Teenagers have many great options when it comes to finding online jobs. Many online jobs for 17-year-olds are in different industries, such as online retail sales, online customer service, online tutoring, writing articles, online photography, taking online surveys, social media marketing, applying as a virtual assistant, creating a YouTube channel, pet sitting jobs, and more! It helps if teens have a job from which they can make their own spending money and learn work ethics while at it. 

Making money as a teenager and having your first job can be tough. For most 17-year-olds, a few gigs involve taking orders at a drive-thru or washing dishes at the back of a restaurant.

If you’re interested in working online for a different teenage job experience, why not look at the best online jobs?

There are tons of opportunities out there for you that are much more interesting than flipping burgers and playing video games online. You can even have your account and money and make a direct deposit in your bank account.

Online jobs are quite the trend now compared to traditional jobs; you must pay taxes if you’re earning a lot, even when you only have average pay.

Advantages of an online job

• Work on your schedule. You can take breaks anytime, feel no rush to hang up on your family members when they call and eat lunch at any weird time.
• Custom environment. Set your noise level as you want—somewhere between insanely quiet and being in the front row of a Lady Gaga concert. If you’re mindful of your workspace’s ergonomics, you can create a stronger workflow rhythm.
• Cozy clothes. You get to wear those sweatpants from college with the letters peeling off or the leggings your friends don’t know you own.
• It’s easier to make calls. You won’t have to scramble to find a conference room or deal with a particularly chatty co-worker.
• Knock off some weekend to-do’s. Is that Mt. Everest laundry pile waiting for you? That thing you set a reminder to get from the store 11 weeks ago? Cross. It. Off.
• No office distractions. Avoid co-workers debating the merits of cryptocurrency, sirens wailing outside your window, and the AC kicking in as you hide your icicle tears.
• Zero commuting. From bed to … bed? Hey, I’m not judging, it’s nice.
• Save money. Lunch is expensive if you work in a city or downtown with a little pocket money. In San Francisco, it’s not crazy to see a $15 sandwich or $4 coffee. You can save big time at home by going to the store and preparing food.
• Forget crowds and traffic. No stuffing yourself into a rickety transportation tube, having people scuff your new shoes, or walking behind agonizingly slow people who don’t know what a straight line is. (Am I bitter? No … not bitter … )
• More time with loved ones. Take care of a sick significant other at home, be ready for your kids earlier in the day, get some extra snuggles in with your doggo, or simply get some quiet time!

Disadvantages of an online job

• Willpower. Gotta get jamming on this new project, but Netflix says you still have four episodes of Tiger King to watch…
• Difficulty sticking to a routine. The order in which you do things at work is rarely the order in which you do things at home. It can be tough to mirror your schedule and processes once outside the office.
• I’m missing important calls or pings. Oops, my phone was on Do Not Disturb, and I missed a meeting! Or my boss slacked me and asked me to prioritize something else, and now it’s 4:45 p.m.
• I’m calling Uber Eats anyway. You thought you were saving money, didn’t you? Blam-o! $20 minimum and a $5 fee for the higher-rated Thai place. Should’ve remembered to buy bread …
• Power naps could arguably be advantageous… unless they accidentally last 45 minutes after your delivered double entree Thai lunch.
• Boredom. Those office convos? Kinda missing Susan’s cat stories, eh? How long can you go without seeing another living human being?
• Working slowly. Sometimes, the office has energy. Sometimes, your home does not.
• There is no second monitor. How did I ever work without two giant screens looming above me? All 74 of my tabs are essential!
• Iffy WiFi. At home or in a cafe, when the wifi starts to spaz, and you switch locations a couple of times but honestly spend more time packing and ordering a 6-shot mint mojito coffee with coconut milk and 16 grains of sugar than doing work.
• Waiting for an answer. You need to ask a super quick question, but it’ll impact how you do something for the next hour or even the rest of the day. And there’s no response. 

If you are looking for a realistic, dependable way to earn income online in the immediate future, you have many options. Fair warning: these are probably the least exciting options, but they are practical.

Remote customer service representative 

Customer service representative is the perfect online job for teens who enjoy problem-solving and helping others. It’s also a great way to get real-world experience dealing with different kinds of people, a skill that will help you no matter what career you end up in.

