Work as a 13 year old?

Hey Mason,

I don't think you are able to legally work at age 13. But you can try working online as a freelancer, there are plenty of sites where you can find work online!

Good luck!

Assuming you're in the United States, you can't legally work until you're at least 14 in some states, 16 in all others, not even freelancing :(

Like what others said, you can't legally work at 13. It's still a great idea to use this time to learn more and improve however! If you feel like you're decent at code, maybe you should begin developing you own app so others can look at them, then they might be interested. I'm 15, I have been using Treehouse for 6 months and I still don't think I'm job-ready, even though my app is coming along very well.

On a side note, sometimes watching 100 videos over the course of 2 days is not always a good idea, especially considering that it's a lot to take in. If you feel like you are learning however, that's great! (I'm just saying because I did the same thing and deeply regret it, probably another reason why I don't feel job-ready :p.)

Happy coding!

Hey Mason,

Congrats on picking up a valuable skill at such a — relatively — young age!

So, now you want to make some money... cool. Like Michael says, child labor is currently outlawed in the US. Still, it's one of those things that is really just frowned upon, when done at a small scale, like ... tickling people... on an airplane. If I were you, I would just go door-to-door to every small business in my town/city and offer to build the proprietor a free website. This is a win-win situation for you. Door-to-door sales is a numbers game and you just have to talk to enough people and a small percentage will say "yes;" a greater percentage will gift you a truer understanding of what the word "asshole" means but that's besides the point and the experience will only serve to grow hair on your chest. And you'll pick up yet another skill: direct sales.

As for any reluctance you may feel at giving away valuable work for free, take comfort in the knowledge that this only has to happen, at most, one time; once you have tangible proof that you can create a functioning product, you can start asking your clients to take out a second mortgage on their house. This has the potential to be skill number 3: marketing. And, honestly, you're 13, so all the assholes you'd usually have to watch out for have probably already said "no" to your services at the door. The ones that said "yes," if you deliver real value to them, they're going to be begging you to shut up and take their money.

One thing you should watch out for, though, are the ... heartless punks (they're like assholes, but, like, a synonym). You're 13 so if, say, some heartless punk promises you cash for your services and doesn't pay, there would be no legal avenue through which you could sue. You'd just have to take the hit. But, really, that's okay. You'll be fine. Because you're 13.

Good luck!

Do you have an adult family member that could obtain work for you and you work for your family member? Family businesses can employ their children at twelve years of age in many states.

You can freelance on sites like fiverr.com. You'll need a bank account to withdrawal via PayPal. I am pretty sure you can get a bank account at 13 without a parent so you should be good. Finding an employer at your age is probably a no go so freelance on the web instead.

Sue,

I appreciate you trying to help Mason. I expect this is a common problem for many young people. I hope Mason has parents who can help him open accounts and then he work under his parents until he is legally able to do so by himself.

Sue, you are correct that there are banks that will offer bank accounts to individuals at 13 years of age, but often this is limited to savings accounts.

Age 18 is the legal limit. Under age 18, you need your parents assistance. Note, this not PayPal just being mean. When you open a PayPal account, you are agreeing to a binding legal contract. Feb 17, 2013 (Paypal)

This Site is offered and available to users who are 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 you may not use this Site or the Fiverr services. By using this Site, you represent and warrant that you are of legal age to form a binding contract and meet all of the foregoing eligibility requirements. If you do not meet all of these requirements, you must not access or use the Site. (https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service)

To open an account, you would have to claim you are 18 or older. I do not know what the penalty would be for falsifying your age to open these accounts.

I am proud of you Mason. Keep up the good work! I hope you have parents who will solve these problems for you. Thank you Sue for working to help Mason!

Mark Casavantes