I’ve been working since I was sixteen. Getting a job as soon as I could was a top priority of mine. I hated asking my parents for money as it was always tight for my family. I didn’t always have money to go out with my friends, and there were plenty of times I wish I could have.

My first job was a music venue during the summer after my sophomore year in high school. I’ve had multiple jobs since then, ranging from food, retail, and office work. My current job is at a law firm where I work full-time. I work Monday through Friday from 9 until 5 in downtown Chicago. This is the first time I’ve worked full-time, and although it’s a pain sometimes, I particularly enjoy it. Not only am I a pre-law student, so working at a law firm is a bonus for me, but it’s very rewarding every two weeks. However, this is not just for me to spend willingly.

I decided to work full-time because most of the money this summer will go towards school. As I’ve said before, I hate asking my parents for money, so you can imagine it’s nerve wracking at the thought of them paying for my education. Although they help out as much as they can, I try my best to buy my own stuff on my own. My freshman year was not easy because I was always pretty much broke, but somehow I got through it with only asking for money when I really needed it. It wasn’t until close to the end of spring semester that my mom basically forced me to let my grandmother give me a hundred dollars every two weeks for food. It’s not that I don’t want the help of others, but I prefer to do what I need to do on my own. College is especially hard because of how expensive it is. Financial aid helps out alot. In a world where money revolves around everything, you have to try your hardest. I hate having to work everyday, but I do it for college.

In my opinion, the absolute worst part about working full-time is the limited amount of time I have to do anything else. Last summer, I remember staying up late, out in the night with my friends whenever I wanted. This summer, I have to (but still don’t for some reason) go to sleep early to be up by six or seven to get ready for work. I stay there all day, and I don’t get home until six or seven, too. By the time I’m home, I’m usually tired and just want to stay in bed watching Netflix. There were definitely times where I did want to go out, but being tired and having to get up early the next day don’t really allow that. If I want to do something, I basically have to wait until the weekend. As of right now, all my fun times this summer has been on the weekend. This must be what adulthood feels like.

As there is with everything else in the world, there are upsides and downsides to being a nineteen-year old working full-time. As much as I complain about it and hate getting out of bed early in the morning, working full-time this past month has taught me to be more mindful about my time management, and what I do with my time. It might have made me a little bit more mature since I started (maybe, probably not?), but it’s how I want to spend my summer. I didn’t realize how much it could affect me. Hopefully I don’t regret it.