For high school students, making money isn’t as simple as just getting a job. Between homework and sports, teens are doing side-hustles from their own interests to earn money on their own terms. When people hear “side hustle,” they often think it will take too much effort with not enough payment to reciprocate, but that idea doesn’t fully reflect reality. From my perspective, side hustles are less about how much effort you put in and more about their own enjoyment, learning real-world business skills, whilst making some extra money.
One of the biggest limits high schoolers face is that school is not giving enough opportunities for students to learn about their own interests in school. Between homework, studying, and sports, it’s hard to commit to anything additional without feeling overwhelmed. Because of this, not every side hustle that works for adults or college students makes sense for kids of our age. The most realistic options tend to be the ones that use school to connect naturally with clients.
One side hustle that works well for Darien, which is such a sport-focused town, is photography. With the constant amount of the athletic events, there are plenty of opportunities to not only capture meaningful moments, but establish connections with adults and students alike.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the median hourly wage for photographers was $20.44 in May 2024, meaning half of all photographers earned more than this amount.” So if it provides so much opportunity, what’s preventing people from doing it? The answer to that question is money. As a sports photographer myself, my entire arsenal is valued at around 3,500 dollars. So, to have what is considered a pretty standard photography kit, you need to drop anywhere between 2,000-4,000 dollars on equipment alone. This defeats the purpose of side hustling, and completely contradicts the ‘starting off small” idea.
A second strong side hustle is babysitting, especially for students who want something that provides an opportunity to work with kids. Compared to photography, this option is more available to people because it requires very minimal time and effort. A common requirement for babysitting is basic CPR training, which would take a little bit of your time and have a small submission fee.
Unlike photography, which takes all your money and has to be learnt before you can start the business. According to Care.com’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey, “parents posted rates for after-school sitters that average $21.07 per hour.” This is higher than photography but, people consider the main negative hustle to be it’s the least likely side hustle to have the potential to become an actual job. This image shows what percent the age of babysitters are.
Another side hustle worth considering is social media, it stands out as its the most up and coming side hustle that has been proven to work. According to a 2023 study by the Keller Advisory Group, “In 2023 in the United States, 27 million people were paid content creators, with 12 million working in content creation full-time and 8 million part-time.” However, as
much as it embodies the idea of starting of small, the chances of it being successful are slim, making social media incredibly unpredictable, as it relies on consistency and creativity. According to a survey by Visual Objects, “Almost all small businesses (93%) in the U.S. face at least one widespread social media challenge,” according to a new survey report from Visual Objects.
From what I’ve seen, the side hustles that work best usually build on skills students already have or interests they enjoy. Whether it’s something that someone wants to get good at or is already good at, starting with something familiar makes it easier to stay consistent. Consistency matters because most data shows that starting off is really slow, especially when balancing school and other responsibilities. But once it catches on, it can really be a money-making endeavor.
