Best First Jobs: 75+ First-Time Job Ideas for Teens & College Students

We’ve all gotta start somewhere.

Whether you’re still in your mid-teens in high school or looking for your first job after finishing university, you’ve got hundreds of job title options in dozens of industries.

Because we know it can be challenging to come up with ideas for what your first job should be (not to mention landing that job), we’ve come up with this article to help make things easier. Use these to help come up with first-time job ideas or validate the ideas you already have.

Here are the best first jobs for teenagers, young adults, and students:

1. Food Service Jobs

If you’re on Google searching “jobs for teens near me,” many fast food chains and mid-scale restaurants are sure to come up, as the food service industry is where many of us get our start. I myself started out as a busboy, helping to clear tables and hoping for a cut of the servers’ tips at the end of the night.

From Starbucks to fine-dining restaurants, food service gigs make for great entry-level jobs for beginners. Here are a few of the most popular food industry jobs for people without experience:

• Dishwasher
• Bartender or barback
• Waitress, waiter, or server
• Busperson
• Barista
• Prep cook or line cook
• Fast food worker
• Ice cream shop employee
• Restaurant cashier

Related Read: 7 Reasons to Research a Company Before & After Applying for a Job

2. Retail Jobs

Jobs in retail are another popular choice for those starting out. Whether at a large Costco anchor store at the downtown mall or as the solo worker at a local mom and pop shop, here are some great starter jobs for first-timers:

• Sales associate
• Customer service representative (CSR)
• Cashier
• Inventory associate
• Stock clerk
• Warehouse associate
• Order picker

Related Read: 10 Cover Letter Tips & Tricks Sure to Score Job Interviews

3. Camp Jobs

Part-time jobs are great ways to earn some cash and get some real-world experience. The most popular part-time jobs for students and young professionals are those in the camp spectrum, such as summer camp, band camp, YMCA camp, or girl scouts camp.

Here are camp-related jobs perfect for first-time employment:

• Camp counselor
• Kitchen staff
• Assistant camp director
• Program staff
• Site maintenance
• Swim instructor

Related Read: 10+ Job Search Tips & Tricks to Up Your Chances of Landing an Interview

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4. Sitting Jobs

No, I don’t mean jobs where you work sitting down (though, you certainly could!). Rather, some of the best first jobs for high school students and those who only have a little spare time are nanny-type opportunities. These gigs let you focus on your school work while still allowing you to earn cash as a weekend job.

Sitting jobs for first timers include:

• Babysitting
• House sitting
• Dog sitting & dog walking
• Cat sitting
• Au pair

However, many of the job posting websites (including our own Goodwall Opportunities) won’t show full job ads for these types of jobs, often due to the costs involved or the detail needed in the job description. So, rather than googling “places hiring teens near me,” try a local website, such as your town’s newspaper, or a community board. If all else fails, take a walk around your neighborhood!

Related Read: 55 Resume Tips, Hacks & Expert Advice to Help You Score a Job Interview

5. Information Technology (IT) Jobs

If you’re looking to have a fulfilling tech career, there’s no reason why your first job can’t already be part of your career path. There are many awesome entry-level jobs in IT out there perfect for college students, such as:

• Graphic design
• Content writing
• Social media marketing
• Webmaster
• Junior technology associate
• Junior data entry associate
• Entry-level IT tech support
• Online community manager

Ever wondered what the difference between a job and a career was? Have a look at our guide which explains the differences!

Related Read: Work From Home Jobs: 13 Best Remote & Online Jobs for 2020 & Beyond

6. Teaching & Tutoring Jobs

Just because you’re still in high school or university doesn’t mean you can’t impart your own knowledge onto others. If you have a particular knack for English, say, become an English tutor part-time! Here are some other ideas for teaching gigs for those without professional experience:

• Math tutor
• Online ESL teacher
• Elementary tutor
• Kindergarten tutor
• Test preparation tutor
• Summer camp counselor
• After school program assistant
• Sports coach
• Homework helper
• Daycare assistant
• Assistant teacher
• Substitute teacher

Related Read: What to Bring to an Interview? 10+ Things to Take for Your Big Meeting

7. Freelance Jobs

Need some cash and experience to put on your resume but don’t have the time for a steady job with all your classes and activities? Freelance gigs make perfect first jobs, as you can complete them at your own pace. This is the best kind of “BYOB”—be your own boss.  

