Babysitting, tutoring, lawn-mowing side gigs, sports, music, and caring for siblings all count as work experience. Don't leave them off your resume just because they weren't W-2 jobs. Real time spent building skills is real experience.
Work experience does not mean a formal job with a W-2. Babysitting counts. Tutoring your neighbor's kid in math counts. Lawn mowing business you started in 8th grade counts. Okay, extracurricular activity is the broadest bucket of all— sports, music, clubs, but also the hobbies that you taught yourself, a long commute you make every single day, or watching your siblings after school. If it eats up real time in your actual life, it belongs somewhere on this list. Do not sell yourself short.
