Friday, October 22, 2010

Get a job, sur! (or gal!)

Has it been properly emphasized to you what a difference it makes to start working while you're still in school? I'm not talking driving yourself crazy with no free time, nor putting emphasis on a job over school (school first! always!) but studies have actually shown that students who work maintain a higher GPA on average, not to mention all the other benefits.

Building a resume
The benefit here is two-fold. Not only will work experience help you find out what you do and don't like in a job, and what your workplace strengths and weaknesses are, but it will help you get another job, and another. If you want to get to the top of a ladder you've got to take steps up right? One at a time, maybe two if you're daring. Joining the workforce early shows initiative and ability to do more at a younger age. If you've got a couple jobs behind you by the time you graduate, your options will be much better.

Saving and valuing money
It really is different when it's YOURS. You might hesitate to spend $50 in a single Amazon.com sitting if you can mentally translate that money into a span of time spent working for it. Having a job means having an income, obviously, which means more to both save and spend-- hopefully in the right proportions. This is a phenomenal lesson to learn early, because life really does get complicated as you get older. Bills to pay, taxes to cover, cars to fill up, loans to pay back. If you have a solid relationship with money early on, and learn to respect it before you have to learn the hard way, you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

Think about what you like doing and find a way to do it for money. I recall babysitting being one of the greatest jobs ever because I love kids anyway and the pay is pretty solid.
Start a business or join one. Start thinking about what you're good at. Start feeling what it's like to earn money. But do so in reasonable amounts, and with your priorities in check.

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