On top of an internship that some of us college students have this summer, we clearly need more than that to make some real money, which is what I did with my independence in college. And overall, doing something and earning something so important on your own made me really proud of myself. However, I still have little to no experience in a work environment, so the best job that this 19 year-old college student is gonna get is retail.

Everyone tells me how much retail sucks and I have friends who have told me how tedious it is, but even though apart of me wants this to be a carefree summer, I think a little bit of a struggle is very much needed for me. For the past five years, I’ve been working at a camp that I call my home. And honestly, I’ve loved every single minute of it, and despite the fact I have been faced with so many challenges, but most of the time it was bliss with the campers and working with some of my best friends. I know for a fact that I’m going to miss that kind of summer but I truly need to step out of my comfort zone, and oddly enough, I feel like entering the hell that is retail is the best way to do it.

So one thing I’ve heard about retail is that the customers can be ridiculous, which honestly makes me laugh. I’ve seen how annoying people can be and how irrational they can be throughout certain situations, and I know that through retail, it’s a whole different version of absurdity. Even though I know I’ll probably get annoyed at everyone just as much as every worker does, I know I’m ready feel the angers of working. I also know that I’ll regret saying this in two weeks when I actually start working and realize that I wasn’t even ready for the half of it when it comes to retail. Maybe I’ll even end up crying and want to quit after day one, but what I know will make or break this job is the environment I’m in.

Typically, the people who work in retail are between the ages of 16 and 22. Another reason why I would want to work in retail is because I’d be surrounded by people I know I could communicate with. All in all, if I’m in an environment that I am uncomfortable in, I know for a fact I won’t make it and that has happened to me in the past. And no, I’m not saying I’m going to absolutely love love the people I work with when doing retail, but I feel like I would have more of a chance than I would somewhere else. A lot of these people who work in retail are just like me, college students looking for real money to get themselves by in the very expensive New York City. Sure, I could get into arguments with my workers or be surrounded by other high school gossip, retail is still my best bet in finding an environment that I can at least manage to put myself in.

So bring on the messy clothes, the long lines, and the ways that I’ll end up making the cashier register malfunction. Bring on a 9-5 day that I could actually handle, on top of the internship that I’ll be at on different days. This is the best glimpse of the real world that teenagers are actually going to get. So, in order to get by, I’m just going to expect the worst of it so it won’t be as bad as I think when I get there.