Before you look for a job

Students say there are many things they like about working:

• It helps you become more independent and manage more responsibilities
  "If you work it looks good later on. You've got something on your CV. It shows you understand teamwork, it builds character, you get a bigger idea of who you are and what you are."
• It's great for learning new skills, including leadership skills
  "You get a buzz out of doing something; you can make a good coffee!"
  "It makes you look responsible to your manager. If staff listen to you, then you are using your leadership skills"
• You can make new friends
  • Older and younger than yourself
  • People not from your school or who you already know
  "I think work is good for making friends"
  "If you go there and you like the people you work with, it is okay. You go out and do stuff. Not just as work colleagues but as friends."
• You learn how to deal with different types of people, including
  • Co-workers
  • Customers
  • Employers and supervisors
  "I get scared when all the boys come in from surfing. Sometimes, they are nice, but sometimes they are boneheads. It's good to have the self-confidence to deal with them."
• You interact with people you know in a new or different way
  "At work there is this one girl who no-one likes at school but at work you have got to interact with her. It's good to learn life skills to work with people you wouldn't talk to otherwise."
• You get better at managing your own money
  "You start working and you save up. I saved and bought my first Gameboy and I thought I was the coolest kid in the world."
  "When it's my own money, I tend not to spend it so freely. Now that it's my money, I value it a lot more."
  "I save half and put it in a separate bank account. The other half is for me."
• It can help your future career ambitions or plans
  "I love my job because I want to work with kids. So this gives me the chance to do it without having a degree. So, it's not really like work."