More than a Paycheck
First jobs can help develop life skills and provide friends along the way
By Kim Johnston

Altoona high schooler Chaslynn Rada works at Subway in the mall. Whether you’re bagging groceries or making sandwiches, a first job is a great place to make friends and improve your communication skills.	Photo by Kylene Vessel

There I was. A spunky fifteen-year-old, reaching the end of my freshman year of high school and preparing for everything the next year would bring. I looked forward to getting my driving permit over the summer, and my excitement was building as each day passed—drawing me closer to the school break.

But soon my spirits sank . My parents told me that if I planned to drive I had to pay for car insurance. That meant I had to get the dreaded first job. Well, at least I was dreading it.

I started work in early August as a bagger at a local grocery store in my hometown of Burlington, Wisconsin. The store had dozens of young employees, but I didn't know any of them. They all went to public school and I was the new girl from the private school.

My objective was to earn money. What I didn't realize however, was how much more I would gain than just a weekly paycheck. My first job as a mere bagger taught me more, and gave me more personal and social benefits, than I ever imagined.

The majority of first jobs help students develop communication skills, and I was no different. I’ve always been shy around new people. In fact, I still avoid ordering pizza because I don't like talking to someone I don't know on the phone. The first year I worked, I barely talked at all. I would answer questions, but I never held long conversations. I was like that in school, too.

The experiences I had and the skills I learned in my first job helped change the communication aspect, or lack thereof, in my life.

My job demanded that I converse with people I didn’t know. I greeted every customer in my line, helped those who asked me questions, and also talked with managers and other employees. After a while, I wasn’t so uncomfortable. It took me a year, but I finally broke out of my shell. I became more outgoing and much more talkative.

Nick Hegeman, a student from Kansasville, Wisconsin, had similar experiences. He began his first job as a bus boy in a restaurant at sixteen. His motivation was to make money. But, he also made new friends and became better at communicating. Hegeman said the restaurant would be empty when his shift started except for the other bus girls. They would stand around and talk because there was nothing else to do. This interaction, he said, made him more comfortable talking with people.

Rachel Karker, a high school student from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, agrees. She said she started her first job just to get money. But in the end she met new people and learned how to interact better.

Along with building interpersonal communication skills, my first job prepared me for future employment. I gained experience in handling money, managing my time, and multi-tasking. It is important to remember that the mundane tasks you may do in your first job can be beneficial to you in the future. I learned that even the little things can teach me something.

Steve Baumgardner, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, said first jobs teach discipline and responsibility, which are important in the adult world. But he cautions teens and young adults to be careful about the hours they work.

“More work doesn’t bring more benefits,” Baumgardner said.

Although a job can be beneficial, too many hours can interfere with school and other activities. This, in turn, can end with negative results.

Aside from work skills, the first job also helps a new employee learn about who he or she is. Hannah Lott, from Madison, Wisconsin, said that one of the most important benefits of a job is learning how to develop yourself.

A study conducted by Julian Barling of Queen’s University and Kimberley-Ann Rogers and E. Kevin Kelloway of The University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, looked at the relationship between the quantity and quality of part-time jobs with school performance and personal functioning. Partly funded by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Imperial Oil, the study found that the experiences from a job not only affect development into adulthood, but they also affect productivity, psychological well-being, and even personal performance.

By far, the greatest advantage of my first job was the opportunity to make new friends — it was a social gateway. Within my first year of employment I made many friends I may have never known otherwise. I often found myself looking forward to work because I couldn’t wait to see the people there. In fact, I started my grocery store job five years ago, and I am still working there today.

I don’t want another job because I will miss all the people I have met throughout my career at the store. I also met my first and current boyfriend during my time at the grocery store. It taught me that if you open up to the relationships you form at your first job, they can extend beyond the workplace and into the future.

According to the 2004 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, 47.1 percent of young adults sixteen to nineteen years old are in the work force, and the number of people employed in that age group is growing. Whether you start working before sixteen or you wait until college, what you gain from your first place of employment is important.

My experiences have allowed me to make some close friends, meet my boyfriend, become more outgoing, and learn essential job skills. It can be surprising when you expect one thing but end up with a lot more.

Hegeman agreed.