By: Greta Johnson

Summer jobs are an important part of making money as a teenager. Most people in high school get a job for the summer to make money to spend and save.

If you are 14 or 15 you cannot work past 7:30PM, but if you’re 16 or older you’re free to work as late as you like.

Jobs in fast food and food service are easier to get and will hire you for the summer. Usual pay is minimum wage or about 11 to 15 dollars an hour. Some jobs in food service you will also receive tips that depend on the restaurant, but tips can range from 2-20 extra dollars per hour.

If you don’t want to work a traditional job or are too busy to get one, another good option is yard work. Many people don’t like to mow or weed wack or garden and will pay a good amount of money to you if you do it for them. It’s a good side hustle, or summer job, and it doesn’t take up a ton of your time. Self employed jobs like this are great for teenagers or younger people because it’s hard to find work at a younger age, lots of businesses won’t hire you if you’re under 16. With jobs like yard work, mowing and babysitting, all you have to do is make an agreement with whoever you’re doing the work for in regards to pay. This cuts out the issue of labor laws and getting hired.

The first challenge with getting a job is actually getting hired. Most of the time there’s at least a couple candidates and when you’re younger, companies and businesses are less likely to hire you. This is where a resumé would come in. A resumé is usually a paper about your information, skills, experience and previous employment. A résumé is important to the hiring process because it shows your possible employer that you are serious about getting this job.