A few ideas for freelance 1st jobs include:

• Photography
• Web design
• Programming
• Writing
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Virtual assistance
• Translation / interpretation
• Uber driver / Lyft driver

Related Read: 25+ Studying & Working From Home Tips for Productivity and Success

8. Creative Jobs

If creativity runs through your veins, there’s no reason why you can’t get a creative job as your first paid employment. Here are a few options to consider:

• Designing visuals, presentations, or illustrations
• Floral designer
• Blogger
• Copywriter
• Photography
• Social media specialist
• Makeup artist

Oh, and if you’re more of a late-riser, creative gigs such as these can often easily accommodate being night shift jobs, as well, particularly if you’re freelancing.

Ready to start looking for the best first jobs for you? We’ve got the full guide on all the top job search sites right this way.

Related Read: How to Get a Job With No Experience (Whether In the Industry or at All)

9. Hospitality Jobs

One of the most common industries for entry-level job seekers after food service and retail is the hospitality sector. Take a look at these examples:

• Hotel receptionist
• Front desk attendant
• Bellhop or porter
• Cruise ship attendant
• Event planning associate
• Housekeeping
• Valet or parking attendant
• Host or hostess

If you have the urge to explore the world, hospitality gigs make for some great first jobs. Find a company that offers an employee discount on travel (e.g., Hilton Hotels), save up a bit from each paycheck, and prepare for an amazing adventure at an agreeable price!

Related Read: How to Choose a Career: The Complete Guide to Picking One You’ll Love

10. Internships Jobs

What better way to get your foot in the door and step onto your career path than by starting your first job as an intern? There are internships in almost every field you can imagine, but here are several ideas for you:

• Financial intern
• Web development intern
• Summer internships
• Undergraduate co-op program
• IT internship
• Program assistant
• Cybersecurity analyst apprenticeship

Need some help finding an internship? You can easily apply for an internship through Goodwall in just a few short steps!

Related Read: 15+ Best Internship Websites for Finding Programs Near You (or Abroad!)

11. Jobs in Other Services & Industries

We gave you a few ideas for some key industries and first-time job types, but there’s way more that that to choose from! Here are just a few more:

• Newspaper delivery
• Amusement park employee
• Car wash attendant
• Food delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc.)
• Farm worker
• Club attendant / golf caddy
• Pool or beach lifeguard

When you’re all ready to apply to your first job, make sure your web profile is up to date!

Related Read: 10 Niche Social Media Sites & Vertical Networks to Join

Top 20 Most Common First-Time Jobs

Not sold on the jobs for first-timers we’ve suggested above?

Well, it turns out, many of those good first jobs above make the top 20 list of most common first-time jobs around the world.

The Facebook data science team analyzed thousands of English-language posts which used the hashtags #firstsevenjobs or #first7jobs. Then, they took the information and created a ranking of the most common jobs for beginners. 

Here are the 20 most common first-time jobs:

1. babysitter
2. cashier
3. lab assistant
4. newspaper delivery
5. teacher
6. camp counselor
7. retail
8. dishwasher
9. receptionist
10. manager
11. waiter/server
12. hostess
13. intern
14. McDonald’s – one of the most popular places for teens to work!
15. student
16. barista
17. store clerk
18. pizza delivery
19. lifeguard
20. research assistant

Some interesting data in there, right? 

By the way, if you’re interested, you should definitely check out that article. The Facebook team performed the same analysis for posts in other languages, and the results were interesting, including strawberry picking as #5 for Finnish speakers and pulling white hair for speakers of Vietnamese!

So— 

Are you ready to search for your first job? You don’t have to leave this site! At Goodwall, we’ve got over 5 million jobs and internship opportunities just waiting to be filled. Simply log in and start your search.

Then, prepare for your first interview!

How’d you find this article? We hope it helped you come up with ideas as to what would make a good first-time job for you. Got any questions, comments, or first job ideas we missed on our list? Let us know in the conversation area below, and thanks for reading!