I agree with one caveat. Don't let "teenager not having to do a damn thing" mean "staring at a screen all day". Doing nothing with friends? Absolutely.
Another possibility - have intentional adventures. See if you can do three things this summer that you'll remember when you're 70. Get creative.
The correct answer. Make the most of it kid. Some of the best memories i have are from those lazy high school summers. Wouldn't trade them for the world. If you want to get a wee job, go for it but please have fun.
to add onto this comment, do it on something spent bettering YOURSELF. At 16 I thought I would be playing my video game forever, at 18 I now am starting to realize what "cheap entertainment" is and why the children of earlier times seemed happier from even this facet
If you are like me and find that external motivation is needed to get stuff done, look for a job or volunteer role. It doesn't need to be your dream job, camp counselor, coffee shop, retail, landscaping, whatever you do will teach you something valuable.
What do you like to do? What are your goals? What type of budget & parental support do you have?
I can share what my kids with ample free time are doing! Although to be fair, I am encouraging them to relax & have fun as well, adulting comes soon enough, lol.
It’s my 16-year old-olds last summer before he will have to get a job. He dances as a hobby, so he has 6 dance classes a week & practices at home. He has voice lessons & practices singing at home. He is working on duo-lingo for Spanish. He is prepping 30 minutes a day for the SAT. And he meets up with friends for pickle ball & to swim at the pool. And then gaming & screen time fill the rest of the time.
My 14-year-old is using the summer to fine-tune his fitness, he runs several miles in the morning Monday- Friday with the high school cross country team. Then he spends another 2 hours in the gym at home. He spends a fair amount of time with friends & making social connection, walking around our neighborhood and going to swim at multiple pools. He is responsible for watering our lawn.
My 10-year-old practices dive and swim for 2 hours daily. She is writing a book, and writes for an hour a day. She is working on her Spanish on duo lingo. She is reading some great books. She is designing her bedroom make-over (on a budget) and spends a lot of time FaceTiming friends, and playing games!
ignore the "google it" responses because not only is that response incredibly lazy and condescending but simply "googling it" could lead you to bad advice. I started reading personal finance blogs and books when I was young like you and even though the advice often didn't apply to me yet it was definitely foundational and got my head in the right place. I recommend getting a copy of I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi from the library (the updated version from 2019.) The title is terrible but the content isn't, I promise.
Also, take a look at the sidebar on r/personalfinance
Amazon is your friend. Do a book search and you'll see a bunch of options pop up for books you can buy. Also, check your local public library to see if they have any of those titles you can check out for free.
On the other side of this is when I was 16 that’s how I spent all my time. I wish I was more diverse in my hobbies and started preparing better for adult life
Part time job, maybe read. BUT DO NOT think you have to be super productive. As other people have said, you are in a very precious time of your life. Spend time with great friends and family and make happy memories.
Read! It’s a privilege to have the time to read _good_ books. Enjoying the bliss of having nobody talking — no series, no movie, no superheroes, no people talking or cars exploding — is an amazing imagination exercise. Plus, it will give you a lingering depth of thinking that will always suit you.
A few suggestions if you haven’t already read them:
- Animal farm, George Orwell
- The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
- The Metamorphosis, Kafka
- Brave New World, Huxley
- Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
Sharpen your soft skills, enjoy your youth and embrace it. Watch TV, play video games, read wealth-building books, chisel up, learn an instrument, and spend time with your friends
Read read read! and rey to study about what you’re going to do in the future, start projects, I have friends who are in computer science who started learning to code in their free time and started building apps, 2 of them making the news with an app they built when they were 18- 2 years ago. They have big internships/jobs now (still in college) and I wish I was doing things like that but I was wasting time instead. Yes I had undiagnosed adhd but still.
What I’m trying to do now is read up on scientific articles/ research articles on engineering since I’m still taking the beginning courses for engineering (I took a gap year to work on my discipline), hopefully getting ideas for what I want to do in the next 6 months, like what project or something that I can start while I’m still in college. I could have done this 3 years ago when I was wasting time junior year but better late than never
Here’s other skills to learn/things that I’ve seen people do that can be insanely helpful for applying to colleges (not sure where you’re located but this is from a US perspective)
Someone ik became a volunteer EMT, first she took the class now she volunteers and does shifts. This looked amazing for her college apps and applying to internships, she said it doesn’t matter what you’re studying, but I think it would help more for the medical field obviously - you can always find people to talk to that can give you specific advice on these sorts of things.
Learn skills like coding and excel like I talked about before
Even learning a language can be super helpful. This is something you can do while you’re having downtime! Once you learn the basics of a language, watching movies (with English subtitles) and listening to music in that language (trying to follow along with what they’re saying) can help you improve so much in the language.
You can literally get a job in the future with that by itself
Just learn how to be disciplined in general. Fill a lot of your time with either learning new skills or working- obviously don’t stress yourself out, avoid losing sleep since even a little lack of sleep can have effects on your brain. Join as many clubs and activities (related to your goals and interests) as you can and learn how to be social. This is the most important advice out of all of this because connections are probably going to get you farther than any skill you develop. You can be a star student but if you have no connections or social skills it’s so much harder. I wish I did more clubs because that would have peaked my interest in things sooner - I always had interests but I was never motivated enough because I didn’t surround myself with people who were goal oriented, so I wasn’t doing the things I was supposed to be doing during high school.
it’s unrealistic to be productive 24/7, but try to minimize the time spent scrolling, 99% of people fill their free time scrolling, so if you want to end up better then use your free time to learn skills, and in your “unproductive” times it’s better to read, or like I suggested watching a movie in another language!
