Serving Up Responsibility

Being a teenager can be frustrating. With stress from school, friends, family and other pressures, worrying about affording necessities and luxuries can be overwhelming. Thankfully, those who are old enough can apply for a part-time job.
Although the promise of earned money does sound enticing, it is important to acknowledge the commitment and discipline any job requires. Those who are considering a specific career can use a part-time job to preview what a lifetime career is like. If people are interested in culinary arts or making simple pocket cash, the food service industry satisfies both intentions.
For some, working a job truly brings forth latent qualities. Specifically in the food service industry, these jobs have instilled strength and ambition.
“A job [is a] duty; you have to be ready [so that] once you step into the shop [you should] forget […] your concerns out of the shop [no matter how] badly you [did] in school that day,” senior Jiayi Jiang said when asked to comment on tips gained from his current cafe job.
Juggling a job with school can get extremely difficult to manage; this is one of the prime reasons students do not get part-time jobs.
“Everybody has 24 hours a day and seven days a week, it depends on how we manage the time at school and work” Jiang said.
According to a Los Angeles Times’ article, Southern Methodist University’s director of admissions, Stephanie Dupaul, expressed support for jobs by noting them as reliable markers of hard work and activity, especially in the summer.
“The value of teamwork was the greatest lesson I took away from [the job],” junior Shirley Duong said.
Working for almost two months at a fast food restaurant, Duong remains optimistic for the future and recounts useful lessons taken from the experience.

By StaffWriter Michelle Paulino