By Rebecca Leon
Volume 67, Issue I
I’m sure most of you have heard at some point, “I’m not paying for that!” or “Get off your lazy butt and go get a job!” from a parent. I know I have. I work at Ben and Jerry’s in Mount Kisco and no, I’m not sick of ice cream yet. To be honest, I was all about the money at first, but after working there for a few months, I realized that a paycheck wasn’t the most important thing I was getting out of it. The hours were long and my ice cream scooping arm hurt more than I wanted it to, but I was getting an escape from my world and a real life experience.
Senior Charlotte Luttkus, who works as a year round lifeguard and swim instructor at the Saw Mill Country Club, also nds deeper meaning in her job. “I believe [my job] is worth the extra time because it gives me experience of making money myself and not just taking it from my parents,” said Luttkus. This job means more to her than teaching kids how to swim. It’s also her way to get out of what she calls the “Briarcliff Bubble.” Essentially, it allows her to get out of Briarcliff and meet new people from different towns and cities, with whom she keeps in touch regularly.
Junior Livy Bergstein is getting hands-on experience in a field that caters to one of her biggest passions: theater. She works as a junior director for Random Farms, a local theater company. Her job includes mentoring and directing younger children at the company. It can be hard to keep her mind off whatever homework and tests she might have coming up tomorrow, but once she steps into the studio she is completely focused. “I like to see the end result of the kids’ hard work,” Bergstein says, “When kids come to us, they are really shy, but by the end, they are all very confident and it’s nice to make a difference to them.”
Many people assume that when a teenager gets a job, he or she just wants money or something to do. But in fact, a job is an outlet for many kids to escape from their everyday lives and to forget about their problems for a few hours. A job provides a learning environment and skill you can’t find anywhere else. Yes, the money is helpful, but the experience is worth more than the minimum wage we’re paid.
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