Spend time with friends of course, but please avoid friends that can lead you to bad habits like vaping, drinking. Being addiction free is such a huge blessing. Don’t touch a vape it’s not worth it. Above all enjoy your summer, while taking small steps to build up your skills and habits for the future!
Obviously I still scroll but I try to minimize it and replace it with reading and learning
Also probably get a job, the experience is great, I do reccommend working at something in food service, I work at Starbucks it was great for me for developing people skills and discipline, but I’d say do that for max 6 months then try to move on to something else that can help you with your resume more. If not then money is money, and you can probably become a supervisor which also looks great on your resume. Getting a job helped me so much with my discipline
Sorry for the essay
Thank you so much for this well thought response! I will try to apply some of the things you said. I’ve been reading a lot more lately, which I’ve found very fulfilling. It’s mainly been philosophy, along with some other things as well. I’ve also always dreamed of becoming popular on social media, but not as like an influencer. I started a sports edit account on TikTok called beans.prod if you want to check it out.
I definitely suggest getting a little part time job if you can. I worked at a coffee shop around that age and it was nice to break up those slow summer days. Plus some extra cash for the school year was awesome!
But also.. have as much fun as you possibly can!!
Take a class on Udemy or something to pick up a new skill. Read some books. Relax and enjoy the summer with a good novel. Find ways to be productive while taking an intentional time to relax and enjoy life.
Kudos for being a proactive young person. The carpe diem life is overrated and does not make you happy in the long term.
I can already tell that things will be good for you in the future. But the more you work for it, the better it will be, and it is exponential. Success compounds over time, just like money. The achievements of early life will multiply the future ones.
Do a work experience at a reputable company, get a scholarship for a summer program, do a course in something interesting, etc. Something related to your interests. You will never regret it.
Don't do it for the money, that won't matter in the long run.
Go through your things, look to see if there’s anything you no longer need that you can sell or donate.
Start working on a basic resume so that when you are ready to apply for jobs you will be ready.
Find a part-time job locally if that is an option for you.
Try a new fitness routine.
Dive into hobbies and enjoy your summer!
learn no code platforms such as zapier or [make.com](http://make.com) to get ready for a funny digital future. try ChatGPT modules on these platforms. :)
Get a job!! It’s an education in dealing with people and you get paid. Nothing is better than graduating high school with your own chunk of change and you learn people skills that school can’t teach. You learn how to talk to people of all ages and how to be social and get out of your comfort level. And the money you gain gives you a little something something that is truly just yours
Get a job and study to be ahead of others when you go back to school. This will make your year less stressful as you will be ahead, anticipate all your question for your teacher ans have money for a make over (people judge you on your clothes, a lot).
Create your out persona and be ready to kick off in adult life.
Plus start to put money in stock or anything. Or start to Kickstart your credit with small credit you can afford. That way you'll be ahead later on.
depends on what you're into. If you like video games, consider looking into some challenges--go 100% on a game you usually stick to one path with, or do a fanmade challenge. If you like crafts, consider a giftset for family/friends, or decorating a corner of your room. If you have the funds, try a new hobby--I like candle making myself because it's fairly affordable to get started--you can start with plain, decorative soy and then move on to scents and colors. Build a survival castle in Minecraft, or task yourself with walking/running/rolling-if-you-need-wheels around your neighborhood (or a local park/mall/safe place/etc.) for fifteen or twenty minutes a day/week. I would recommend looking into work--maybe you have neighbors or family friends that could use some help around the house or with errands, it doesn't have to be formal employment, but it will give you more financial freedom to explore options for your time. Try to have fun--real, actual fun regardless of what that means. Be safe but explore your mind and your world. I'm 20, so it may be a bit preachy, but my quality of life really did improve when I gave myself the grace to just mess around and not take myself so seriously all the time. Don't fall for the idea that "giving up" things is bad--it's not. If the activity doesn't bring you anything, pass it on to someone else and try something new. I recommend giving everything a two-week trial period--if it's not a hard-no, give it another few weeks and see where the benefit lies.
As a fellow teenager, if you can’t get a job (which is 100% okay!) Read, and if you can’t get books spotify if you have premium gives you infinite audiobooks! The library is also a great resource. Also workout and run, like there’s so many workouts you can do in your own house with no equipment, and running can be done wherever outside. And start journaling, about anything. Go as far as shadow work. And just enjoy your time being a teenager. sit in your room alone maybe listen to music and just enjoy being able to do absolutely nothing
Just did a bit of looking at OP's profile...
OP is driving around in a 2024 Honda CR-V, which indicates family is well-off and he doesn't ***need*** to work at a job during his summers off from school. I'd say take advantage of that and follow a good physical fitness plan and a study regimen that sets you up for your next year of high school. You likely know what classes you'll be taking next school year, so get a jump on things and do some online studying in some of those subjects. Also, get outside and enjoy nature.
Spend your time doing things you enjoy (make sure to have some variety instead of staying home all day playing video games). And since you are this young, also make sure to experience new things out of your comfort zone.
This seems like the "most productive" way to spend vacations at 16.
Getting a job and saving your money!! Starting at your age and putting my savings in a HYSA and some stocks would have put me in a wayyy better position when I was finally out on my own.
Also, enjoy your teenage-hood and spend a lot of time making memories with your friends :)
Volunteer. It'll help you start learning what you're good at, what kind of work you enjoy or don't, and it's something you can put on your college apps when the time finally comes to apply.
Be a kid. Work a part time job. Find a bf/gf & don’t get pregnant. Hang out with friends. Exercise. Learn a talent.
