Making Working Work for You, by Ryan Turney

                Academically inclined or not, a job as a teenager is a very good thing to have as a learning experience for things you do in the future. It prepares you for everyday life; a life of expenses, of taxes, of having to save for retirement. When I was thinking about saving for college books, spending, etc., my eyes were opened to why jobs are so important. They don't help just for money in the future and at the current time, but they make you look better in the future as an individual. It shows initiative, it shows dedication, and it shows someone who didn't sit at home waiting for an opportunity to come across him/her with minimal effort.

                One positive of having a job as a teenager is that it gives someone a sense of the real world while living at home. In a few years, you won't be at home under parental guidance. Instead, you are going to be out on your own with the task of trying to manage your own money while attending college. Who knows, you may even come right out of high school needing a job. You aren't going to have "mommy and daddy" by your side every second of the day helping you out and giving you advice. Jobs incorporate teamwork as well as work ethic, bundling into one what will be needed down the road.

                I came across an article the other day on BusinessInsider.co, talking about work ethic pertaining to the Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban, who is also a multi-billionaire and one of the stars of the hit Show Shark Tank .  The show also includes other successful individuals who worked hard to get where they are. It is because of people like these that a strong work ethic is so valued in the workplace after college and high school. A lot of wealthy people of today didn't just start at the top but they began at small companies, (usually their own company) and built up with their own smarts/determination. They also mastered the ability to relate to people outside of their expertise, building up their companies to countries internationally through communication skills, which is another paramount skill to be successful with jobs. You are going to have those types of people that can fix any problem with any amount of difficulty, but without the ability to communicate with others, this talent is virtually useless in a majority of the fields. Jobs emphasize not only a work ethic but also people skills, which job seekers need to have in order to succeed in the competitive work world that awaits them in the future.

                It isn't a matter of what your family has based on how much they can pay for college to look good on a college application, but also the signs of personal perseverance to be able to go out on your own and experience the real world that you will join in the coming schools. SAT scores and grades are also important, but not nearly as important as the attitude you can bring to college and the working field later on in life.