the local pizza joint. But often with an irregular college schedule, it can be hard to work regular hours. So how do you make some extra cash?
While some jobs are available through your school, budding student entrepreneurs can start their own business or hire themselves out for ad hoc tasks. You can save on commuting time and create a more flexible schedule.
Need a job? If you’re a teen, you also need to know some basic laws that are in place to protect you.
Working Hours
If you’re under 16, federal laws limit the amount of hours you can work. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) prohibits people under 16 from working during school hours and restricts the amount of hours you can work in a day and in a week.
I need some money fast. What about those work at home jobs?
You see the ads all over the Internet. You can start a medical billing business, or stuff envelopes or put together simple crafts.
Sounds like a great way to make money in your pajamas. But what many of these ads don’t tell you is that before you can get started, you may have to pay the company in advance for specific tools and supplies. That’s just assuming the opportunity is legit. Most aren’t.
Considering an online job opportunity? Here are some things to look at carefully:
There are three avenues you can take to start a career in nursing.
1. Associate’s Degree in Nursing: a 2- or 3-year program
2. Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing: a 4-year program
3. Diploma from an approved nursing program: a 3-year program (administered in hospitals)
While your options are certainly limited while you’re in Middle School, that doesn’t mean you still can’t earn some money here and there. For the most part, you probably won’t be able to get a traditional job at some “first-job” type place like a fast food restaurant. Most require you be at least 15 years old.
But outside of the traditional job possibilities, there are still plenty of options. Here are a few of our favorites…
It may not seem fair, but in order for the federal, state and local governments to run, they need money. As citizens, we all contribute by paying a percentage of the money we get through income.
If you work for a company, chances are you filled out a W-4 form on your first day of work. That is the federal withholding form (and there’s a corresponding one for most states), and it tells the government how much money you want taken out of your paycheck each time.
Ah, the age-old problem—there’s never enough time in the day to attend classes, do homework, hang out with friends, do volunteer work and hold a steady job.
So which of these should be axed from your schedule first? Well, if you had it your way, it would probably be the job, but not so fast—it’s not your parents’ responsibility to pay your way through college.
These days, more and more students are paying their own way through college, and while this seems daunting, it is totally doable and really rewarding.
Here are some helpful tips:
Quick quiz: what do Michael Dell (Founder, Chairman and Dell Computers), David Oreck (Founder, Oreck vacuum cleaners) Bill Gates (Chairman, Microsoft) and John Paul DeJoria (CEO John Paul Mitchell Systems) have in common?
Answer: None of them completed a college degree. That’s right. Their careers show that while college can certainly help you, it isn’t the only pathway to success.
In fact, when the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics looked at hot jobs for the next few years, the majority of them didn’t even require college degrees. Health workers are in great demand, and job opportunities as personal and home care aides, home health aides and medical assistants are hard to fill.
So one way to find a good career is to identify jobs that are in high demand.
I guess the real question here is what can you do to stand out at your job? What can you do that sets you apart from everyone else? When you figure out what that is and you actually start doing it, you’re probably on your way to getting a promotion or a raise.
Now having said that, it’s important to note that what might earn you a raise, may not earn you a promotion. You can be really, really good at your current job, but if they promoted you to become a trainer, manager, or other fancy title, you may suck at it. That’s not to be mean but just to acknowledge that not everyone is cut out or qualified to get a promotion. There’s nothing wrong with staying in your current role and doing it really, really well.
But here are some ideas that will help you to stand out from your peers and possibly lead to a promotion or a raise…
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a decent living and not having the pressure of living paycheck to paycheck. Truth be told, most of us would rather make more money than less money, right? I thought so.
The danger though is it’s very easy to become consumed with finding a high-paying job that you end up sacrificing some of the enjoyment of your work. Meaning there are a lot of people that make really good money but hate what they do. You may even know someone like this.