Students are stressing about how they can make money to buy that trendy outfit they want or the newest phone. But with students spending seven hours a day in school then having hours of homework once they get home, not to mention any sports or clubs they may be participating in, finding a way to earn that money can be a challenge. According to an essay by Mary Dorina Allard, an economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 49 percent of high school students do homework on weekdays and 30 percent of them do homework on the weekends. On average, students that did homework on weekdays spent 2.4 hours on it and 1.7 hours of homework on weekends. This is only the amount of time homework takes some kids, but people that play sports spend about two hours a day practicing, along with the hours they spend at each game, match or meet.
After all that time taken out of teens’ days by school and extracurriculars, they don’t have the ability to spend time on much else. Still, there are several options for teens to make money while in school.
One easy and quick way students can make money is by making and selling handmade crafts such as paintings, sketches, figurines and handmade jewelry. Supplies to make these items can range from about three to ten dollars and can be sold for any price the seller thinks is fair. A good place to start selling your items is on Etsy; it is easy to use and promote. For example, Erin Lippers has an Etsy business, EIL Jewels.
“I was bored during Covid and just wanted something fun to do to make money,” senior Erin Lippers said. “It’s EIL jewels and it’s just like beaded necklaces with like charms and like crystals. Each necklace is between 15 and 20 dollars, so, so far, I’ve made about 200 dollars off of my stuff.”
Students can also get part-time jobs at fast-food restaurants or other businesses willing to let teens work. This can include anything from babysitting to waiting tables to cleaning up. This is an efficient way to make money due to the fact that you will have a steady income regardless of the success of the business.
“Working at my part time job is nice because it means that I can go out with people and afford to buy things with my friends,” Senior Liam Sovereign said. “However, it can be hard to balance as extracurricular activities can overlap with times I’m supposed to work. My free time is also cut in half as the time I would spend doing fun activities is spent working for six hours a day.”
Finally, students can use their school smarts to make money by tutoring. Students that are good in a subject can tutor classmates or other students that might be having trouble. This not only helps the student being tutored but it also helps the tutor by having to explain a concept to a fellow student, which can reinforce key concepts in the brain. Being able to teach an idea to others is a great sign that you completely understand the topic and can answer any question that comes your way.
Graphic via Unsplash
