Everyone is going to have some sort of career eventually (unless you plan on being a trophy wife, and for that I commend you), so why not start now? Working as a teenager sets you up for the rest of your life– it’s as clear as day. 

I could care less if your parents fund your checking account; it’s time to start making some of your own money! Earning a paycheck helps teach proper budgeting and saving skills that will come in handy as a broke college student. You learn necessary spending habits, also known as: Do I really need a third Lululemon tank top, or could that go toward my college savings? 

Not only does holding a job teach proper budgeting skills, but it also helps with scheduling skills. Once you have a job, you learn that people are relying on you to show up, get the job done, and do it right. Learning how to balance a social life along with a work life can be tough, but it is an important tool. 

It’s also time to pop that upper class bubble. Jobs help ground the privileged, especially when working with people from all walks of life. A valuable lesson to keep in mind is that while you work over the summer to prepare for college–most of your colleagues survive off of the same wage as you. Working in a restaurant, for me at least, has put things into perspective. While I work my job as a hostess alongside adults, I am a mere 17 year-old girl, working to support a shopping addiction, as compared to the waitress who is working to support her children. It is necessary to always look at the big picture, and be grateful. 

Working as a lifeguard, pizza delivery driver, babysitter, cashier, busser, etc., requires interacting with people (real people!). Having your first job will increase your social skills insanely. My job taught me how to talk to people on the phone, problem solve, and deal with angry customers. All of which are not necessarily glamorous, but incredibly rewarding accomplishments. 

Now, of course, it is always important to focus on your schoolwork, family, and social life. So at the very least: work a summer job. I’m begging you. People can always tell when you’ve never been humbled from getting yelled at by a customer or having a child slobber on you.