For many teenagers, summer is more than just a break from school. It’s a chance to make money, learn new skills, and gain work experience. Powell High School students took advantage of the wide range of local jobs this summer, from caring for dogs to farm labor.
Summer is a time when most teenagers get time to relax and take a break from school. Some may get to go on different trips. Others get jobs and earn a lot of money.
“I had two jobs this summer,” junior Adriana Torres said. “But I most enjoyed working at Powell Valley Healthcare.”
Teenagers around the Powell area have many opportunities to work, whether it be in town, out of town, or in the surrounding towns. One PHS student has found contentment in her summer job.
“I worked at Lazy K-9 grooming,” junior Juliana Marquez said. “I washed dogs and did minor grooming. I’m still working there. I love it. We see so many cute dogs.”
While some students made their extra dough counting cash or serving fries, junior Tucker Reynolds spent his summer doing manual labor for local farmers. He is a prime example of a teenage worker in our agricultural community.
“I did a lot of basic labor like cleaning pig pens, building fence, and a bunch of other general chores,” Reynolds said. “It wasn’t bad. It got me money, and I’m happy about that.”
Although summer jobs provide income and employment, it can be a struggle to balance a busy schedule. Time management becomes very important when it involves summer work; it’s a good skill to have overall as a teenager.
“I’d say I just had to plan everything around work because that was my main priority,” Marquez said. “My summer was very full.”
For some students, work life isn’t just a summer endeavor. Oftentimes, summer jobs translate into after-school jobs as the season changes. This means that students need to strategically balance their time between school and work, or even combine them.
“I think it’s different from person to person, but I still work through the school year,” Reynolds said. “Personally, I prioritize schoolwork because it requires more conscious thinking, and I can do the stuff that doesn’t require much brain power later.”
Even though summer jobs can seem very time-consuming and a waste of time, students will learn a variety of different skills. Students will also get the opportunity to work on other skills they might have slacked on, and it is also important that employees feel welcome.
“A benefit to my summer job would be that I got to work on my communication skills by talking to all the residents,” Adriana Torres said. “I also really enjoyed the environment because it made me feel valued.”