These can be telephone-based or chat-based, so if you’re nervous about talking to people over the phone, an online customer service rep job might be more up your alley. 

As a customer service representative, you’ll assist customers with booking moving trucks. Pay starts at $9.50/hr.

Social media marketing assistant

If you’re a young adult with an internet connection who wants to earn extra money online and can work on your schedule, social media is a daily part of life.

Your parents may see it as a massive distraction and a waste of time, but if you’re smart about social media, you can turn your savvy into a steady job and earn money online.

Local businesses everywhere need help managing their social media accounts rather than those who play games online. Still, it’s often the last thing on the mind of an overworked business owner.

For example, my favorite golf course in town hasn’t posted to their Facebook account since 2018 — several years ago! That’s a huge marketing channel that they’re missing out on that a go-getter like you could fill.

A social media manager’s basic tasks involve posting content online and updating it periodically. The manager may chat with followers online, create advertisements on their platform, or post blog entries online.

Social media is also a part of digital marketing. You can also earn cash by doing videos, writing articles, playing games online, and using social media sites to

If you know the ins and outs of social media marketing, find a job by contacting small businesses in your area, or check out Indeed to see if companies near you are actively hiring. 

See Related: Easy Online Jobs to Work from Home or Anywhere

Online tutor

If there is a subject you excel at in school, you can start getting paid for that expertise by tutoring other students. Money can be made in biology, calculus, history, or something else.

Most tutoring sites pay by the hour, usually in the $15 to $30 range. Some will also allow you to set your rates or offer group tutoring lessons — which can boost your earnings further.

If a tutoring platform won’t accept someone your age, create an online resume, share the link on a business card, and leave it in prominent places in your community (like a local coffee shop, with permission). 

Data entry specialist

If you’re detail-oriented, comfortable with spreadsheets, and don’t mind repetitive tasks, you can get an online job as a data entry specialist.

Data entry usually involves taking figures or text from one source and inputting them into another. Yep, it’s pretty boring. But money is money, and nothing is wrong with a job like this.

You can find flexible virtual assistant data entry jobs through sites like FlexJobs. The one downside to FlexJobs is that there is a monthly fee to view the open positions, so if money is tight, you can try other sites like Indeed.com. 

YouTuber

Marques Brownlee, aka MBKHD, started uploading YouTube videos to his technology reviews YouTube channel in 2009 when he was 15. Today, he has over 14,000,000 subscribers and earns over $100,000 monthly from his channel. 

While Brownlee’s extreme success is an outlier, the good news is that you don’t need millions of subscribers to earn a full-time income from YouTube.

Many full-timers have fewer than 100,000 subscribers, and some substantially less. If there is a topic you are passionate about and you are willing to learn the art of making great videos and watching videos, too, the sky is the limit on YouTube. Consistency is key! 

Instagram or TikTok influencer

Becoming an influencer is the dream for many teenagers other than playing video games. Like any other business, though, it requires hard work and consistency.

Most people think going viral is the key to “making it,” but it’s not. Most influencers grow their accounts slowly and steadily.

The amount of money you can make depends on your followers’ engagement and influence. You can make money by partnering with brands, posting sponsored posts, selling other people’s products, or selling your products or services.

How to be a TikTok influencer:

1. Identify your niche: What do you like to film? What are you good at? What are your passions?
2. Make sure your account looks professional: Use high-quality photos and videos, and make sure your bio and profile are filled out completely.
3. Create interesting and engaging content: This is the key to becoming an influencer! Be creative and think outside the box.
4. Connect with other users: Follow users who share your interests, comment on their videos, and engage with them online.
5. Promote your content: Share your videos on other social media platforms and use hashtags to reach a wider audience.
6. Work with brands: Work with businesses to promote their products and services in exchange for free merchandise or money using online platforms like FameBit or GenMedia.
7. Upload regularly! It is important to get your name out there by uploading videos frequently. If you are inactive, growing an audience will be difficult.

Negotiating with companies that want to partner with your account and make money online requires parental permission. You may also need to review contracts that have important guidelines and stipulations.

Build a Site

Do you have a knack for computers? If you know your way around building a website, you may be able to build a profitable business.

When it comes to designing an awesome site, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind with a lot of jobs online. The first is that your website needs to be easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily.

