By Samuel Campbell

Impossible! No way someone can attend Tempe Prep and have an after-school job! This is not the case for seniors Annie Meacham, Kelsey Bush, and Violeta Panayotova. These three seniors are among many who have after-school jobs. These seniors have jobs that most people typically think of when they think of an after-school job. Annie works at the restaurant Red Robin, and Kelsey and Violeta work at Old Navy.

Annie’s experience has been “an awesome way to practice social skills and get out of my  bubble.” Annie said that “at first I wasn’t very social, but through working with my awesome coworkers and communicating with customers, I have learned better social skills and gotten much more confident.”

Speaking of awesome coworkers, how cool is it to have one of your best friends from school as your coworker?! This is the case for seniors Kelsey and Violeta. Kelsey has worked at Old Navy for almost 2 years, and this past summer helped her friend Violeta get a job as well. While their shifts don’t always align, they still get to work with each other often and have fun. Their example demonstrates an important aspect of getting any sort of job: networking.

Whether an after-school job or a professional one later in life, networking is crucial in moving up in society and finding jobs. For those of you who don’t know what it is, basically, networking is when friends, family, or someone else helps you find a job. It may be where one person already has a job and they recommend a friend, like in Violeta and Kelsey’s case. It may be where someone’s mom is a business owner looking for employees, and her son can recommend a previous roommate. If a manager was deciding between two people he didn’t know, but one was recommended by one of his workers, who would he choose? Obviously the one with a recommendation.

There are a plethora of scenarios, but the lesson is this: first, work hard and well so people will recommend you. Second, be sociable and kind to people. People love to hire kind, sociable people. As great as networking can be, it is of course possible to get a job without networking, but a good recommendation goes a long way.

Now, what about jobs that aren’t as typical? Well, there are those who do yard work, those who help umpire for a junior baseball game, and those who sell baked goods. With an unlimited selection of jobs, summer and after-school, there is no reason not to make a little money. Money fuels the economy, and the world needs as many hard-working kids as it can get.

So if you’re wondering, “should I get a job?” My advice is: go for it, it can’t hurt. If it doesn’t work out and you have to quit, then so be it, at least you tried. And that’s all you can do, try your best.