Making money as a High Schooler?

[Lupy]

All right playground, aside from babysitting, what are some good ways to make money? Is Lawn mowing actually a good way to make money?

Hi guys,

As you may remember (Birthday thread and High school classes threads) I'm going into high school next year. Like many High Schoolers, I would like to earn some money. I have the skills and materials needed to build websites and host them from my home (server, html generator, css generator, javascript skills) and I think a lot of students at my school would like to have personal websites for their egotistical little selves.

Do you think it would be a good idea making websites for people and getting paid for it?

I'm thinking I would have them sign a contract (and have their parents sign as well) before I spent any time or money, so I could be sure I'd get paid.

EDIT:

My server's specs:

Dual core 2.4 ghz Pentium 4
768mb of ram
40 gig hard drive (I have a 500 gig readily available if I need it)

[Nevitan]

Seems like it has a whole lot of potential for trouble to me. Like someone demanding to have something on their website that you simply couldn't do whether it's outside of your coding abilities, or perhaps had something to do with copyrights. Plus I'm not sure how many people would have money they would want to put towards a website what with Facebook and Myspace already around. If you did find someone who wanted one are you sure you're legaly savvy enough to put together a contract yourself?

[Lupy]

No, but my dad is in Insurance Nev. He's better with contracts than some lawyers.

I'm thinking that I'll have a list of things I will do, some of which will cost extra.

If it works I may even buy Flash.

[Nevitan]

Well it sounds like you've thought it through but I'm still not convinced there is a good enough market for it.

[Lupy]

I bet people will want them, they'll love the idea of johnjones.com as opposed to being one of 3000 John Jones on Facebook.

And if the url they want is taken we can negotiate.

[Nevitan]

Well giving it a shot, at least, won't hurt but it still seems prone to problems.
Try someone else's opinion.
*waits for someone else to say something*

[Lupy]

If Lerky posts next... :smallannoyed: ( :smalltongue: )

I'd like some technical opinions on how hosting 10+ websites on a home server might slow it down.

[Quinsar]

It's a good market, if you're dealing with businesses, and adults with actual cash. But, most kids are, like you, trying to make a days buck, and probably don't want to spend, 20, 30 bucks on a website when they could just use Myspace or Facebook for free. And those dedicated enough would probably got to a site like... Go Daddy, and find a way to get a basic layout up.
Another issue is the servers. What servers will you host them on? A decent, dedicated server, costs about 70-350 dollars a month to run. And cheap, crappy ones are well....
Crappy, and still cost about ten dollars. You could run it on a home server, but on the average system, after about... 8-12 sites being hosted, a computer would probably not be able to load Google in under ten minutes.
Then there's advertisement. Let' say...
Little paper adds on the wall. These would cost, depending on how many you had, anywhere from 10 to 20 dollars. You could print them yourself and cut that down to about... Five dollars.
You could increase your revenue by having adds on site, but that would only bring in about... 10 dollars per sight? Depends.
Well, it is a good idea, I can't see a kid, dishing out 80+ bucks for a server, or I could see them getting really angry over a crappy server they spent cash on.
Don't give up website design, but maybe wait a little until you can get work with businesses.
Love Vince

[Ichneumon]

Just to be honest, I am not sure many people would want to go into a contract and pay money to someone of your age for building a website and hosting it. People are more likely to go to someone older as they see that as more reliable. I'm not saying you aren't, but age works against you.

[Lupy]

Thanks Vince. :smallsmile: And you too Ichneumon.

Okay, back to the drawing board. :smallsigh:

That post was great Quinny.

[Quinsar]

Lotsa jobs to do.
Mow lawns, shovel snow, Fast food, paper route, sell school supplies at school, lots stuff.
And yes, lawn mowing is a huge market.

[Ichneumon]

I heard sorting mail can make A LOT of money, I mean big money.

[Keshay]

If you can get one closeby to where you live, you can not go wrong with a paper route. In addition to the normal pay, if you milk it just right, the tips you get can be quite substantial. Adding a little "Happy holidays" card or "thank you for your business" card every once in awhile are very cost effective, espically among the elderly.

Add to that the extra exercise and off-hour time of work (Typically 30-45 minutes in tha morning) and the cost - benefit is quite worthwhile.