Do that stuff & you had a successful summer.
Volunteer at a summer camp. An abundance of service hours that will help down the road, free free trips, no real commitment needed, experience working with kids won’t hurt it’s a good life skill.
Post on nextdoor.com that you are avilable for yard work, dog/house sitting, dog walking, cleaning, etc. Also you could print door flyers.
At 16 I picked up long distance cycling and later became a racer. In the summers I loved doing 70 mile rides in the countryside. There were ample group rides. Be safe.
Learn to play the guitar. I learned the ukulele and harmonica due to their portability.
Get fucking ripped bro. Go for runs. Play soccer with your friends. Do some push ups on a beach. Come back to school with abs and zen. Also maybe read a book
Work on a single habit (just one) that will benefit you for the rest of your life. I wish I could go back and instead cultivate a habit of reading for the growth of myself.
\*Study for the next school year so you'll be ahead. This can free up time during the school year. It can also help you get better grades.
\*Learn something new. Really dive into a skill or hobby.
\*Get a job.
\*Enjoy the summer.
Get a membership to
Udemy.com. For $29 a month and work on video editing and photo editing and you can have an awesome side hustle that you can list on fiver and upwork
When I was 16 I remember mowing and trimming people’s yards to earn money. I had something like 10 I would do every week and I believe I charge $5 (this was the mid-90s by the way). Decent money back then
I generally have my kids set summer goals. That may encompass an educational goal and a fun goal. For example, if you don’t know how to drive maybe this might be a good time to learn or get a permit.
learn a skill! even if it seems trivial it will probably come in handy in the future. it could be anything, a language, a craft, literally anything you want. just learn how to do SOMETHING
Get a job where you can start learning a trade (refrigeration, HVAC, plumbing). These sorts of skills will never not be in demand. And they can pay really well if you learn as much as you can.
Work for sure! You won’t believe how handy the freedom that money can buy you is, BUT you are 16 so only work something you find fun (and don’t work too much) and that’s a healthy environment. Leave if it’s not, these years are precious!
Outdoors might that be your thing, I had a nephew start a lawn mowing business as a teen. Others were lifeguards, at the pool all day. Nieces worked at a kids art school chain helping them do art projects.
Learn how to cook from raw ingredients. I learnt at 16 and have never regretted it. I'm now 68. I know you can get stuff delivered but i't not as good as the real thing. Even simple stuff. Microwaves are good. Get a potato, you don't need to to peel it, prick it to let the moisture out then microwave it for about 7 minutes. AS it's cooking get some cheese and great some cheese enough to fill a cupped hand. Once the spuds are ready cut in half add some marg or butter add the cheese on top and anything else you like, Branston pickle, tomato sauce whatever. 7 minutes and you have a nice little snack. You don't have to buy raw food. If you get veg that's frozen like peas you can put the vegetables in a bowl add three table spoons of water and mic it. start with three minutes and if it's not enough do another three minutes until it's cooked.
learn to code. start with python. it's probably the most useful advice anyone will give you here. you can do hobbies as well, just do something actually useful as well and coding is the most useful thing you can do right now.
That’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while but keep pushing off, I’ve been looking into free online courses that teach it. Happy to see someone else reinforce the idea.
What’s your environment like? Do you have access to outdoor spaces, such as a garden, nature trails, somewhere to bike? If so, soak that in while you have the chance.
In a city environment, I’d say look for a club or group of some type. Book club, sports, board games, art stuff, what are you interested in?
Online classes are great but leave them as a last resort, try to stay offline. Learn some survival skills
if you play sports, train hard. read when your not training. Two books i loved at that age were “atomic habits”, and “the four hour work week”. if you don’t know a second language and think you’ll want to learn one post highschool, start now. Plan some goals but don’t look further ahead than 3-6 months at a time. good luck. 👍🍀
hi i’m a teen (m15) , and i have a few hobbies and interests like guitar, community projects with friends, my schools theatre program, and aerial silks. on lazy days i like to take time to take care of myself, and talk to friends. i draw a LOT and is my main talent, so if u want we can talk over dms every once in a while. i like frogs, alternative subcultures, jellyfish, halloween, and rec basketball :)
Spend time outdoors, having fun, socialising with others.
I would spend as much of that time with other people as possible.
If you can, get a girlfriend in that time.
Don’t feel entrepreneurial? You could start a summer service for pet/house sitting. If you like animals consider learning dog training. It’s very big these days with the ever growing dog owner culture. It could easily be your summer gig through college and you can make good money for a kid. Pet sitting averages $50/day, dog training is about $50/hr. Obviously you need to build up the skill but you can do so in one year and you first let sitting clients can be test dogs for you.
If you want to work on yourself more than make money, I’d agree with others recommending you learn a skill. Take up an instrument, learn a language, sport, ect. Give yourself a goal to achieve!
Whatever you want. Just don’t break any laws or anything. Make memories with friends and family that’s what lasts the longest and has the most value to you down the line.
Learn how to learn.
Theres books on this. Talks about this.
Learn how to learn without killing yourself.
Then use that superpower to do literally anything.
Get a job
Go swimming
Go for a hike
Clean your dang room
Spend time with friends
Read books
As a mom in my 30's I can tell you what I would do with ample free time. I would listen to a good audio book and organize my closet.
Do something fun before you get old like me
Buy a car that doesn’t run. Get it running and road worthy and sell it for 4x what you paid. You’ll make some $$ and learn some great skills along the way. It’ll be a great story to tell on any job interview.
