5 Ways Students Can Earn Money Without Flipping Burgers By Richard Byrne

One of the talks that I give from time to time is titled Preparing Students to Work and Learn Independently. The focus of the talk is to help people understand the learning and employment opportunities that exist today that didn't exist 10-15 years ago. One part of the talk includes examples of the kinds of self-employment opportunities that are available to students today that didn't exist 10-15 years ago. Here are five of those opportunities.

1. Tee-shirt design and sales. There are plenty of online services that let students design and sell tee-shirts without any start-up costs. SunFrog is a service that I have personally used for that purpose.

2. Drone piloting. Students who have drones might offer their skills for sale to real estate agents. I know one realtor in my area who has hired students to fly drones to photograph the properties they are listing for sale.

3. YouTube publishing. YouTube allows you to monetize your videos through the use of their ad network, AdSense. Students could publish tutorial videos for their favorite games, demonstrate DIY projects, or publish videos about any other topic that strikes their fancy. It takes a lot of video views to make significant money this way, but it's  not unrealistic for a teenager to make $50-100/month.

4. Design and sell 3D printed objects. I've seen students create cell phone cases and speakers with 3D printers. A simple e-junkie or eBay store is a fine platform for resale of those items.

5. Virtual tech help. This has been an in-person option for years, but free tools like Skype, Zoom, and Google+ Hangouts make it possible for students to offer tech help remotely.

Disclaimer: Most online stores and advertising programs require people to be 18 or older. Therefore, students will need to have their parents register and let their teens manage the materials sold. Depending upon how much students earn, there may be tax implications to consider. 

Transit Link Community Transportation Simulation

Today the young adults at Transitions West Campus took the Transit Link bus to an form Oakdale Hy-Vee in a real life transportation simulation.  Students learned how to enroll online for Transit Link transportation services.  They each called individually to schedule the appointment pick up time and location supervised by Carolyn Sorenson teacher.  Below are pictures of the students as they are excited to practice riding Transit Link for the first time.  Students are taking yet another step toward independent living for this group of young adults.

Students preparing to pay for the $2.25 bus fee

Transit Link

Excitement prevails at take off

Transit Link (formerly Dial-A-Ride) is a curb-to-curb minibus or van service for the general public that operates on weekdays throughout the seven-county metropolitan area. It is a shared-ride service, which must be reserved in advance. You may reserve a ride up to five days in advance, or call at least two hours in advance for same-day trips. Rides are subject to availability, and fares are based on the distance traveled. The base fare is $2.25, one way, for a trip up to 10 miles.

If you want to know more about Transit Link please click on the link below

https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Services/Transit-Link.aspx

Transition Graduate Andy Schmidt

Andy Schmidt 

Andy Schmidt graduated from the Stillwater Transition program in June 2016.  He spent two years in program working at Goldwood Kennels & Wal-Mart as part time jobs while attending Northeast Metro 916 classes in Construction & Trades.

Andy's time at Transitions helped him prepare for his next step in pursuing a degree at Technical College. Andy transitioned into classes at Saint Paul Technical College after graduation.  He is pursuing a degree in Cabinetmaking.  Andy is enjoying his classes at Saint Paul Technical College and continues to work part-time with a very busy schedule. He was recently named to the fall semester Deans List for maintaining above 3.5 GPA. Andy  also enjoys hunting, fishing and trapping in his free time.



Andy's story of success is one I felt compelled to share with you all because he truly has worked hard to find the path to success in his jobs, career path and personal accomplishments.  Andy is the perfect example of a successful transition from high school into the adult world.  As his case manager I am glad that I had the opportunity to work with Andy and his parents to play a small roll in his current success.  He truly is a wonderful young man to work with and we all wish him much future success!

65 lb Beaver Trapped by Andy Schmidt

Cabinet Andy build at Technical College

Isaac and the Graphic Design Stone

The bizarre tales of a Graphic Design student

Certain tales involve a great hero overcoming great odds, some stories tell of those among us with great powers, my tale is a nerd who likes to mess about in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Hello, I’m Isaac and I play with images for grades, I bet you’re jealous.  I’ve been shown to have certain creative skills with Art programs and decided to take Design & Digital Media class at Northeast Metro 916 to explore this as a career. Now I make tons of new designs everyday, of course that doesn’t stop me from making particularly bad jokes once in awhile such as the above example.

The Design & Digital Media class teaches photography, text design, animation, stop-motion, and of course Graphic Design. I spend my time either making real work of high quality or terrible memes at which I will now show you my favorite one:

A sedoka about dogs and cats. I put a lot more work than all the  other students did and I believe it shows. It still has some less than ideal parts, but I am proud of it.
I then come to Transitions in the afternoon for my classes and then go to work at Kowalski's Market. I really enjoy being a part of the Transition Program in that I also belong to the Skills USA Chapter at Transitions. All this keeps me very busy in my quest for finding the right career path for me.
By Isaac Henke