Teens Create Their Own Jobs

The current economic state has not only affected Wall Street, but also young people's ability to land summer jobs. Many are facing a dwindling supply of job opportunities because of tightening budgets of companies. This has led some young people to find independent lines of employment.

This new employment field is full of individuals using their own talent and creativity to generate revenue. Many offer their own knowledge and skills in music, technology and sports to entice a new clientele.

Entrepreneur Tysean Ford, 17, a rising freshman at Hampton University, started his own company Maqic Entertainment and Designs, in 2007. The company specializes in Web and print publication design, as well as event planning and hosting. Ford works with clients in the Washington Metropolitan and Hampton Roads area. Ford said he started out by designing a Web site for his Boy Scout Troop.

"I taught myself with tutorials and went off to make my own company," Ford said.

The Internet has also helped young people create their own jobs. Justin Pietro, a student at George Mason University, found himself laid off from an information technology company, so he put an ad on Craigslist offering to teach guitar lessons. Aside from guitar lessons, Pietro has also used his experience with his band, DubCity Renegades, to build a managing company for other bands. The managing company helps bands with booking shows and recording. Pietro said that today's economy has made it easier to create a job than get one.

"This has been the best job I've had and I love it," Pietro said.

Design and music lessons are not the only skills being advertised. Stephen Kim, 17, a senior at South Country Secondary, also posted an ad on Craigslist. As a varsity player on his school's tennis team, he offered private tennis lessons. Kim tried finding work at fast food places and restaurants, but was unsuccessful.

"More people are trying to find work," Kim said. "The current job market is overwhelmed and young people have a difficult time because they have little to set them apart from other people."

Patrick Smith, 18, found himself out of work after his internship at the United States Postal Workers Union ended in July. With the summer almost over, his job search was made more difficult because he could only work for a month before he went back to school at Montgomery College.

"It's hard and no one wants to hire a teen for a month," Smith said.

Smith graduated from the visual and performing arts program at Suitland High School in Forestville, Md.

He currently uses his musical talent to entertain outside Metro stations, covering songs by artists such as Stevie Wonder. Smith said his current job was a last resort, but at the same time, he has fallen in love with it. Smith is working to make money, so that he can go to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. "I love this, even if I found a job you could still find me out here," Smith said.

Although the job market has remained unsteady, there are other means of making money. Pietro says that individuals need to see it as an opportunity to create a job you love.