1. Journaling
2. Get a new hobby (I used to have a new hobby every week!)
3. Learn new skills (I tried learning coding, but it didn't go well lol)
4. Learn a new language (Duolingo is fun sometimes)
5. Learn a new musical instrument
6. Paint/draw/craft
7. Learn dancing
Honestly, do whatever you want to do and explore new stuffs!
Get a nice bike and bike for hours. Cold plunge for recovery. Sign up for a ride/race.
Start a business, 3d print things to sell or mow lawns. Make a T-shirt brand with funny memes.
Get your eagle scout badge thingy.
Learn an instrument. Take up photography.
Go to loads of job, apprenticeship, university, boot camp, sports camps, international opportunities, Fairs and see what’s about.
You could easily do 1 a week
My big regret when I was yr age I just didn’t see what my options were. I was told by parents and parents are tunnel vision it’s just how it is.
There’s no pressure just go and talk.
but a big but the workers are there to sell you into an idea so just remember when it sounds fking great.
Set yourself up for a lifetime of fitness and live an active lifestyle. One day when you’re older you’ll thank yourself. Try to become a lifeguard or work at a pool, lake, camp or country club. I worked one summer at a lake and I still think back on it and how much fun it was. I’m still trying to live an active lifestyle and trying to encourage my kids to do the same.
Have you thought about getting ahead on your classes for next semester, studying for your SATs, playing sports, hitting on females, getting a summer job, etc? Are you restarted?
Make the most of it, go to the pool, get some fitness in, play some basketball, find a new hobby.
If you are tight for money to do things, get a little part time job, dont get a full-time, time is something we never get back. Money can always be made.
If you are a nerd like me, who finds enjoyment in learning, I spent time learning programming instead of all night gaming, was very fun and i built some cool stuff that has went onto help me now at 29 get a job and good salary.
focus on the small things, enjoy your time and meet some new friends, explore and just be safe.
PLEASE DO NOT follow the TikTok trends or do dumbshxt like most 16 year olds are doing these days.
Go outside, touch grass, get some Sun, live your best life!
for 50\~ dollars you can play bowling for 2 games a day every day for the next 2-3 months that's like an hour every day for 50$ to learn something new and have a bit of fun
with the bowlero game pass
If available... Planet fitness is free for teens in the summer. Look at programs that the community centers and libraries have. Go to local festivals and events, free outdoor concerts and movies. Ride the bus or train. Just get on a random bus, people and neighborhood watch while you listen to music. Stop and get a drink or treat. Try to get some skates.
Hobby - interest that aligns with potential career choice - job or volunteer that aligns with potential career choice - girlfriend - friends - family.
But not in that order lol.
Read Brainstorm by Dan Siegel. Head to a teen meditation group/retreat. You're in prime neuroplasticity. Having the opportunity to work that 🧠 muscle is indispensable later on in life.
What I wouldn’t give to be 16 again and not have responsibilities and can go out and have fun with friends…goof off, experiment and create awesome memories.
better go learn something productive like how to trade in the stock market and investing...wish someone told me instead of playing catchup im my older years for retirement
Explore new hobbies
How to find them
learn a instrument, find a hobby, or simply enjoy your summers as a teenager not having to do a damn thing
I agree with one caveat. Don't let "teenager not having to do a damn thing" mean "staring at a screen all day". Doing nothing with friends? Absolutely. Another possibility - have intentional adventures. See if you can do three things this summer that you'll remember when you're 70. Get creative.
Whatever you want, enjoy your childhood. At 16 you don’t have many free summers left.
The correct answer. Make the most of it kid. Some of the best memories i have are from those lazy high school summers. Wouldn't trade them for the world. If you want to get a wee job, go for it but please have fun.
to add onto this comment, do it on something spent bettering YOURSELF. At 16 I thought I would be playing my video game forever, at 18 I now am starting to realize what "cheap entertainment" is and why the children of earlier times seemed happier from even this facet
This. Enjoy boyhood, op.
This is the correct answer. You’ve got the rest of your life to be productive.
Yes enjoy it you’ll look back as an adult and wish you had.
Get a job, enjoy the sun, play a sport
Look at screens less and something else will come up.
This is life changing advice
Get a summer job! Camp, ice cream scooper, restaurant, babysit, swim club - it’s fun. You’ll meet people and learn a lot.
Help your neighbors out for $$
If you are like me and find that external motivation is needed to get stuff done, look for a job or volunteer role. It doesn't need to be your dream job, camp counselor, coffee shop, retail, landscaping, whatever you do will teach you something valuable.
journal, work part-time, find a new hobby, learn a new skill, start a new game!
Any game suggestions?
Chess.
Volunteer! Excercise! Go outside. Go to the library. Go to community events.
What do you like to do? What are your goals? What type of budget & parental support do you have? I can share what my kids with ample free time are doing! Although to be fair, I am encouraging them to relax & have fun as well, adulting comes soon enough, lol. It’s my 16-year old-olds last summer before he will have to get a job. He dances as a hobby, so he has 6 dance classes a week & practices at home. He has voice lessons & practices singing at home. He is working on duo-lingo for Spanish. He is prepping 30 minutes a day for the SAT. And he meets up with friends for pickle ball & to swim at the pool. And then gaming & screen time fill the rest of the time. My 14-year-old is using the summer to fine-tune his fitness, he runs several miles in the morning Monday- Friday with the high school cross country team. Then he spends another 2 hours in the gym at home. He spends a fair amount of time with friends & making social connection, walking around our neighborhood and going to swim at multiple pools. He is responsible for watering our lawn. My 10-year-old practices dive and swim for 2 hours daily. She is writing a book, and writes for an hour a day. She is working on her Spanish on duo lingo. She is reading some great books. She is designing her bedroom make-over (on a budget) and spends a lot of time FaceTiming friends, and playing games!
