Teens Are Building Their Own Job Engine
Periods of high unemployment tend to be particularly hard on teenagers, who wind up competing for jobs with more experienced, laid-off adults.
When Faith Borden, 16, of Metuchen, N.J., applied for a job in March to be a counselor at a summer day camp, she looked around and saw “all these 30- and 40-year-olds,” she said. “Usually it’s just teenagers.”
She also applied at pizza restaurants, drugstores and most of the stores at her local mall, and even attended a job fair in Edison, N.J., but didn’t receive one offer. So she decided to work for herself, selling Avon products.
Also facing a competitive job market, Max O’Dell, 14, of Cary, N.C., started Smiley Inc., a custom T-shirt design business. He paints shirts in his driveway and hangs them in the garage to dry; revenue so far has been $170.
“Business is very steady, and I would much rather work for myself than at a fast-food place or something like that,” he said. “It feels really good to be my own boss.”
Unemployment for 16- to 19-year-olds is at its highest rate since 1992 — at 22.7 percent in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is causing some teenagers to rethink their notion of work and to embrace entrepreneurship.
Laura Durst, 18, a recent high school graduate in Woodstock, Conn., in the state’s northeast corner, said that there were so few jobs for teenagers there that two years ago she began setting up a Web-based business, WorkInMyRoom.com. It provides teenagers with information and online resources to find jobs that can be done from home.
Durst’s revenue comes from advertising. She uses Google Ad Sense — which displays relevant Google ads on her site — and earns money when users click on them. She says she is making about $250 a month.
Teenagers start a wide range of businesses, from selling art, jewelry or collectibles online to Web site creation and design.
They also do non-Web-based things like yard work, house cleaning, dog walking, pool care, tutoring and party planning.
Photo by WorkInMyRoom.com.
Kate on June 29th, 2009 4:33 pm
What an inspiring article! Teen entrepreneurship not only gives them the opportunity to work from home at their own pace, but also provides an excellent environment to build a skill set that will forever benefit them. What a fantastic thing to put on one’s college application and resume! Check out this great resource for students needing tips and advice on job searches, interviewing, resumes, and career planning: http://www.facebook.com/officelivestudent#/officelivestudent?v=app_7146470109&viewas=7300773
Cheers,
Kate
MSFT Office Live Outreach Team
RedHotFranchises on June 30th, 2009 6:44 am
I applaud these young people taking control & power to achieve their dreams/goals
It is great to have an entrepreneurial spirit and every penny sure beats the blank.
Jaclyn on July 5th, 2009 1:41 pm
That was a very great article especially for all of it’s teen readers. And it has always been hard for a teen to find a decent job in the world, as most people don’t tend to trust teenagers…it’s just how it work’s for whatever reason. I remember trying to get my first job as a teen…it took almost a full year and even then…i wouldn’t call it a GOOD job that i got in the end. And today it i’m sure is even harder for a teen to find a good job with so many out of work adults also looking for jobs!
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