If you didn’t know, I’m not a big fan of having a job. The idea of working for someone else’s dreams and being more or less powerless does not excite me. The thought of answering to someone else for the rest of my life sounds horrifying.
However, with all that said, and with how starkly opposed I am to getting a job, I do believe that there are situations (outside of dire need) where getting a job would be wise and advantageous.
As always, I am mainly talking to young athletes here, who have the option of getting a job, but could just as easily not get a job. By young, I mean high school and college.
Some people in this group may be in a situation where their parents are already forcing you to work a job. This is ok, and I may even show you today why this could be a good thing.
In my situation, I was lucky enough to not be required to work. This allowed me to focus on basketball. When I was in high school, basketball was my life. I spent nearly 100% of my time trying to improve.
One may ask how I could use all my time trying to get better at basketball- you can only spend so much time training, right? No; there is literally always something you can be doing.
So, because of that, my biggest reason for not getting a job in high school was that it would take time away from my improvement.
However, as a college student, I now realize this was a mistake.
In this situation, an effort should be made to garner at least a part-time job. Of course, this only applies if you are in a situation similar to mine. If you come from a wealthy family, then the best course of action may be different. I would advise switching to a different blog because I cannot relate to you and therefore can’t help you.
If this is not the case, then you should get a part-time job. This doesn’t have to and shouldn’t be anything crazy. Weekend jobs are fine. An hour or two here and there would serve the purpose.
Here are the reasons why you should get a part-time job ASAP:
#1: No money. No power.
I don’t care if you are a 15 year old going into your freshman year of high school or a senior in college, everyone wants some degree of power and respect. It’s hard to respect someone who is still freeloading 100% off their parents. I don’t care if they are “still a kid.” You definitely wouldn’t give any power to someone like this. People with no money deserve no influence.
You have probably heard, if not experienced, the saying from a parent that if you are going to live in their house, eat their food, etc., that you will follow their rules. What can you say to that?
I’m not saying get a job so you can argue with your parents. This is just an example.
#2. So You Can Buy Gifts For People
After a somewhat Machiavellian reason, we get a more philanthropic reason (or perhaps more Machiavellian if you wish to use it like that, haha).
If nothing else, you should get gifts for your parents and siblings on their birthdays and Christmas. When I was younger, my parents would always insist “You don’t have to get us anything.” I usually didn’t. Now I feel terrible.
If your parents tell you this, don’t listen to them. Get them something like a decent human being would. They have total power over you for the time being and are going to be the number one source of funding for your ambitions until further notice.
They make endless sacrifices for you. The least you could do is get them something twice a year.
Beyond presents for your immediate family, a well-timed gift can work wonders in building a relationship with someone and making progress towards your goals.
#3. To Get Money to Invest/Start Your Business
You’re going to want to invest in something at some point. It’s going to take money. When you get there, you’re going to wish you had started saving money sooner.
Also, I have noticed a trend among the more ambitious athletes, who take their sport seriously from a young age, set goals, work on themselves, etc. They tend to be entrepreneurial after their playing career ends, or even during their playing days.
If you're reading this and you made it this far, then odds are you are one of these ambitious people. When you start your business, you will need money and it will help to have some saved up.
#4: So You Don’t Have to Rely on Other People as Much
This is somewhat related to number one. Nonetheless, relying on other people is so inconvenient and frustrating that I wanted to give it its own point.
You don’t want to be the junior or senior in high school that still asks their parents for money to go to the concession stand. You don’t want to have to rely completely on your parents’ generosity to take advantage of opportunities.
For instance, one time I wanted to go to a fairly expensive basketball camp. I was lucky that my parents were fairly generous concerning the matter, but I’m sure it helped that I was willing to pay for nearly half of it myself.
#5: Accumulation of Experience and Credibility
We hear all the time about working for ourselves and being our own boss, but the reality for most is that this is usually not what happens.
Many end up with a job for whatever reason. In this last resort, in-case-of-emergency situation, your summer jobs as a kid provide experience and credibility that you can use on a resume.
But this is the dream-crushing reason. So that will be enough of that.
#6: To Create Relatability
This one is pretty simple. You will work with people all your life, many of whom will be employees. If you’ve never worked a job- never been in their shoes- it will be hard for the two of you to relate to each other at best.
At worst, they will dislike you for thinking you're better than them or having everything given to you, even if these are far from the truth.
#7: To Build Character
I know this seems like a pseudo-reason, something that old people say, but stick with me on this one because I am tying a few reasons in together.
First of all, it can build character by teaching you to work for what you get; by teaching you to earn your money, which simultaneously teaches you to appreciate it more.
It can also be a humbling experience, especially if you are used to everything being handed to you and you force yourself to get a crappy job. Although this situation is not the point, if this is you and you do this, then you will gain a tremendous advantage over your peers.
Through all of this, comes one final, all-important reason to get a summer job: pure motivation. Let yourself experience what it's like to monotonously clock in everyday. Let yourself experience what it’s like to depend on others for paycheck. Let yourself experience what it's like to take orders from someone else all day, helping them make their dreams come true while you let yours rot.
Then ask yourself: Is this what I want for the rest of my life?
If not, then proceed to invest all of your resources into making sure it never happens.
…
It goes without saying that one of the main reasons you want a part time job is simply so you can buy what you want. There's nothing wrong with this. It’s not greedy or selfish. It’s common sense and it’s smart. Parents, birthday money, and the like are nice, but you never want to become too reliant on anything other than yourself.
Getting a job is something I did not do for most of high school and I wish I would have. I would be a lot further ahead financially than I am right now.
Athlete-Student
BucketsoverBooks
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