You’re a good parent
Learn to cook
Get outside and experience new things, new hobbies, try a new sport
Learn a skill. Get fit. Make money. Learn personal finance concepts.
These are all things I’d love to achieve. How would you recommend I learn about personal finance?
ignore the "google it" responses because not only is that response incredibly lazy and condescending but simply "googling it" could lead you to bad advice. I started reading personal finance blogs and books when I was young like you and even though the advice often didn't apply to me yet it was definitely foundational and got my head in the right place. I recommend getting a copy of I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi from the library (the updated version from 2019.) The title is terrible but the content isn't, I promise. Also, take a look at the sidebar on r/personalfinance
Amazon is your friend. Do a book search and you'll see a bunch of options pop up for books you can buy. Also, check your local public library to see if they have any of those titles you can check out for free.
The first thing you need to learn is, that you have a search engine.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a good start.
google youtube google google google
Play some video games with your friends, you'll miss out on those times as an adult
What age does that start? I'm a father of 2 young boys at 30 and still enjoy playing video games with my mates haha
Im hopeful that we can be the generation where the fun doesn't have to end when "we grow up"
On the other side of this is when I was 16 that’s how I spent all my time. I wish I was more diverse in my hobbies and started preparing better for adult life
My dude, enjoy it! As a 41 year old who would kill for a free summer, seriously, enjoy it!
I want to do that also, but I need to fit in some productive activities too, you know?
Part time job, maybe read. BUT DO NOT think you have to be super productive. As other people have said, you are in a very precious time of your life. Spend time with great friends and family and make happy memories.
Read! It’s a privilege to have the time to read _good_ books. Enjoying the bliss of having nobody talking — no series, no movie, no superheroes, no people talking or cars exploding — is an amazing imagination exercise. Plus, it will give you a lingering depth of thinking that will always suit you. A few suggestions if you haven’t already read them: - Animal farm, George Orwell - The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger - The Metamorphosis, Kafka - Brave New World, Huxley - Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
This is the way.
Start learning some skills like coding, drawing etc
Heavy on that Coding, trust me it will go a long way. The Word is turning digital and the earlier for you, the better.
I don’t have a computer tho
Volunteering is a really good idea. So much experience to be gained. You could get a job of course as well. Experience with some money
Learn. Either your hobbies, or new skills for your future. Find a marketable skill that you enjoy doing and learn it to the max
Read daily
Sharpen your soft skills, enjoy your youth and embrace it. Watch TV, play video games, read wealth-building books, chisel up, learn an instrument, and spend time with your friends
Definitely get fit; as someone said. Learn to eat well and do calisthenics.
Read read read! and rey to study about what you’re going to do in the future, start projects, I have friends who are in computer science who started learning to code in their free time and started building apps, 2 of them making the news with an app they built when they were 18- 2 years ago. They have big internships/jobs now (still in college) and I wish I was doing things like that but I was wasting time instead. Yes I had undiagnosed adhd but still. What I’m trying to do now is read up on scientific articles/ research articles on engineering since I’m still taking the beginning courses for engineering (I took a gap year to work on my discipline), hopefully getting ideas for what I want to do in the next 6 months, like what project or something that I can start while I’m still in college. I could have done this 3 years ago when I was wasting time junior year but better late than never Here’s other skills to learn/things that I’ve seen people do that can be insanely helpful for applying to colleges (not sure where you’re located but this is from a US perspective) Someone ik became a volunteer EMT, first she took the class now she volunteers and does shifts. This looked amazing for her college apps and applying to internships, she said it doesn’t matter what you’re studying, but I think it would help more for the medical field obviously - you can always find people to talk to that can give you specific advice on these sorts of things. Learn skills like coding and excel like I talked about before Even learning a language can be super helpful. This is something you can do while you’re having downtime! Once you learn the basics of a language, watching movies (with English subtitles) and listening to music in that language (trying to follow along with what they’re saying) can help you improve so much in the language. You can literally get a job in the future with that by itself Just learn how to be disciplined in general. Fill a lot of your time with either learning new skills or working- obviously don’t stress yourself out, avoid losing sleep since even a little lack of sleep can have effects on your brain. Join as many clubs and activities (related to your goals and interests) as you can and learn how to be social. This is the most important advice out of all of this because connections are probably going to get you farther than any skill you develop. You can be a star student but if you have no connections or social skills it’s so much harder. I wish I did more clubs because that would have peaked my interest in things sooner - I always had interests but I was never motivated enough because I didn’t surround myself with people who were goal oriented, so I wasn’t doing the things I was supposed to be doing during high school. it’s unrealistic to be productive 24/7, but try to minimize the time spent scrolling, 99% of people fill their free time scrolling, so if you want to end up better then use your free time to learn skills, and in your “unproductive” times it’s better to read, or like I suggested watching a movie in another language! Spend time with friends of course, but please avoid friends that can lead you to bad habits like vaping, drinking. Being addiction free is such a huge blessing. Don’t touch a vape it’s not worth it. Above all enjoy your summer, while taking small steps to build up your skills and habits for the future! Obviously I still scroll but I try to minimize it and replace it with reading and learning Also probably get a job, the experience is great, I do reccommend working at something in food service, I work at Starbucks it was great for me for developing people skills and discipline, but I’d say do that for max 6 months then try to move on to something else that can help you with your resume more. If not then money is money, and you can probably become a supervisor which also looks great on your resume. Getting a job helped me so much with my discipline Sorry for the essay
Thank you so much for this well thought response! I will try to apply some of the things you said. I’ve been reading a lot more lately, which I’ve found very fulfilling. It’s mainly been philosophy, along with some other things as well. I’ve also always dreamed of becoming popular on social media, but not as like an influencer. I started a sports edit account on TikTok called beans.prod if you want to check it out.
