What summer jobs could I do if I am 14-15 years old?

I would pay someone to come by every week and clean up the dog poop in my back yard.

I think lawn/landscape/garden work might do.

Do something other people want to avoid.

When people say they need work done, jump in and say, “I will do that, if you pay me!”

Dog walking?? A service couldn’t hire you, it’d have to be something you do personally obviously. I think Six Flags hires at 15 but I don’t know where in CA you are. Ummm….....working the concessions at maybe some local camps like at a church or something? Usually jobs like that just pay in cash. I know I worked concessions at a basketball camp one summer when I was younger and got $100 a week

You are allowed to be employed at an age younger than 16 with a work permit in California.

Stop & Shop in my area employs people at 15 years old.

When I was your age I restored a bar. The owner took me there in the morning and came and got me at night. I repainted everything and restored this beautiful maple bar that some idiot had painted over. I put an ad in the local paper after that, asking for anything people needed done and I got four or five jobs out of that.

Some summer camps hire counselors at that age. You might need to get a WSI certificate (which will also qualify you to be a lifeguard later).

Got any musical ability? You could be a street musician if there is a safe place for you to do this.

But you know what? Work sucks, especially working for someone else. You have the rest of your life to do that. Put it off as long as possible. You’d be better off spending this summer doing something creative and developing your talents. Read lots of books, draw pictures, keep a journal, write stories & poems, take up a musical instrument if you haven’t already (or get better at it if you have), do outdoor stuff like camping and fishing, join a summer sports league, take a course in First Aid & CPR at the Red Cross, do volunteer work, etc. Some of this stuff will help you do better in school and get a scholarship when you go to college. Some of it will help you get a better job when you turn 16. It will help in other ways too.

Do you know swimming and lifesaving? Lifeguard, I know parts of California looking for lifeguards, especially in Tuolumne County.

Babysitting.

Weeding. Can you get ahold of a weed whacker? People in California need the weeds cleared for fire abatement purposes.

@jaytkay said ”Do something other people want to avoid.”

That’s the idea. I pay someone to weed, weed whack, prune, move rocks to line a path in my woods, wash windows, really clean my garage and transplant perennials.

Mow yards.

It depends upon how much money you want to make. If you’re willing to settle for minimum wage (or much less if its under the table ) then just persist until you find someone willing to hire you.

But if you want your destiny under your control, work for yourself. The sky’s the limit.

If you play a musical instrument as mentioned above, do your practicing in the great putdoors and put out a hat for donations. It’s called busking, a time honored tradition. If youre half decent and have a repetpire of popular easy tunes people are familiar with, youd be surprised at whats in that hat at the end of the day.

I’m also going to give you another specific suggestion for a very fun skill you can easily learn. I got a book and learned it in one day (LITERALLY)

It will put a smile on the face of anyone you interact with and its totally fun. I’m talking about balloon twisting. Not the big fancy elaborate ones but quick animals and funny hats which average $1–5 apiece. You can make more money in an hour of doing this than you would all say long at McDonalds.

Maybe the first few days your stuff is pretty basic but if you keep at it, by the end of the week you’ve got it down pat. I started with a book called “One Balloon Zoo” which teaches you to make at least a dozen or more animals with only slight variation of the proportions.

Later on I met a guy who put out a couple of books and charts on tons of big impressive hats which can be made in a minute or less. Put one of these on your own head and do the first five or ten for just $1 (early bird or introductory price) and you’ve got visual advertisements for you walking around and you’ve got a line of people wanting one too.

Obviously the rest of the hats are $2 and up depending on how long it takes to make and what the area can bear.

All you need is one or two books, a hand pump and a bag of balloons and you’re in business.

If you want to get a little practice under your belt to build up your confidence, most local Walmarts will allow you to set up and they have a local charity they support. You make the balloons and take donations (rather than a set price) and the proceeds go to charity. This way you can get experience and mostly confidence that people really do appreciate your talent.

You know that you’re a beginner but THEY DON’T And they are thrilled with the animals and hats you create. I guarantee you that a week it two later (or sooner) and you’ll feel like an expert.

I’m amazed that more people don’t do this (but kinda glad they don’t in my local area at least)

I can honestly say that it’s the easiest money I ever made. And tons of fun too.

Anyhow, you can find a magic shop in your local area which stocks the long sculpture balloons or order from the Internet. I’ll throw in the link to the guy I mentioned. He runs an ethical business and carries the best quality of balloons. Hopefully he also stocks the book I mentioned. But he’s also written several. They also have an 800 number and can give you lots of good advice. They’re really friendly to newbies. If you have any other Qs just PM me.

www.tmyers.com
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Are you crafty? Do you make bracelets/hair accessories or something that you learned in
camp? Can you sew or design something to sell? Anything you can make that is cool
or cute or quirky…someone may want to purchase…you can…

Start your own business! Get on Etsy link
You can get great ideas of what to sell by browsing the pages.

If you do not want to do that…

Advertise to be a mother’s summer helper. You can help moms with kids at home during
the day. Write what you will do: keep kids entertained, make their lunches, read
them stories, take them to the park, or help with laundry and errands. A good place
to advertise would be at your local church and/or children’s clothing shops.

Advertise to buy groceries for the housebound at a set price.

Advertise to assist in cleaning out attics or basements and/or organize offices (if you are
good at this.)

Do you have a talent? If you can sing, act, dance or are good at any subject in school, you can tutor children.

Hope some of these help.

Good luck!