Student, didn’t land a summer job? Maybe this is the perfect time to try something completely different

Article by Hilla Höyhtyä, Mimmit sijoittaa

A challenging job market has left many students without a summer job this year. Riikka Pasanen, a housing advisor at Hoas, reminds students not to take the situation personally. If you didn’t land a summer job, this could be the perfect opportunity to explore something you otherwise wouldn’t have had time for.

Pasanen has one message for students: this isn’t personal. There simply weren’t enough summer jobs to go around. According to a Labour force survey, the unemployment rate trend for people under 25 stood at 21.9% in April. In practice, roughly one in five young people participating in the labour force was unemployed. By comparison, the unemployment rate trend for the entire working-age population (15–64) was 10.6%.

The numbers speak for themselves: the job market has been exceptionally difficult for young people lately, and not getting a summer job is not a sign of failure.

If your summer job search came up empty this year, Pasanen encourages students to reframe the situation. Now that you have all this time on your hands, could this be the summer when you try something you never would have considered otherwise? Even if it doesn’t lead to a new career or the business idea of a lifetime, it could leave you with new skills, valuable experiences and perhaps even some extra income.

Why wouldn’t you turn your skills into a summer job, Pasanen suggests. If you didn’t secure a summer job through a traditional employer, could you turn your own skills into occasional freelance gigs?

In Finland, many people do this through a light entrepreneurship service, where work is invoiced through a third-party platform. There’s no need to set up a company or handle your own accounting. This way you can test relatively easily. whether there’s demand for your skills.

Mimmi’s free tip for you! Any income earned through light entrepreneurship is taxable and counts towards the annual income limits used by Kela when determining student benefits. If you receive student financial aid, make sure to keep an eye on your income limits to avoid surprises later.

Many students already possess skills that could be transformed into extra income. The challenge is that our own strengths often feel so ordinary that we fail to recognise their value.

If identifying your strengths feels difficult, Pasanen suggests starting with a simple question: what do people usually ask you for help with? What are the qualities or skills you’re most often complimented on?

“You can also ask a friend to help you brainstorm. We tend to underestimate our own abilities, and people close to us often see our strengths more clearly than we do ourselves,” Pasanen says.

Career services and even AI tools can also help you identify and articulate your strengths.

Are you good at filming videos? Do you enjoy photography? Is someone in your network planning a celebration and looking for a photographer? Why not offer your services?

Do people regularly praise your organisational skills? Perhaps you could turn that talent into a wardrobe or home organising service.

Could your neighbours need a hand washing windows? What about pet sitting, babysitting or cooking meals for busy friends? This is the time to think creatively. The skill you take for granted might be exactly what someone else is willing to pay for.

Pasanen also encourages students to think beyond solo projects. Could you and your friends launch a pop-up café, create flower crowns for Midsummer celebrations or organise a small local event? The idea doesn’t need to be perfect from day one. The important thing is having the courage to give it a try.

Sometimes opportunities appear from unexpected places.

“There was a summer when I essentially employed myself as a babysitter,” Pasanen recalls. “People around me knew I had free time, and eventually word spread through friends of friends. Someone needed childcare, someone else mentioned my name, and that’s how I found work”.

The first step can be surprisingly small: an Instagram Story, a message to a friend or even a notice on a local community board.

After all, what’s the worst that can happen? If your biggest fear is rejection, there’s not much to lose here.

The more openly you talk about your situation, the more likely it is that someone will think of you when an opportunity arises.

Even if money is tight, Pasanen reminds students not to spend the entire summer worrying.

Many of the best things about summer cost very little: parks, beaches, long walks, sunsets and free events. Finland’s short summer is something worth appreciating regardless of whether you managed to land a summer job.

“The situation is what it is right now, but there will be more summer jobs and more opportunities in the future. It’s important to try and enjoy the summer too,” Pasanen says.

She also encourages students to remember that a difficult job market does not diminish their achievements.

“You should be proud of yourself for studying and for continuing to work towards your goals.”

Missing out on a summer job may feel disappointing, but it doesn’t mean your entire summer is ruined. Quite the opposite: it might just become the summer that teaches you something unexpected. <3