By Lauren Frame

All your leads have fallen through. None of the résumés you’ve sent out have produced any callbacks or even any e-mail rejections. It’s way too late for an internship and the possibilities of making any money this summer are starting to look slim.

The economy is tough. The job market is even tougher – especially when you’re a college student without a degree or a ton of experience who just wants some summer employment. And making the leap from application to getting that first paycheck can be difficult.

If you’re having trouble getting an employer to say yes to you, or even just agree to give you an interview, it might be time to look into some alternative options. Not getting the job isn’t the end of the world, or the end of your money-making opportunities. There are several options for students to make some extra summer cash without ever actually getting hired.

1. R-E-C-Y-C-L-E, recycle

Saving up cans may seem like an old-fashioned way to a full wallet, but it can still be profitable.

“You’d be surprised how quickly it can add up,” said Tamara Karr, a buyer at Wise Recycling in Lexington.

Karr said it usually takes 32 to 42 cans to make a pound and the center offers 35 to 40 cents per pound of cans, but each commodity they accept is priced differently. Wise Recycling accepts any kind of metal, including extension cords and Christmas tree lights, but most students stick to cans, she said.

Students used to bring in a lot of kegs, Karr said, “but that’s illegal now.” Since the metal kegs were worth more as scrap than students paid in a deposit, she said a lot of students would bring them in to be recycled.

Because of that, last July it became illegal to recycle them in Kentucky, she said.

So if you attend a few parties and bring along a trash bag, you can help out your host, the environment and your bank account – for free (Just don’t take the keg.). You can also pick up cans off the sidewalks and around town, or ask friends and family to save their cans for you. Then take them to your nearest recycling center where they’ll weigh the cans and pay you cash on the spot, Karr said.

-Wise Recycling

1554 Old Frankfort Pike

Monday through Friday – 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday – 8 a.m. to noon

(859) 281-6227

2. Sell your stuff

Yard sales are a staple of the summer months and they offer a great way to make extra money and get rid of some junk at the same time. But these days, you can take your yard sale to the Internet by listing items on Web sites such as Craigslist.org or eBay. You can use these sites to sell just about anything — from pot-bellied pigs that love ACDC, to old furniture you don’t use anymore.

Some students take it a little further, using the site to not only sell their own items, but also to buy low priced items like cell phones or Nintendo games and then sell them for a higher price.

“I usually try to get stuff off there for cheap, if I can, and then sell them to other people or my friends,” said Bert Ansback, who graduated from UK in May with a degree in fine arts. “It helps out making an extra 50 bucks a month.”

Ansback, who has a full-time job, says he likes Craigslist because it’s straightforward — there are no ads, no usernames, no fees — and “you can scroll through the site and see what’s a good deal and what isn’t.”

Ansback said he recommends giving this kind of venture a go, “if you know what you’re doing.”

But electronics aren’t the only hot commodity around a college campus. Getting rid of used textbooks can make your wallet heavier while lightening up your load on moving day. Sites like Half.com or BookScouter.com, which can help you find the best price on the Internet for your books, are good places to start, and there are always the local bookstores, too.

If arts and crafts are more your style, sites like Etsy.com can help you make some cash out of your hobbies.

According to their Web site, Etsy lets you set up your own shop to sell handmade and vintage goods, as well as craft supplies, to an online community of users who want just that. It’s free to register on the site but, like eBay, there are a few fees involved with selling.

– eBay.com — sell any and everything, for a small fee

– Craigslist.org — sell any and everything, for free

– BookScouter.com — find the best price for your books on the Internet

– Half.com — eBay’s place to sell your used books, for a small fee

– Etsy.com — sell any kind of handmade items, vintage goods and craft supplies, for a small fee

3. Sell yourself

Taking advantage of what your body naturally manufactures can result in fast cash. Some companies compensate people for donating blood and plasma, including CSL Plasma Services in Lexington. According to their Web site, donors at CSL must undergo a pre-screening for blood illnesses and have a physical examination before their first donation. The site says plasma can be donated no more than once every two days and no more than twice a week, in compliance with FDA regulations, and that donors will be compensated in cash after each donation.

UK also provides opportunities for students to make money with their bodies. Several medical studies and clinical trials conducted through UK’s Psychology Department and Department of Behavioral Science pay volunteers to participate. If you meet the requirements, one of these studies could be your ticket to summer funds. Requirements and compensation vary with the study and the number of times you participate, but according to UK’s research Web site, they are currently looking for volunteers for a study concerning healthy marijuana users.

– CSL Plasma Services

Suite 300, 817 Winchester Rd, Lexington, KY, (859) 233-9296

1840 Oxford Circle, Lexington, KY, (859) 254-8047

Monday through Friday 7 a.m to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.­­

www.cslplasma.com

– UK College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Studies marijuana behavioral study

(859) 323-1332

http://www.research.uky.edu/

4. Be your own boss

Some students find it easier to take matters into their own hands completely, opting to be their own bosses instead of depending on someone else to give them a job.

Kailie Kirvin, an integrated strategic communications junior, and her roommate were looking for ways to make money and decided to try to use their love of dogs. The two posted an ad on Craigslist offering to walk dogs throughout the summer. While they have yet to get any responses and have since found other employment, Kirvin said she has used the site to get jobs in the past, including babysitting.

“I put up an ad saying I would babysit and I got a response,” she said. “I babysat for them pretty much all last school year, at least once a week.”

Dog walking and babysitting are just the tip of the self-employment iceberg though. There are always lawns that need mowing or odd jobs that need to be done, and let’s not forget about that old standby, the lemonade stand. Figuring out what you like to do, what you do well or maybe just what you’re willing to do, and putting yourself out there via fliers, word of mouth or the Internet, might just prove profitable.

5. We want you

Always looking for talented students, the Kentucky Kernel welcomes story ideas, photographers, copy editors and cartoonists. You can improve your portfolio and make a little cash doing things you like to do or things you’d like to do better. E-mail the editors or call the newsroom to get assignments for the summer Kernel and start making some money, without actually being hired.

[email protected]

035 Grehan Journalism Bldg.

(859) 257-1915