High school graduations are being celebrated across the region this week as the current school year has drawn to a close. Students will now shift gears and begin to focus on what the next chapter of their life will look like.
Many of them will have completed their educational journey and will head straight for the workforce. Others will prepare for the next phase of their school journey, choosing to pursue college, technical or trade opportunities.
I remember those days fondly. I couldn’t wait to enter the workforce and earn some hard-earned money to buy me the things I needed and to help me through the next school year. I would never have made it through college without those summers of work.
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I labored in a lot of different positions. I cleaned the meat room at the grocery store, clerked, stocked shelves, mowed grass, worked on the factory floor and in hospitality. You name it, I feel like I tried it. I was fortunate to have several employers offer me an opportunity, and boy, did I take advantage. And I learned a lot of lessons along the way.
I especially enjoyed my time working in retail. Customer service is such an important skill and retail work prepares you for almost any situation you might encounter in the workforce. Some of those roles are more glamorous than others, but all are necessary for the success of the business. I know many employers today that will give the edge to a candidate that worked retail because of those past work experiences and those lessons learned.
I also learned valuable lessons about working with others, about my team and company relying on me and me on others. I was able to get a lot of responsibility at a young age and learn about managing and supervising people. Those summers helped me better understand what I might want and not want to do when I grew up.
My story is not unlike yours or so many others from years ago. It was a regular thing for high school and college students to enter the workforce, and employers relied heavily on the infusion of that workforce each year as they prepared for a busy summer rush. Restaurants, retail and hospitality businesses especially leaned on those young workers.
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Things have changed significantly since then. Fewer high school and college students are working. Sports, education and other extra-curricular activities have taken attention away from work and led to a smaller labor pool to pick from for needy employers.