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| Photo by Shelby McCoy |
During the school year students are given a lot of work, but there’s also opportunity for jobs during the summer. Summer is the best time for students who don’t have the time to have jobs because of extracurricular activity, at home issues, or the transportation to go out and make money on their own. There’s many other things that can prevent them from working, but during the summer they can make money doing things that fit their schedule well and in close proximity to school or home.
Sophomore AJ Defur works summers at the softball fields by Lowes. He’s in charge of concessions for the games held. He attends once or twice every two weekends, making $12 hourly. Working there since last year, he has found good friendships in people who make the job easier with their humor. It’s not as difficult of a job, and sometimes they’re allowed to eat the snacks on duty. This job suits him very well, because he’s one of many who have sports such as basketball during the weekends. This makes it more difficult to keep a steady job, but concessions offer him a bendable schedule that fits his busy lifestyle.
“Putting in work even when you don’t have the time to is very important in the long run,” Defur said.
Sophomore Lucy Roberts shared that she works at the pool at the front Gate. Typically she works Monday through Sunday during the summer time resulting in around $11.25 an hour. There are many friendships surrounding the program, and everyone is open to forming new bonds. She shared that the reason she began working there is because it’s a great first job experience, and she’s been in the game for two years now.
“It’s really fun and you build a lot of bonds working because you're there all summer long,” Roberts said.
Sophomore Erica Alvarado works at McDonald’s and has been for about a year and four months now. She expresses that the environment there is good and quite fun actually. She attends every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and even more over the summer. She likes her managers cus they make the job fun while keeping everything professional. She likes making more friends there and being able to communicate well with them. She’s typically a shy person, but working there helps her to overcome the shyness. She makes a good $12 an hour, and it’s a great first job option for 15 year olds.
“Laughing is the key to success and having a good time can make the job much easier,” Alvarado said.
Junior Ellison Gillum lifeguards for the summer. She works around 30-40 hours every two weeks. Many of her good friends work there as well, making the job much more fun and enjoyable. She makes $12 an hour and this would be her third summer coming out and working at the Pioneer Park Aquatic Center. She’s commented that working there has brought her much joy and it just works well with her summer schedule.
“Working here is great! You get a good tan,” Gillum said.
Summer jobs are key to those first steps of adulthood. Teens are offered many jobs that can fit their schedules and still have time to do the things they love. There are a variety of jobs all about the district that offer jobs to teens as young as 14 and 15. These jobs can help to build responsibilities, communication, overall companionship, and independence.
