Having a Job in High School

From grades 9-12 most students start developing a “taste for the finer things” in life that can only be satisfied with greater spending habits that mom and dad aren’t always willing to fund. And it’s small things like going out to the movies with friends or taking your special someone on a date, that make having a few dollars to throw around worth picking up some sort of part time job.

How to Get Your First Job

Your first job is always exciting, but a “first” job isn’t always the most glamorous deal. There are some companies such as Publix and Winn Dixie who support student workers and hire as young 14 but the competition is stacked with every other 14 year old gunning for it.

Sometimes you have to think outside of the box and explore options that may not be the norm. My first job was detailing cars out of my garage for $70 per car when I was 13. At one point I was detailing 4-5 cars a week, and for a 13 year old high school student, $300 is a great pull for a week.

However, although detailing cars was fun, it was A LOT of hot, hard work comprised of many long hours under the scorching Florida sun.

After that I would do pretty much any odd-job for a dollar. I would clean houses, walk dogs, wash cars for high end customers or act as a personal assistant for who ever needed it. But, in 2015 my friend and I decided we wanted to work for ourselves and make more of a “cultural impact,” so we opened our own clothing company. We sold shirts, jackets, hats and skate boards. To move product we used our growing social media platforms and did our own photography for promotional shoots.

From there, I continued with photography and at 16 and developed what was once a hobby into a full-fledged business servicing weddings, proms, head shots and music groups.

Once I turned 16 I made my way into retail sales at the Gardens Mall selling watches and now I work with an international jewelry company as a Commercial Sales Consultant and Translator.

Where You Can Work

You have many options as far as where you can work as a teenager. The options may seem slim but if you are willing to “expand your horizons” there are many ways to make decent money as a teenager.

• Panera Bread
• Publix Supermarket
• Burger King
• McDonald’s
• Landscaping
• Payless
• Target
• Any pizza place

And many more if you are willing to settle for a non-traditional job like what I used to do.

How to Maintain Balance

You don’t. No more sleep. Deal with it… just kidding… well not really. It can be hard and it can require a lot of focus and dedication, but at the end of the day it is possible to maintain a healthy balance of grades and work. You just need to get as much quality rest as possible, eat full meals, and more than anything keep your goals above all else.