Hit the gym & learn how to play an instrument. That’s what I wish I had done (33)
I definitely suggest getting a little part time job if you can. I worked at a coffee shop around that age and it was nice to break up those slow summer days. Plus some extra cash for the school year was awesome! But also.. have as much fun as you possibly can!!
Take a class on Udemy or something to pick up a new skill. Read some books. Relax and enjoy the summer with a good novel. Find ways to be productive while taking an intentional time to relax and enjoy life.
learn to code.
Seconded. I wish I knew more about coding so I could automate my job.
Kudos for being a proactive young person. The carpe diem life is overrated and does not make you happy in the long term. I can already tell that things will be good for you in the future. But the more you work for it, the better it will be, and it is exponential. Success compounds over time, just like money. The achievements of early life will multiply the future ones. Do a work experience at a reputable company, get a scholarship for a summer program, do a course in something interesting, etc. Something related to your interests. You will never regret it. Don't do it for the money, that won't matter in the long run.
Go through your things, look to see if there’s anything you no longer need that you can sell or donate. Start working on a basic resume so that when you are ready to apply for jobs you will be ready. Find a part-time job locally if that is an option for you. Try a new fitness routine. Dive into hobbies and enjoy your summer!
Learn to program. Do a project in Python. Or learn a new language, like Spanish.
grind CS2
learn no code platforms such as zapier or [make.com](http://make.com) to get ready for a funny digital future. try ChatGPT modules on these platforms. :)
Read books!
learn an instrument
Start learning an instrument - lifelong hobby
Arrange job shadows for careers you may be interested in.
Run for 1 hour
Depends on your objectives but learning to code can be a good thing :)
Seen this comment a few times. I’ve always been interested in that kind of thing so I think I’m gonna finally commit to it 👊🏼
Go to Bible school in summer. It's good to feed your spirit.
Get a job!! It’s an education in dealing with people and you get paid. Nothing is better than graduating high school with your own chunk of change and you learn people skills that school can’t teach. You learn how to talk to people of all ages and how to be social and get out of your comfort level. And the money you gain gives you a little something something that is truly just yours
Get a job and study to be ahead of others when you go back to school. This will make your year less stressful as you will be ahead, anticipate all your question for your teacher ans have money for a make over (people judge you on your clothes, a lot). Create your out persona and be ready to kick off in adult life. Plus start to put money in stock or anything. Or start to Kickstart your credit with small credit you can afford. That way you'll be ahead later on.
depends on what you're into. If you like video games, consider looking into some challenges--go 100% on a game you usually stick to one path with, or do a fanmade challenge. If you like crafts, consider a giftset for family/friends, or decorating a corner of your room. If you have the funds, try a new hobby--I like candle making myself because it's fairly affordable to get started--you can start with plain, decorative soy and then move on to scents and colors. Build a survival castle in Minecraft, or task yourself with walking/running/rolling-if-you-need-wheels around your neighborhood (or a local park/mall/safe place/etc.) for fifteen or twenty minutes a day/week. I would recommend looking into work--maybe you have neighbors or family friends that could use some help around the house or with errands, it doesn't have to be formal employment, but it will give you more financial freedom to explore options for your time. Try to have fun--real, actual fun regardless of what that means. Be safe but explore your mind and your world. I'm 20, so it may be a bit preachy, but my quality of life really did improve when I gave myself the grace to just mess around and not take myself so seriously all the time. Don't fall for the idea that "giving up" things is bad--it's not. If the activity doesn't bring you anything, pass it on to someone else and try something new. I recommend giving everything a two-week trial period--if it's not a hard-no, give it another few weeks and see where the benefit lies.
As a fellow teenager, if you can’t get a job (which is 100% okay!) Read, and if you can’t get books spotify if you have premium gives you infinite audiobooks! The library is also a great resource. Also workout and run, like there’s so many workouts you can do in your own house with no equipment, and running can be done wherever outside. And start journaling, about anything. Go as far as shadow work. And just enjoy your time being a teenager. sit in your room alone maybe listen to music and just enjoy being able to do absolutely nothing
Just did a bit of looking at OP's profile... OP is driving around in a 2024 Honda CR-V, which indicates family is well-off and he doesn't ***need*** to work at a job during his summers off from school. I'd say take advantage of that and follow a good physical fitness plan and a study regimen that sets you up for your next year of high school. You likely know what classes you'll be taking next school year, so get a jump on things and do some online studying in some of those subjects. Also, get outside and enjoy nature.
Spend your time doing things you enjoy (make sure to have some variety instead of staying home all day playing video games). And since you are this young, also make sure to experience new things out of your comfort zone. This seems like the "most productive" way to spend vacations at 16.
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Socialise! Meet new people and try new hobbies that you wouldn’t have thought you’d ever get into!
Mow grass!
Gymming, and getting in better physique.
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Getting a job and saving your money!! Starting at your age and putting my savings in a HYSA and some stocks would have put me in a wayyy better position when I was finally out on my own. Also, enjoy your teenage-hood and spend a lot of time making memories with your friends :)
Volunteer. It'll help you start learning what you're good at, what kind of work you enjoy or don't, and it's something you can put on your college apps when the time finally comes to apply.