The second is that your website should be visually appealing. It should look professional and well put together. And the third is that your website should be responsive. This means it will look good no matter what device it is viewed on.

If you are thinking about launching a new website or redesigning your current website, keep these things in mind. And if you don’t have the time or skills to do it yourself, hire a professional web designer to do it for you.

Many business owners need good-looking, functional websites. Put yourself out there and find people who need the work done. This can be achieved through word of mouth with the people you know, but an easier way to find clients is to look online.

Sites like Fiverr are an online marketplace for freelancers. The age requirement is 13 years of age or older.  This will give you access to small jobs that will help you build your skills and confidence. You can also build your website and earn as much as possible through selling your services. As you get better, you can move up to bigger sites that will give you a bigger payout.

Fiverr pays you to your PayPal account, and after all the fees, you will receive almost $4 for every $5 order you receive and complete. Go here to sign up for Fiverr. Another freelancer marketplace you could sign up on is Upwork.

See Related: Online Jobs For Teenagers

Sell Your Stuff

Do you have a closet full of things you don’t need anymore? Are you always looking for deals at yard sales? If you have a supply of items others want but don’t, starting a store on eBay is an excellent way to make some extra money.

Once you set up an account, take great pictures of the items you want to sell. Write a compelling description, then sit back and watch the bidding begin.

Collect your money and send the items out when the auction is over. You’d be shocked at the amount of money you can make off of something that you were ready to throw away.

See Related: Ways to Get Free Wish Card

Start a Blog

If you enjoy writing articles and are willing to work as a freelance writer, starting a blog about something you know and love can be fun and profitable.

This is especially true if you build a blog around something you can sell. Once you get a steady readership, you can join affiliate programs. If one of your readers buys something at a site you point them to, you’ll get some of the profits.

With a big enough readership, you can make much money without too much work.

If the thought of making videos for the entire world to see terrifies you, blogging is a great alternative as an online job, make sure you are up to date with the platforms available.

And yes, people still read blogs (you’re reading this right now, aren’t you?). You can find online jobs, and there are many platforms and online businesses from which you can create a blog.

The most successful bloggers usually focus on a particular niche or topic and don’t deviate much from it. You won’t find us writing about what we had for lunch or the latest concert we went to.

As you become known for whatever topic you write about, your audience will grow faster and faster. With an engaged audience, you can make money with ads, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and more.

Building a following is a slow process at first, but it can eventually pay off in a big way. 

See Related: Online Jobs for College Students

Take Surveys

Online surveys are one of the most popular jobs out there. Why? But you can make a lot of money regularly without much guesswork.

The surveys you’ll find online are often put out by big companies and research groups looking for information. As a consumer, your opinions are important to them, and they’ll be willing to pay you for them. If you’re consistent in giving your opinion, you’ll find a consistent source of income on an online survey site.

Because online surveys are such a popular way of making money, they’re also filled with scams. Never give money for the opportunity to take surveys.

It’s completely backward and will do you no good. Instead, stick with sites that direct you to surveys for free. We like the sites below – they’re free and legitimate.

1. Global US Test Market – This survey site has over 1 million users and is certified by the Better Business Bureau. Do I need to say more
2. Fusion Cash – A GREAT survey site that even makes payments through PayPal! This makes the collection process MUCH easier.
3. Survey Downline – Yet another fantastic online survey website that is very easy to sign up for and completely free of charge.
4. Global Survey Group – A global survey site that even allows you to win cars!

One of the nice things about online surveys is their reliability. You can’t control whether someone clicks on a link on your blog or decides to choose you for a design project. With surveys, you can count on having a few in your inbox daily. This helps you take in money constantly without worrying about dry spells.

It’s important to stay organized and consistently make money through paid surveys. One way to do this is to set up a separate email account for all your survey activities. This will prevent survey invitations from being buried in your inbox.

You’ll also want to stay organized while on the online survey site. Try to block off some time each day for survey taking. Every day, a little bit of time will add up to lots of money when it’s time to cash out.

Being 17 doesn’t mean you’re stuck doing uninspiring jobs for low pay. Expanding your search online will open up doors now and in the future.

Take advantage of all the teens that are available these days. Whether it’s survey taking or something else, you (and your wallet) will be glad you did.

Related Resources

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