Work from home: How teens can make money online

The traditional 9 to 5 job is a story of the bygone era. Starting your own business doesn’t require a nod from top financers anymore. Freedom to build a career on your terms is paramount. However, all this makes sense only when you’re aware of the possibilities surrounding you today.

Gone are the days when youngsters wanted to work for big companies. Today, they’d rather work for themselves. This has been made possible due to the ongoing social media boom.

This is the time when youngsters usually opt for internships to gain a certificate of experience that may add worth to their portfolio. Most teenagers spend several hours online, either on a computer or a smartphone.

But this time can be seized to explore many unconventional career options that you’re probably well versed with but never dared to step into. The combined effect of the internet and social media has given birth to professions that allow you to pursue a path of your choice. At the same time, the list of prerequisites includes mostly two things – skill and passion.

Why not look at some interesting work opportunity on the internet that will not only earn you money but recognition too!

Freelance jobs 

If you already know what you’re good at, say, writing, translation, graphic designing, video editing, app growth or advertising and marketing – there is enough freelance opportunities in the market. Websites like Chegg India, Freelance India, Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr give youngsters the chance to contribute professionally and creatively. You can earn money, create a work portfolio and endorse it on social media at the same time.

You have to sign up on these websites and choose how you’d like to work. Most of them pay on an hourly basis while some pay for each project.

Instagram

You know this platform well. You’ve spent hours scrolling through the reels and stalking your favourite stars. Why not become one, then? You see, Instagram is not limited to professionals anymore. With the inception of Insta reels, the platform is open for ordinary people to showcase their creativity in terms of – singing, dancing, poetry, painting, sketching, fashion, etc. You can put out absolutely anything you’re good at and make money once you gain enough followers.

Instagram influencers earn via sponsors who like to collaborate with people that have a significant presence on the platform. While getting sponsors may be a far-fetched idea, showcasing your talent in a lucrative manner and gaining attention for the same is still quite an achievement. Social media recognition is indeed quite valuable today.

People like Yashraj Mukhate, Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, etc. give credit to Instagram for their careers.

YouTube

Similar to Instagram, YouTube has been a blessing to people looking to promote their talent for free. The best part about these platforms is that you don’t require any qualifications or even money to join them. As YouTube says, it’s a platform where you simply ‘broadcast yourself‘.

Vlogging is the latest trend that has received insane momentum since the lockdown in 2020. Apart from this, it’s a free-of-cost platform to make videos about anything you like. Review a book, talk about movies, describe your skills, make films, etc. There is an infinite pool of choices available on social media.

YouTube monetization policy explains the process to monetize videos after meeting some mandatory conditions set by the website.

Podcasts

If you take pride in your oratory skills, why not monetise it? According to KPMG, India is the third-largest podcast-listening market globally and is expected to be valued at Rs 17.62 crore by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 34.5%. From April 2020, 49% of users prefer using audio platforms like Gaana, Spotify and JioSaavn regularly.

Premier podcast platforms like Google Podcast, Anchor, Spotify, etc. give you an option to start a podcast free of cost on their platform. Most of these apps require at least 5,000 listeners to monetise your show via sponsors, commercials, and subscriptions.