In the year 2000 the Playstation 2 was just released. Kids all over the world were flocking to stores in droves to buy the console. But with a hefty $299 dollar price tag, kids had to save up money from side gigs like babysitting or mowing neighbors’ lawns to afford it.

However, times have changed.

Now in the year 2026, we are six years removed from the Playstation 5’s launch. With its high demand, kids are still trying to get their hands on this console; however, instead of babysitting or mowing a neighbor’s lawn, kids now resell clothes, landscape yards, detail cars, or freelance other skills they’ve picked up.

“Anyone can put fries in the bag, anyone could pack a sandwich, but nobody can cut hair on the first try,” Yazan Tayeh, sophomore, said.

Tayeh has been cutting hair for two years now, and he started when his brother introduced him to the art.

“I saw how he treated his clients, the music, and the whole vibe of it,” Tayeh said.

The experience he gained watching his brother cut hair sparked his interest and gave him a jump start down a path that goes deeper than a side hustle.

“I feel that as a barber, it’s not really meant to be a side hustle,” Tayeh said.

Seeing his work not as a side hustle but as a career, the activity can take up a lot of time, sometimes being more demanding than the usual part time job a high school student would have.

“It definitely takes a lot of time out of your day, especially when you want to do sports. Sometimes even when you have a booking link, clients can need emergency cuts,” Tayeh said.

Time is the least of the difficulties when it comes to running your own business as well. The skills required to do these various side hustles can also be very demanding, such as trying to create conversations out of thin air.

“Starting conversations can be a part of where it can get kind of difficult. Some people don’t know what to talk about, especially if it’s a new client, but that’s also a part where every barber has to work on,” Tayeh said.

Skills such as the precision that is required for side hustles such as cutting hair and landscaping create a challenge during each job.

“The challenging part with landscaping is that you want it to be perfect. It’s somebody’s yard and you don’t get a chance to redo that,” Jonathan Cham, senior, said.

When cutting someone’s grass you only get one try. This presents a unique challenge, but another even harder part of some side hustles is the dependence on the climate.

“During winter it’s definitely been a lot slower, but also at the same time, I like to think of myself as a young entrepreneur, who’s just very hungry to make money and learn new things,”  Cham said.

Although with the snow comes new opportunities to make money.

“With the snow I’ve been out plowing, shoveling, making some money,” Cham said.

Landscaping’s defining difficulty is the amount of physical labor that goes into making a lawn look nice.

“Car detailing is a very great side hustle, but it’s not like beating up your body. You’re not working in the heat for however long,” Cham said.

Car detailing is another very lucrative side hustle that has been rising in popularity over the years.

“Detailing is definitely one of the more saturated businesses, but it’s easy to set yourself aside.” Dominic Gobel, senior, said.

Gobel got into car detailing through his love of cars, and that love shows in the way he talks about his first client.

“That was the AMG. It was a clean car with a peanut butter leather interior and a nice wolf gray on the outside. It just a nice car all around,” Gobel said.

Trying to find clients is a huge challenge to tackle for any aspiring entrepreneur, but with social media existing, there are plenty of ways to get your name out there.

“I’d say definitely make business cards and hand them out. Post on social media just get your name out there. Ask around,” Gobel said.

Even 26 years later, the goal to earn money still remains the same for entrepreneurs like Tayeh, Cham, and Gobel, but the way the money is obtained nowadays is completely different. People have gone from babysitting to cutting hair, and from just mowing a neighbors lawn to full on landscaping.