Then again, I did deliver to over 100 units of an apartment complex one street over from where I lived. Its unlikely that any other route in my town had quite that high a concentration of customers in such a small area (except perhaps other routes with apartments on them...) If you go the paper route route, try to get one of those.

I was able to support a very hefty comic book, Magic card, RPG and video game habit with that route, as well as having plenty of money saved to survive through college when the time came (though in hindsight, I should have saved it all and bought a car Sophmore year, that woudl have ended up being far more beneficial than the 700lbs of dead weight accumulating dust in my storage space.)

[Haruki-kun]

Tutoring is a great way to make money. Several of my friends used to teach English to little kids and did pretty well at it.

[Crimmy]

Yeah, but that's Mexico, my friend.
Or are you not from Mexico?

Anyway, in here that works, but only for some people, not for everyone [sadly :smallfrown:]

I am in High school ATM, butI can't give you more advice than Haruki...

[Haruki-kun]

Yeah, but that's Mexico, my friend.
Or are you not from Mexico?

Yes, it is, but it doesn't have to be language tutoring.

[BizzaroStormy]

Paper Route Idea

See, now this is where it comes to different areas. When I did a route, I had to get up at 2 AM, drive across town to pick the papers up, drive back across town, roll them up (rubbing my fingers raw on rubberbands) and then deliver them all (about 300 of them) by 6 AM.

If that wasnt bad enough, every other house semed to have a special condition listed for their delivery (leave on stoop, leave under mailbox, leave in door handle, ect.) now for some of my elderly and disabled customers, I didn't mind, but some of them were just lazy.

Then came the worst day ever. The day a problem at the printing plant cause the shipment to be 3 hours late. My answering machine at home was FILLED with nasty messages from the customers my paper company foolishly gave my number to, as well as my voice mail for my cell phone. While I would've normally welcomed the extra hours for sleep, it was filled with my phone ringing off the hook to the point where i disconnected it. I was forced to deliver the papers later in the day and deal with the verbal abuse there but that didnt seem to be enough for fate since the volume of complaints called into the paper company resulted in ~$100 being cut off my paycheck at the end of the week and all tips withheld.

I'll admit that if you do it right and are lucky to get a good route, then it can be a financially rewarding job. But for only $250 a week with no benefits or fuel reimbursement, it just wasnt worth it.

[Ellimistd]

Wow, I'm in nearly an identical situation myself - starting high school next year, being good at computer stuff (I am in the process of setting up a home server, but that'll be mainly for hosting game servers etc.) and needing money. I just started mowing lawns a week or two ago, but have made a lot. Ok, I have been very lucky with one customer, but still. I'm going to see about working with a friend who's been doing this for a while, so that'll give me a good place to actually get lawns to mow. You might want to see what some of the people at your school are doing.

Also, does anyone know of any non-website-hosting way to make money with computer skills/a home server? I'm learning programming in python, but am not very good at it. Still, I know how to do things with a computer, cleaning them up and such so they run better.
Thanks,
Ellimistd

[TRM]

Yes, it is, but it doesn't have to be language tutoring.
Yeah. If you have a skill, parents love high-school tutors, and—like with baby sitting—pay inordinate amounts of money.

I would strongly encourage building connections. If you find a lawn mowing/shoveling/pet sitting gig and perform well you can gain the person's trust and have it for years—don't throw away jobs like that unless you really don't need them or they're really inconvenient. I have turtle sat (easiest job ever) for a family for a couple of years, and it's similar to being given free money; it's not a lot, but $100 bucks a year is a nice addition to other incomes.
I have a friend who has been doing all the shoveling, mowing, and general lawn care for a few houses in his neighborhood, and he makes bank.

Look for summer jobs. A more regular (i.e: retail, food, whatever) job in the summer can make you a lot of money, because you can work tons of hours. It might suck to work your summer away, but it could be your big income boost—especially if you can't work steadily during the school year because of course load and extra curriculars.

Jump at exciting opportunities. Manning the counter at the local bookstore is boring. Making ovens out of clay on flexible hours is fun. If you hear about a job that is more interesting than the normal, go for it. You'll be grateful you did. I worked 3 days a week at a childrens garden last summer and had a blast; it was relaxed, engaging, outdoors, and vaguely interesting. It also looks great on resumes.

