“I have learned that sometimes you’re going to have to work with hard people, especially in customer service,” reflects Mara Noel ‘24. She worked as both a lifeguard at a Richfield public pool, and a certified nursing assistant over the summer. On balancing the two jobs, Noel says, “I was really intentional before the summer started…I talked to my employer and asked what would be the best way to achieve my goal of working three days a week at one job and one day at the other. They were really helpful in figuring that out.”
Taara Verma ‘24 worked as a waitress at a local Edina nursing home. She states, “There is truly something to learn from every day and every person that I interact with…Both from my co-workers and the people that I serve. It teaches me something about their own lives and from the way that they interact with me.”
Kai Capistrant ‘25 was a cashier at Lunds and Byerly’s in Saint Louis Park, a job that he began during the school year and continues to work at today. While working, he learned how to manage his time better while participating in two sports, better preparing himself for the upcoming school year. Capistrant learned to “take your time, especially when you’re kinda stressed out… because, it’s better to take your time and not mess up than try and go super fast and get everything done and then mess up horribly,” a lesson he said he can apply to school.
Working at Lifetime Eden Prairie for around 15 hours a week, Molly Anderson ‘25 spent her summer as a lifeguard. Her job instructed a new definition and understanding of guarding. Prior to her job she believed that staying focused while guarding would prove a challenge. However, her love of kids and increased experience has made guarding far easier.
Many of Anderson’s co-workers were in college or had recently graduated, so she was able to meet and learn about people in “all different stages of their lives.” She believes that summer jobs are very beneficial because they “add some schedule to your summer.” Anderson comments, “You have to learn about keeping your mind open to being focused on one thing.” Lessons from her summer job have also instructed her for future employment.
All four of the students emphasize that the value in a summer job is in the experience and lessons learned. Noel adds, “I do think that it has taught me a lot about financial responsibility…I think I got myself prepared for college and after.” Verma states, “I think that [a summer job] is a really valuable experience. There’s obviously other things that people think are better for college or a better use of their time, but I think doing a regular teenaged job teaches you so much more about how the real world works and what people’s lives are like for the majority of Americans.”