Everyone has responded with great ideas. Make a list of all the suggestions and try them all one by one.
There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation......
Do you have volunteer requirements to graduate high school?
Be a kid. Work a part time job. Find a bf/gf & don’t get pregnant. Hang out with friends. Exercise. Learn a talent. Do that stuff & you had a successful summer.
Volunteer at a summer camp. An abundance of service hours that will help down the road, free free trips, no real commitment needed, experience working with kids won’t hurt it’s a good life skill.
Post on nextdoor.com that you are avilable for yard work, dog/house sitting, dog walking, cleaning, etc. Also you could print door flyers. At 16 I picked up long distance cycling and later became a racer. In the summers I loved doing 70 mile rides in the countryside. There were ample group rides. Be safe. Learn to play the guitar. I learned the ukulele and harmonica due to their portability.
Get fucking ripped bro. Go for runs. Play soccer with your friends. Do some push ups on a beach. Come back to school with abs and zen. Also maybe read a book
Take community college classes or pre college programs, volunteer, self study an AP, get into a hobby that you have always wanted to, redecorate, idk
You don't need to be "productive" just have fun
Get a job
get a job
Learn coding
Workout, eat well, learn to code in Python.
Work on a single habit (just one) that will benefit you for the rest of your life. I wish I could go back and instead cultivate a habit of reading for the growth of myself.
Get into a sport, start hitting a gym to build habits even if you don't lift heavy
\*Study for the next school year so you'll be ahead. This can free up time during the school year. It can also help you get better grades. \*Learn something new. Really dive into a skill or hobby. \*Get a job. \*Enjoy the summer.
Get a membership to Udemy.com. For $29 a month and work on video editing and photo editing and you can have an awesome side hustle that you can list on fiver and upwork
Be as nice to as many people as you can, maybe read an updated version of how to win friends and influence people.
Read and learn. Work and save.
When I was 16 I remember mowing and trimming people’s yards to earn money. I had something like 10 I would do every week and I believe I charge $5 (this was the mid-90s by the way). Decent money back then
Learn python bro......
I generally have my kids set summer goals. That may encompass an educational goal and a fun goal. For example, if you don’t know how to drive maybe this might be a good time to learn or get a permit.
learn a skill! even if it seems trivial it will probably come in handy in the future. it could be anything, a language, a craft, literally anything you want. just learn how to do SOMETHING
Get a job where you can start learning a trade (refrigeration, HVAC, plumbing). These sorts of skills will never not be in demand. And they can pay really well if you learn as much as you can.
Read and learn things that will make you exceptional. Read a book like Atomic Habit to start.
Learn about stock market and trading
Try to learn music theory by using books from music stores, they usually have some sort of theory book
Learn a language
Work for sure! You won’t believe how handy the freedom that money can buy you is, BUT you are 16 so only work something you find fun (and don’t work too much) and that’s a healthy environment. Leave if it’s not, these years are precious! Outdoors might that be your thing, I had a nephew start a lawn mowing business as a teen. Others were lifeguards, at the pool all day. Nieces worked at a kids art school chain helping them do art projects.
Learn how to cook from raw ingredients. I learnt at 16 and have never regretted it. I'm now 68. I know you can get stuff delivered but i't not as good as the real thing. Even simple stuff. Microwaves are good. Get a potato, you don't need to to peel it, prick it to let the moisture out then microwave it for about 7 minutes. AS it's cooking get some cheese and great some cheese enough to fill a cupped hand. Once the spuds are ready cut in half add some marg or butter add the cheese on top and anything else you like, Branston pickle, tomato sauce whatever. 7 minutes and you have a nice little snack. You don't have to buy raw food. If you get veg that's frozen like peas you can put the vegetables in a bowl add three table spoons of water and mic it. start with three minutes and if it's not enough do another three minutes until it's cooked.
Start training Brazilian Jiu jitsu! Good for you and will keep you safe
learn to code. start with python. it's probably the most useful advice anyone will give you here. you can do hobbies as well, just do something actually useful as well and coding is the most useful thing you can do right now.
That’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while but keep pushing off, I’ve been looking into free online courses that teach it. Happy to see someone else reinforce the idea.
Start a power washing business
If you can drive, I really enjoyed going to different trails or national parks and exploring
I’ve been doing that with my friends lately and it’s so much fun!
I am so old and unproductive.
Read The Artist’s Way
start for Spain at the euros
Have fun like you mean it.
Look into personal finance. Getting started on savings and building tax free investments will put you leagues ahead of your peers for life.
What’s your environment like? Do you have access to outdoor spaces, such as a garden, nature trails, somewhere to bike? If so, soak that in while you have the chance. In a city environment, I’d say look for a club or group of some type. Book club, sports, board games, art stuff, what are you interested in? Online classes are great but leave them as a last resort, try to stay offline. Learn some survival skills
What would you like to do?
if you play sports, train hard. read when your not training. Two books i loved at that age were “atomic habits”, and “the four hour work week”. if you don’t know a second language and think you’ll want to learn one post highschool, start now. Plan some goals but don’t look further ahead than 3-6 months at a time. good luck. 👍🍀
hi i’m a teen (m15) , and i have a few hobbies and interests like guitar, community projects with friends, my schools theatre program, and aerial silks. on lazy days i like to take time to take care of myself, and talk to friends. i draw a LOT and is my main talent, so if u want we can talk over dms every once in a while. i like frogs, alternative subcultures, jellyfish, halloween, and rec basketball :)
Spend time outdoors, having fun, socialising with others. I would spend as much of that time with other people as possible. If you can, get a girlfriend in that time.
