High school and university students are either already finished online classes or on the precipice of ending their school year.
Normally, many of these students would take up a summer job, working as a lifeguard, at a summer fair, at a camp or in other industries.
However, with the COVID-19 pandemic closing down non-essential services and cancelling mass gatherings, the task of finding employment may be more difficult.
Student Works Painting in Lethbridge is hiring painters this summer to tackle interior and exterior jobs.
“Painting is actually one of the most recession-proof jobs out there,” said Nathan Broadway, owner of the Lethbridge portion of the company.
Broadway said within three days of posting a job-listing, the advertisement had over 100 views and 20 applicants.
He said the pandemic has hampered their workforce somewhat but they’re still planning on going strong for the season with all the necessary social distancing procedures in place.
“Painting always needs to be done… We hire people who have 15 to 20 years of experience to people who have no experience at all,” he said.
University of Lethbridge student Azia Burton isn’t currently able to work at her retail job due to the pandemic so she has started selling her freehand lettering projects.
“I posted some of my own work and people really liked them,” she said.
Burton creates hand-written, framed pieces with inspirational or quirky quotes such as “Laundry Sucks,” “Sunshine State of Mind” and “Yay for Today” for between $10 and $30 depending on size and type of materials used.
She said people with extra time on their hands might be doing home renovations and her projects help spruce up the awalls.
“It’s the perfect time for them to get their decorations and everything up for their houses,” she said.
Turning a hobby into a form of earnings is something anyone can do if they have the right time and materials, Burton believes.
She said she has seen a lot of support for local businesses during this time of uncertainty and is encouraging people with similar ventures to take a leap of faith.
“If you’re just willing to start, people are most likely willing to support — you are local and you’re just another person trying to survive during this time,” she said.