Good luck.

[ForzaFiori]

With you just going into high school, I'm afraid your job options are fairly limited, since I doubt your at the legal working age yet (unless you've failed a couple grades). I would suggest just doing odd jobs for neighbors or your parents until your fifteen or sixteen, and can apply to a fast food joint or a megamart. Even then though, with the economy the way it is, It'll be really hard to get a job. I've been looking since around january, and so far all I've gotten is rejected from Target, Outback, and probably Chic-Fil-A, though they (hopefully) might still call back. Either way though, right now its hard enough for an adult with work experience to find a job, let alone a kid find his first job.

Sorry for the lack of help and depressing post, but I figured I should make sure you understand the difficulty you'll probably have. Just be glad you dont have a car and bills to pay for yet.

[Rutskarn]

I heard of a guy who ran a lucrative ticket-scalping trade during his senior year. I'm assuming that's not what you're going for.

[KnightDisciple]

You might look into doing work at a local public library. Probably as a page (someone who shelves books). I was able to do that by about 16, so I'd wager you should as well, possibly younger.

[TRM]

You might look into doing work at a local public library. Probably as a page (someone who shelves books). I was able to do that by about 16, so I'd wager you should as well, possibly younger.
Here, you have to be 16, but you make like 11.50 an hour. It's intense.

@mf11: Chick-Fil-A is amazing. If there were any where I lived, I might start eating fast food.

[Yarram]

Heh, in Australia, pretty muhc everyone in my year has jobs... ('cept me. heh-heh) We can get a job from 14-9 months at McDonalds or Big W etc.

[Lupy]

Thanks for the help guys, I've been reading the thread, and there's some great stuff.

I'll be at Band Camp for the few days, but I'll keep up if I see a computer. :smallsmile: Keep the ideas coming.

[J.B. Ganning]

Relevant link. (http://cbgfilms.com/)

[Copacetic]

Get certified, apply to become a lifeguard at a swimming pool. The pay is great, the work is basically non-existant (hopefully) and the only catch is getting certified might cost a little bit of cash.

[Yarram]

I'll be at Band Camp for the few days, but I'll keep up if I see a computer. :smallsmile: Keep the ideas coming.

Hurrah for BandCamp! The No.1 Best week of the year!

[Shades of Gray]

Thanks for the help guys, I've been reading the thread, and there's some great stuff.

I'll be at Band Camp for the few days, but I'll keep up if I see a computer. :smallsmile: Keep the ideas coming.

This one time, at band camp...

[Thes Hunter]

It doesn't hurt to try. If you already have the server space and the skills, market the service. If people buy they buy. What's the worst that can happen? They say no? SO?

Ask someone else. :smallwink:


However, you may have to diversify your business interests. Do some baby sitting and some yard work and etc. However do not give up on working on websites and the like. There are many businesses out there that want a web presence but do not want to pay a professional. This is the best way to prepare yourself to enter into the job market as a web developer.


Good luck, you can do it, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask, though I am sure you are a way better coder than I am... even though I have 3+ years of 'professional' experience. :smallbiggrin:

[Yarram]

This one time, at band camp...

:smallsigh:

[Perenelle]

Honestly I'm trying to figure out the same thing, and all I can think of doing is baby sitting and dog sitting. I suppose you could get a job at chick-fil-a maybe, I think they hire at age 16, but I dont know how much it pays.

[Mr. Mud]

Ice cream shops.

Monotonous, and flat out petty, but has some perks as a high schooler... Most places hire at 16.

Remember, before you apply, go into the store regularly, and get something to go, but make some converstaino... try and get to know the people there, then apply in the Winter before everyone else. :smallbiggrin:.

[Perenelle]

ice cream shops would be fun to work at.:smallsmile: you could also work at coffee shops.

[Kaelaroth]

ice cream shops would be fun to work at.:smallsmile: you could also work at coffee shops.

That's often less fun, apparently, depending on the place you're working at. Small places require a lot of commitment, big brands treat you as expendable - AND loads of applicants also want the job.

[Perenelle]

I suppose you're right when it comes to small places requiring a lot of commitment. if you have time for it then i think it'd be more enjoyable than mowing lawns or babysitting, but i wouldnt know; i've never had a job. :smalltongue: