As many high school students turn 16, they start to apply for jobs so they can earn some money on the side and buy themselves things that they want. A lot of these students might have had some form of job experience before which makes them qualified to be in the position that they are in.
Whether or not your work environment is benevolent, can really affect your work life there and make you enjoy the job more. Co-workers, the manager, the pay, and the customers can lead to a positive work environment. A lot of places where most high school students work are fast food jobs such as McDonalds or Sonic. Many other popular
“I would not leave this job because my co-workers are nice,” sophomore Samuel Wheatley said. There are some high school students there but overall, I am the youngest one there. Otherwise, the rest of my co-workers are all older men. The environment besides the co-workers is tiring because you’re doing a lot of landscaping. I am out there for three hours every day I work.”
Some people trying to find a job might not care about the environment but they do care about the pay. They would not want to work at a place where they aren’t earning enough. They want to earn more so that they can buy themselves things that they want. The more that they earn, the happier they get because then they feel like they can buy things that they have been saving up for. Some places pay more than others and that’s why teenagers might want to apply there. Tips can also vastly improve how much you make. Tips add to what you already make.
“I make $4 an hour excluding tips,” sophomore Jasmine Jones said. “This doesn’t seem like a lot but that is because my parents own it and we do everything ourselves. Tips increase how much I make though. I make a lot of money at my job. I come home every night with about $120 from tips alone.”
With the money that they earn, the students might want to spend that money on things that they want or need. They have a sense of freedom with that money because it is the money that they worked hard for. With a lot of money, students also have to manage how to spend their money and be responsible with it. Their necessities need to be bought first before buying the things that they want. Sophomore Vincent Long, who works at Hyvee, has been working at Hyvee for a few months now and has been saving up to buy himself some things.
“With the money I have been paid with, I have bought only gas,” Long said. Gas is expensive and I need it for my car so that I can go to work and other places. My gas is finished quickly. I want to buy clothes for myself with that money. I haven’t really bought myself anything else than that.”
As many more students start to turn 16, they’ll also be working. They can get some really good work experience for future careers that they want. It’s a way to learn but also make money off of it. This culture of starting work at 16 will go on for many generations. The pay will also start to increase as the demand for it increases.
