Tag Archives: jobs for students

teen jobs

Best Jobs for High School Students

jobs for high school studentsHalf the summer is over and you’ve probably heard your student say, “I’m bored” at least once. With college costs rising and families struggling to find ways to pay for it, a summer job (and even during school breaks) would be a great way to involve your student to help pay for college.

In addition, high school jobs can help prepare a student for college in more ways than just alleviating the cost of higher education. TalentDesk recently published a list of the Best Jobs for High Schoolers that uses Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Labor data to show not only the median wage of jobs, but the soft skills like leadership and independence that are required from each position. That way teens will set the foundation for skills that can help them throughout their career. Here are a few of the best jobs for high school students:

Retail Salesperson

Median Wage:
$10.90/hr

Job Description: Retail salespersons help customers find the products they are looking for, ring up purchases, and answer questions about merchandise.

Age Requirements: Retail salespersons must be at least 16 years old. Sales associates have a better chance at advancing to a managerial position with a bachelor’s degree.

Transferable Skills: High school students who work as retail salespersons will learn good customer service skills and effective marketing skills. This job would be beneficial for students who wish to become retail managers or work in merchandising, marketing, or as purchasing agents for a retail company.

Experience Needed: No formal education or work experience is required, but major retailers may prefer students who already have prior customer service experience.

Amusement and Recreation Attendant

Median Wage:
$9.69/hr

Job Description: Amusement and recreation attendants are responsible for selling tickets, serving concessions, helping patrons find attractions, and recording information about sales, attendance, and equipment repairs.

Age Requirements: The minimum age to operate rides is typically 22 but many parks will hire teens 14 and above for roles requiring less responsibility

Transferable Skills: Amusement and recreation attendants will learn customer service skills and safety procedures. They will also gain an understanding of all the components required to manage a large business. These skills will be useful for students interested in the business or entertainment industries.

Experience Needed: Prior experience is not required for this position.

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker

Median Wage:
$12.65/hr

Job Description: Landscaping and groundskeeping workers maintain the grounds of a property by watering, trimming, and fertilizing plants and grass. These positions can also involve installing and maintaining sprinklers.

Age Requirements: Employees must typically be 14 or 15 to work in landscaping and groundskeeping. However, teens working in these positions are subject to specific limitations, such as not being allowed to drive motor vehicles.

Transferable Skills: Teens in these jobs will learn skills useful for work as a general contractor or gardener. As this work can be particularly difficult in the summer heat, students will also develop resilience and determination.

Experience Needed: No experience is needed for this role.

For more jobs and a list of minimum work ages at popular companies, you can read the original post from Talent Desk.

Guest Posts, internships, Uncategorized

The Top 3 Summer Jobs for Students

2 Comments

summer jobsIf

Summer is a time to relax and recuperate, but it’s also a great opportunity to gain work experience and make money. With a challenging job market facing them after graduation, it’s essential for students to buff up their resumes and make connections while they’re still enrolled in school. For college students wondering about their summer work prospects, here are the best summer jobs fields and positions to explore:

Internships

You’re a student looking for part-time or full-time work during summer break, consider interning at a company you’re interested in working for after graduation. There are a variety of internship positions only open to college students, where you can earn course credits in addition to professional experience. Fastweb has a large list of nationwide internships in various different industries that you can apply to based on your interests or major.

While many internships are unpaid, they all offer the opportunity to make connections and gain new skills, which will pay off financially in the future when you’re searching for a job. After graduating, you’ll be able to list your intern work on your resume and use your former supervisors as references. Your experiences can also help you become more confident and focused during your post-college job search because you’ll have a better idea of your own professional abilities.

Volunteer Work

Similar to interning, volunteering can be useful in helping you decide what you’re passionate about and what field you should pursue after college. Sites like Idealist and Indeed can connect you with a volunteer program that correlates to your passions. So whether you’re interested in education, public policy, environmental issues, or humanitarian work, you can find a position that’s well matched and right for you.

In addition to being professionally valuable, volunteer work can also be personally satisfying. Volunteering allows you to serve others, gain fresh perspectives about the world around you, and gives you a chance to work in a field you’re passionate about outside of academic pursuits.

Freelance Writing or Designing

If you’re a good writer or designer looking for more flexible work this summer, you should consider doing freelance work. Freelancing gives you the freedom to create your own schedule and work from home, since most positions are open to telecommuters. If you like setting your own work pace and want the opportunity to improve your skills as a writer and designer in the digital realm, then a freelance job is right for you.

Since there are so many online businesses and companies that utilize the web for marketing, you can find writing and design jobs fairly easily. Available freelance jobs include web or graphic designer, website content writer, blogger, and social media developer. You can find a position that meets your skill set or knowledge, as well as create a freelancer profile, on sites like Guru.

Many freelance jobs don’t pay well at first but you’ll be able to set higher prices for your work once you have more experience. You can become a more desirable freelancer over time by adding work to your resume and increasing your online exposure. You’ll be able to send links of your work and show that you have an online presence to future hiring managers.

Freelancing, volunteering, and interning, all offer the important opportunity to gain professional experience in fields that you may want to pursue after college. If a position you want is unpaid or doesn’t pay well, you can always take on a part-time server or retail job in order to supplement your income. While food service and retail work can help you gain customer service experience and make extra cash, they don’t offer a career path that’s useful or interesting to most college students. This summer, try to invest your time and energy into a job that can improve your professional skills, add value to your resume, and help you land a job after graduation.

+++++++++++++

Javaher Nooryani is a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. She has a BA in American Literature & Culture from UCLA and a Masters in English & American Literature from NYU. As a former tutor and advisor, Javaher is passionate about higher education and is glad to share her knowledge on CollegeFocus, a website that helps students deal with the challenges of college.