As the warmth of the Florida summer settles in, many students are looking for a structured summer schedule. While a summer spent sunbathing on the beach or hanging out with friends sounds great, the experience offered by a summer job has unique benefits for teens. This seasonal engagement into a working world can cause growth, help form essential skills, and create a better connection with the community in new ways.

One of the most significant effects is learning time management skills. Following a schedule suddenly becomes very important. Being on time for a shift, or managing tasks efficiently, or balancing work and life requires a different level of organization and accountability than school tends to. This helps prepare individuals for future academic and professional demands once they hit college. This translates into all aspects of life, whether at school, at home, or at work.

And when you are working with people in the workplace, whether it is with the customers or with your co-workers, you learn how to deal better with people and collaborate. You know how to appreciate different kinds of people and how to say what you want in a professional manner. These skills benefit you with everything that you do, not only at work. And when you all do it together and get things done, it feels really great.

Actually having a summer job can also give you more confidence. Getting paid for yourself and knowing that you’re doing something well makes you know you can do things. When you are able to understand how to manage problems at work and acquire new skills, you become more confident in yourself. This makes you feel more prepared to do more in the future.

Another good thing is that a summer job provides you with an idea of the working world. You get to learn what various jobs are like and what exactly people do. That helps you think about what you might be interested in doing in the future and gives you a better sense of what various careers are like.

Finally, however, to be employed with a local company in Coral Springs makes you feel like you belong there. You know the locals, you know how the local economy works, and you’re helping to drive what’s going on in your town. That can make you feel like you really belong.

So, although summer may look great for simply doing nothing, a summer job does a great deal more than merely provide you with money to spend. It makes you mature, teaches you valuable skills, makes you more confident, allows you to understand what work is like, and helps you become part of your community. It may not always be the most fun thing, but it certainly works out for the best in the long run