My Starter School Summer: From First Paycheck to First Investment

This summer looked a little different for me. While most days were filled with the usual summer things, about 20% of my time was spent at Starter School—and those hours ended up being some of the most meaningful of the entire season.
I joined Starter School because I wanted to work on real projects and, honestly, to earn a little money. But what I didn’t expect was how much I would learn along the way. The first time I logged into Weebly and started designing my own website, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. I’d never built a site before, but piece by piece, it began to take shape. That small win gave me the confidence to try something even bigger—figuring out how to publish a book. Now, I’m slowly pulling together my collection of poems and short stories, and the idea of seeing them in print next year feels like a dream in progress.
What made Starter School even more fun was how wide-ranging it was. One day I was learning about mortgages and equity, the next I was dabbling in app design or sketching the basics of a house. It felt like opening new doors every single week. Learning video editing turned out to be super fun—I even made these two videos, and loved every minute of it!
By the end of the summer, I wasn’t just walking away with new skills—I had also earned $240. I still remember holding my first virtual paycheck in my Starter School card and thinking: Do I just spend this, or do I try to make it grow? That question stayed with me. With a little guidance from Diveej, who introduced me to the “Magnificent 7” stocks, I realized I had a chance to do something bigger. So I’ve decided to take that $240 and invest it—maybe in NVIDIA, Apple, Google, or Amazon—and let it be the very first seed of my college fund.
It feels both scary and exciting to step into investing for the first time. But if this summer has taught me anything, it’s that learning happens when you’re willing to try new things. From building a website, to planning a book, to choosing a stock—each step has been a reminder that growth doesn’t always come from where you expect it. Sometimes, it comes from saying yes to opportunities and watching where they lead.
Honestly, it feels pretty wild to think that one summer could give me a website, the blueprint for a book, a crash course in mortgages, and a ticket into the stock market. Not bad for just 20% of my summer, right? Starter School didn’t just give me skills—it gave me a head start on the future… and maybe a slightly cooler answer when someone asks, “So, what did you do this summer?”
Lesson learned: never underestimate a summer, a notebook, and $240—because you never know which one might change your future.
References: My 2025 portfolio form StarterSchool.

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