As students progress into high school, they are expected to start making money somehow. Conventionally, students would get a part-time minimum wage job flipping burgers or cleaning toilets. But in recent years, trends in social media have shown how profitable side hustles can be, so students have switched to running their own businesses. 

First, let’s get on the same page, a side hustle is something small that you do outside of your normal obligations, such as school or work, to make money. Timpview students have a wide range of unique side hustles. Students do everything from 3D printing to raking leaves. However some people think that these hustles are just a waste of time and that students should just get jobs. So I decided to do some research to see what has worked, what has failed, and if hustling is even worth it. 

I first talked to Sophomore Asher Burton, a big time hustler. He’s had 4 hustles: lawn mowing, selling candy bars, selling cutting boards, and pressure washing trash cans and driveways. For him, the one that worked best was pressure washing, where he and a friend were able to make $3,000 in 3 weeks. None of his hustles have failed but he says that selling candy bars was the worst because it had very low profit margins. In his opinion, getting a job is good if you want consistent money, but side hustles are more profitable in the short term. His advice for aspiring hustlers is to offer something that people actually want and to learn how to talk to people.

I then talked with Junior, Asher Pope, who has dabbled in the world of side hustles. He’s tried window washing, gutter cleaning, and stock trading. He has been successful in window washing and stock trading. While gutter cleaning didn’t work so well, he says that this is because people don’t realize that they need it. In his opinion, hustling is worth it if you have a good plan, but it is perfectly fine to get a normal job. His advice for aspiring hustlers is to do your research, remember that you have to work hard, and don’t give up if your hustle fails.

Additionally, I talked with Junior Henry Robinson, a full time hustler. He has tried painting curb numbers, car detailing, gutter cleaning, and 3D printing. He says “My favorites have been gutter cleaning and 3D printing, although car detailing is great if you can get recurring clients.” He has not had much success with curb painting because it’s hard to sell. As far as whether or not it’s worth it, this is his take: “It’s absolutely worth it to hustle – having a job ties you to certain hours and usually doesn’t pay as much.” His advice is to go door to door, and post your services online. He cautions that if you decide to scale your business, you should get business insurance. 

Lastly I want to share my personal experience as someone who has had a normal job and ran some side hustles. I have mowed lawns, fixed sprinklers, done landscaping, ran a shaved ice stand, made and sold key chains, and tried to import cars. By far the most profitable has been sprinkler repair, because almost everyone needs it and other people charge an arm and a leg for it. It’s difficult because it takes a lot of knowledge and at first it is hard to find customers. My biggest failure has been importing cars, which became unprofitable after my first car due to recent tariffs. In my experience, having a job is definitely less stressful because all you have to do is show up and work. Whereas when you have your own business or side hustle, you have to manage customers, jobs, billing, and advertising. But you’ll almost always make more money with a side hustle. My advice to aspiring hustlers is that your first one, two, or even ten hustles might not work out, but if you keep trying, you’ll find something that works and you’ll get valuable experience along the way.

The general consensus is that having a side hustle is worth it, even though it can have its challenges; but having a job is also a great option. Both have benefits and drawbacks so don’t expect anything to go perfectly. So get out there and start hustling, T-Birds!