U Prep students manage school on top of having a job with time management and responsibility

My parents have always told me about their jobs throughout high school to make money.

They delivered papers, worked at Burger King, and lifeguarded during the summer,. It was normal for my parents and almost all their friends to have jobs throughout high school to gain responsibility and the freedom that came with having their own money.

At U Prep not as many people have jobs, or at least not as many as my parents have said normal during their teenage years. It’s understable, since U Prep is a private school and most students don’t necessarily need a job.

However, a job in high school doesn’t just provide financial stability. Jobs teach students valuable life lessons, like how to be timely and responsible, how to communicate with people, and what it takes to make commitments to people. This year I have started to nanny and tutor, and I have learned a lot. In the beginning I wasn’t very good at letting my boss know in advance if I had a school commitment where I wouldn’t be able to make it to work. Since then, I have learned how to communicate better so there are no conflicts or misunderstandings.

Junior Ben Shmidt has several jobs during the school year to keep him busy.

Though his main job is a cello tutor, he also babysits whenever he can, busses tables at a sushi restaurant and plays cello gigs for ballet orchestras when they need him.

Shmidt originally started working just to earn extra cash, but discovered it important to find work that he loves to do.

“I was looking from job to job for things I didn’t care about just so I could make easy money. But once I started doing work that had to do with music, I felt it was something I’m actually good at and interested in. Now I look forward to teaching little kids because they look up to me and it’s nice being a role model,” Shmidt said.

It is common for students to have work that means something to them. Junior Gabe Pehrson’s job didn’t start out as a means to make money. During sophomore year he played around with software on his computer to create an animation project and decided to post it online. He didn’t get recognition from it at first, but after a friend helped him out, he began selling his projects to clients over the internet.

“It started off being fun and it still is. Now it’s more on the money side of things but I would still do it even if I wasn’t being paid. I’ve made a lot of really awesome friends through my job,” Pehrson said.

In addition to jobs outside of school, students are able to work on campus to make a little cash when they can. Sophomores Charlie Cobb and Mike Baldwin worked over the summer at U Prep doing tech work and other jobs around the school. They continue to pitch in when needed during breaks and the school year.

Cobb and Baldwin said working gave them a better understanding of how money works. “I realized [from working] that you really have to manage your money. A minimum wage  job is not going to last you very long,” Baldwin said.

In addition to money management, working teaches students many life lessons.

Shmidt said, “It’s really surprising how different interacting with your friends at school is, versus interacting with people in a work environment. It’s not just about the money, you definitely gain more life experience.”

Senior Carlin Cherry works as a lifeguard around 12 hours a week.

Cherry said, “For my real career I want to work in a place where everyone is happy, in good moods and glad to see me, which is similar to my job environment now.”

By: Hannah Zundel-Davis