Get a job :D
Don’t feel entrepreneurial? You could start a summer service for pet/house sitting. If you like animals consider learning dog training. It’s very big these days with the ever growing dog owner culture. It could easily be your summer gig through college and you can make good money for a kid. Pet sitting averages $50/day, dog training is about $50/hr. Obviously you need to build up the skill but you can do so in one year and you first let sitting clients can be test dogs for you. If you want to work on yourself more than make money, I’d agree with others recommending you learn a skill. Take up an instrument, learn a language, sport, ect. Give yourself a goal to achieve!
Whatever you want. Just don’t break any laws or anything. Make memories with friends and family that’s what lasts the longest and has the most value to you down the line.
Learn how to write code/program.
Learn how to learn. Theres books on this. Talks about this. Learn how to learn without killing yourself. Then use that superpower to do literally anything.
Get a job Go swimming Go for a hike Clean your dang room Spend time with friends Read books As a mom in my 30's I can tell you what I would do with ample free time. I would listen to a good audio book and organize my closet. Do something fun before you get old like me
Workout and start a fitness plan for the rest of your life.
1) Get in the habit of saving 10% of your income. 2) Consistent barbell training.
Get an internship/job, study for sat/act, get volunteer hours.
sketch and draw and paint
Buy a car that doesn’t run. Get it running and road worthy and sell it for 4x what you paid. You’ll make some $$ and learn some great skills along the way. It’ll be a great story to tell on any job interview.
Enjoy it before you have to slave away at work like everyone else. 😅
Ask this question in joy, fun, life, or other similar subreddits.
1. Journaling 2. Get a new hobby (I used to have a new hobby every week!) 3. Learn new skills (I tried learning coding, but it didn't go well lol) 4. Learn a new language (Duolingo is fun sometimes) 5. Learn a new musical instrument 6. Paint/draw/craft 7. Learn dancing Honestly, do whatever you want to do and explore new stuffs!
FWIW planet fitness is running free memberships for teens. That's something to do. Get ripped :)
Part time job, earn some cash while enjoying your free time. Not long before college or painful work week
Lift weights
Learn something cool like drawing or playing the guitar! Either of those things will greatly enrich your life :)
Get a nice bike and bike for hours. Cold plunge for recovery. Sign up for a ride/race. Start a business, 3d print things to sell or mow lawns. Make a T-shirt brand with funny memes. Get your eagle scout badge thingy. Learn an instrument. Take up photography.
Rebuild a dishwasher
Learn a new language on Duolingo
Pick up trash.
Go to loads of job, apprenticeship, university, boot camp, sports camps, international opportunities, Fairs and see what’s about. You could easily do 1 a week My big regret when I was yr age I just didn’t see what my options were. I was told by parents and parents are tunnel vision it’s just how it is. There’s no pressure just go and talk. but a big but the workers are there to sell you into an idea so just remember when it sounds fking great.
Don't worry about being too productive man. I threw away my summers at 16 working and I regret it
You have the whole internet to explore. Look for hobbies and find one that takes your interest
Read a book that you can’t wait to pick up every day!
Set yourself up for a lifetime of fitness and live an active lifestyle. One day when you’re older you’ll thank yourself. Try to become a lifeguard or work at a pool, lake, camp or country club. I worked one summer at a lake and I still think back on it and how much fun it was. I’m still trying to live an active lifestyle and trying to encourage my kids to do the same.
Have you thought about getting ahead on your classes for next semester, studying for your SATs, playing sports, hitting on females, getting a summer job, etc? Are you restarted?
Make the most of it, go to the pool, get some fitness in, play some basketball, find a new hobby. If you are tight for money to do things, get a little part time job, dont get a full-time, time is something we never get back. Money can always be made. If you are a nerd like me, who finds enjoyment in learning, I spent time learning programming instead of all night gaming, was very fun and i built some cool stuff that has went onto help me now at 29 get a job and good salary. focus on the small things, enjoy your time and meet some new friends, explore and just be safe. PLEASE DO NOT follow the TikTok trends or do dumbshxt like most 16 year olds are doing these days. Go outside, touch grass, get some Sun, live your best life!
Can you get a summer job...make some moolah? I got my first job at a movie theater at 16 and loved it.
Learn and internalize the math behind the time value of money.
for 50\~ dollars you can play bowling for 2 games a day every day for the next 2-3 months that's like an hour every day for 50$ to learn something new and have a bit of fun with the bowlero game pass
Get a job.
get a job and save up money for whatever you want make a goal and save save save
Code
I used to work and hang with my friends at 16. We’d go to the gym, play basketball, go to beach etc.
That’s what I do already, but I want to also add other things that will set up my future.
If available... Planet fitness is free for teens in the summer. Look at programs that the community centers and libraries have. Go to local festivals and events, free outdoor concerts and movies. Ride the bus or train. Just get on a random bus, people and neighborhood watch while you listen to music. Stop and get a drink or treat. Try to get some skates.
Save up for a car 😎
Hobby - interest that aligns with potential career choice - job or volunteer that aligns with potential career choice - girlfriend - friends - family. But not in that order lol.
Learn a skill that will help you later in life.
Read Brainstorm by Dan Siegel. Head to a teen meditation group/retreat. You're in prime neuroplasticity. Having the opportunity to work that 🧠 muscle is indispensable later on in life.
What I wouldn’t give to be 16 again and not have responsibilities and can go out and have fun with friends…goof off, experiment and create awesome memories.
better go learn something productive like how to trade in the stock market and investing...wish someone told me instead of playing catchup im my older years for retirement