Being in quarantine is a tough experience, especially for the many that have lost their jobs. With more than 26 million people having filed for unemployment, according to The New York Times, shutdowns and layoffs have hit minorities and those with low income jobs the hardest. Those in our age group usually work lower income jobs and many of us have been laid off recently. That and being bored out of our minds in quarantine means there has been an outcry for jobs and side hustles.

If you are comfortable stepping outside, following social distancing guidelines and being as safe as possible of course, these are some jobs you can do. You can also do these for free and count them as volunteer hours:

1. Pick up groceries for people, especially those unable to step out of their homes. You can charge a delivery fee or ask for tips.
2. Wash cars and mow lawns in your neighborhood. 
3. Babysit. Many parents are out working essential jobs and are in need of child/petcare. Make sure you and the people you are babysitting for are being safe and following social distancing.

Many of us don’t feel comfortable being outside right now and that is completely understandable. Here are a couple of jobs you can do in your jammies:

1. Start tutoring. Online school can be hard to handle and many kids need help with schoolwork. You can help by giving students lessons and homework help over video call. 
2. Online classes. If academic tutoring isn’t your thing, use your other talents and hobbies to hold lessons over video call. It could be anything from cooking, painting, playing certain instruments. Quarantine is the ideal time to hone your craft and make money by doing so.
3. Start a blog. If you like writing or want to write about something you are passionate about, start a blog. Making money from a blog can be a slow process but can be a great experience. There are many guides online on how to get started, which web hosting services are the best, and so on.
4. Start a Youtube channel. Again, earning money from this can be a slow process and you need a solid subscriber base. The truth is making videos can be a great way to showcase things you are talented at and occupy time, all while making money.
5. Do surveys! There are many surveys for young people that can make you good money. Ask your parents about it and make sure you feel comfortable sharing information about yourself. Here are some of the best survey sites for minors (according to paidfromsurveys.com) : SwagBucks, Toluna Influencers, GrabPoints, PriceRebel, Survey Junkie, FeaturePoints, LifePoints, and ySense. Please make sure to be safe and not share personal information, passwords, and the like.
6. Launch your acting or modeling career. The performance industry is rapidly changing and in the time of quarantine, more and more producers and agencies are relying on online castings. If you want to be in the acting or modeling industry, this is the perfect time to do so as you don’t even need experience, just a couple photos. Look up gigs and online castings, email people, and send in photos. If you’re interested in voice acting you can check out acx.com. Audiobook Creation Exchange was launched by Audible and is a place where publishers, authors, narrators, and agents can create audiobooks. Get some basic audio equipment and start auditioning to narrate different audiobooks.
7. Write captions. Go to websites like TranscribeMe, Transcript Divas, Go Transcript, and Rev to get transcription and captioning jobs.
8. Teach English. If you are fluent in english you can go to websites like Cambly, Palfish, and Open English. These websites require no certification, just that you are fluent in english and are excited to talk to people and teach. Cambly is more of a conversational app, where you talk to students all around the world, and is most recommended to those with no teaching experience. Unfortunately Cambly is not hiring during quarantine, but you can always apply after things calm down a bit.

If you aren’t looking to make money right now, there are so many ways you can be productive with your time, especially as a high school student.

1. Apply to scholarships. College is expensive but you can act now and apply to scholarships to make the burden of paying for higher education lighter.
2. Answer the “what am I going to when the quarantine ends?” question. With this much time on our hands, this is a great use of time and can get you thinking about the future. Think about things you like to do and are good at. Research career paths that correspond with those interests and find out what you need to do to get to where you want to be in a certain career. Sometimes answering the question “if the world ended today what would be a couple of things you would regret not having done?” can really help. Finding out who you are and what you want to do in the future is a process and it won’t happen immediately (or it might), just take things slow and do some research. Acting now won’t be something you’ll regret, so why not?
3. Research causes and charities you care about and find out how you can help out from the comfort of your home.