My friends owe me a collective amount of $1,175.
Every time we go out, I always end up having to pay because they don’t have enough money to buy anything. “I’ll pay you back!” they say, but the more and more in debt they become, the less and less I believe them. I’ve decided to stop paying for their things until they pay me back, but I have a sneaking suspicion that may never happen.
If only there was some magical place my friends could go after school – where they could perform labor in exchange for monetary compensation. Oh wait, such a place exists! It’s called a job.
Every high school student should get a job. For the past two years, I have been working at Target every weekend, and I feel obligated to share the benefits of this experience.
First and foremost, a job will allow you to buy things when you go out with your friends. No longer will you be a helpless, greedy leech who relies on their innocent friends for food. You can now buy and eat as much as you want! From small snacks at Cumberland Farms to getting meals at Chipotle, a job will have you affording the gas that brings you there.
You will also learn how to manage your money. One of the greatest parts of working is seeing how much that paycheck every two weeks adds to your total sum. The more and more money that you put in your savings, the happier you will be. And once you reach a certain threshold, you will be able to treat yourself with something nice. At this point, you should have paid back the $212 that you owe your friend and should be debt free!
It will help you appreciate money. This is YOUR hard-earned money, not your parents’. This money is no longer meaningless and no longer infinite. You will only want to spend it on the things that are worth it the most. This means not buying stupid drinks at a coffee shop and being more aware of what you are spending your money on.
Aside from the monetary value that a job will give you, it also provides essential life experience. It will teach you how to be responsible. Having a job means you have to be a professional. If you don’t do what is required, your job is on the line. This will teach you how to get places on time (no excused tardies), follow the rules (no leaving early), and work to the best of your ability (late work will not be accepted).
Having a job will teach you how to deal with people. Some customers can be really nice, but others can be the most snobby, self-entitled devils you will ever encounter. When this happens, you won’t be able to run and hide behind someone. You have to face them head on – even if it is uncomfortable, even if they make you feel weak. This is where you learn how to be brave.
On the other side of dealing with rude customers is the blessing of having coworkers. You are going to be working with these people A LOT, so you might as well make friends with them. Whether you are working with a 35 year old Italian man named Jim, the nicest 70 year old woman you will ever meet, or some girl your own age, the job will expose you to so many different people with their own complex stories and worldviews. This – right here – is where you will be transported out of high school and actually see the world.
