What Did You Do For Your First Job?

The odds are you have vivid memories of your first job. Some may be terrific and others not so much, but first jobs play an important role in our lives.

Today, teens are waiting about two years longer to get their first job than just two decades ago. Twenty years ago, the average age to get a first job was 16. Today, it is 18.

What did you do for your first job, and perhaps more importantly, what did you learn? Here are a few reminders.

Your Earnings Don’t Equate to Your Pay

Do you remember your first paycheck? Do you recall seeing the chunks of money being taken out for state and local taxes, FICA, and more? What a lesson in taxes we quickly learned. We also learned we couldn’t simply multiply our hourly pay rate by the hours worked to anticipate our next pay.

The More You Work the More You Make

Sure, there are ways to work smarter, but generally speaking, if you don’t work, you don’t earn. This is important for teens who need to pay for a car, gas, and insurance and who doesn’t want to have a good time once in awhile. We quickly learn what’s important to us.

Social and Political Dynamics

Each job, company, and workplace has its own set of dynamics. We learn that life can be unfair, hard work may not always be rewarded, and sometimes people only care about themselves. This is the real world, and it can be a tremendous life experience.

Opens Your Eyes to Opportunities

Once you get your first job, your eyes get opened up to more opportunities. There may be opportunities for advancement, increases for shift changes, and even job opportunities from competitors. Once you get a first job, you are in the game, and you will quickly begin to notice your options.

If you are a small business owner, you probably discovered somewhere along the line that working for someone else wasn’t necessarily for you. You are a bit of a different breed with unique goals and motivators. We can help you protect that business from a variety of calamities that could put your business at risk. Contact us for a no-obligation business insurance review and price quote today.