Sophomore Tanner Virgil works at Bp Gas Station not only at the register checking out customers but also does many small miscellaneous jobs. Photo by: Rebeca Lee
By Rebeca Lee
At the age of 16 one is finally old enough to work a real job. Whether full time, or part time several Plymouth High School students have the desire for that extra cash and have chosen to take on a new responsibility.
“I think [a job] is a big responsibility. You have to be reliable and ready to work whenever,” said senior Emily Berger. Working Upper Crust Pizzeria was her first job other than babysitting. Regarding responsibility, Junior Shelby Haisley agreed with Berger, “You have to manage your school work with your scheduled time to work, and you can’t let things that happened at school affect how you work.”
Plymouth offers jobs for teens; from restaurants, to stores, to reception work, as well as to help with child care programs. Listening to stories from the senior citizens that she works with, senior Abigail Bradley enjoys working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Pilgrim Manor Nursing Home. Bradley was inspired to work as a C.N.A. because of her dad and as well as her love for helping others. Bradley is not the only one who likes to hear stories; senior Karl Pogue works at Dollar General and enjoys interacting with the customers as well. Not only do students work full time positions, but they also have part time positions. Sophomore Ian Retting said he likes to work because, “It helps me get the extra cash I need because I end up spending a lot on games and food.” Retting works only for an hour up to two hours at People Drugstore doing small miscellaneous jobs such as filling up the pop machines. Other students choose to work only in the fields they wish to pursue in future careers. Senior Matt Scutchfield said, “I started doing freelancing work in music around age 15, and then just started a new job of teaching music now at 17.” Scutchfield is teaching in South Bend at The Music Village. Junior Sommer McClellan currently works as a receptionist at Lighthouse Dental. Working at Pizza Hut, sophomore Tabitha Masterson said not having money borrowed from her parents is a good thing; she believes that having a job is a big responsibility.
When turning 16 getting a job was not the first thing on her mind; sophomore Courtney Zentz said, “I thought about driving and just being able to do a lot more things on my own.” Though Zentz was not looking for a job, she found one at Showland Cinema in less than three weeks after she turned 16. Zentz said she wanted to work at Showland because during most of her free time she found herself watching movies with family and friends and realized she needed something to do with her free time. Both Junior Courtney Hersick and Zentz were not looking for a job. Hersick started off by volunteering her freshman year at the Boys and Girls Club. She said, “I was very against the idea of working because I play soccer year round and always have homework. I thought I wouldn’t have time for anything, but as soon as I got into a schedule, everything worked out fine.”
A job can be very time consuming and one might have to make a lot of sacrifices. “I like the idea of working, you just have to make sure you are organized with your time. It is hard sometimes to balance friends, school, and other activities like sports. Time management is what you have to have,” said junior Haley Paton who works at Rue21. Sophomore Tanner Virgil finds that having a job is a big commitment. Since he was 15 Virgil has worked at BP Gas Station and currently works there as the cashier. He said it is difficult to do things such as sports or make time with friends. As a piece of advice to those who work, Virgil wants to tell students, “Choose your job well and ask your boss if you can have some days off to enjoy your teenage years.” It is important to have a perfect balance of social life and responsibilities.
A job provides not only a sense of responsibility but as well as a form of income. Students who work to earn money, use it for various reasons; among them are the expense of cars, gas, clothes, dates, gifts, college, and just simply to have some extra spending money. Senior Makaela Mahler also works at Pizza Hut and says that her reason for getting a job was because she needed money for college. While the reasons vary for students working, the common results are the sense of independence, freedom and self worth.