A little work won't hurt

This is the best time of the year for students to earn a little extra change before school starts.

In the summer, there are so many activities going on, but just like around Christmas there is a spike in students landing part-time jobs.

There's nothing wrong with finding a part-time job in the summer if you're a student. In fact, I believe having a part-time job in the summer can be advantageous in the lives of student-athletes.

I feel like I'm an expert at working summer or part-time jobs.

I've worked so many jobs starting in middle school through college that I can't even count all of them. I've worked at Walmart several times. I've also mowed grass, moved furniture, sold merchandise and did my share of industrial work in Conway and Maumelle for staffing agencies. I have worked in at least five other different lines of work that I can remember, including health care. But, I don't want to bore you. I'm just trying to paint a picture.

I honestly can say that I learned something from each of those of jobs. The experience and knowledge that I gained about the many different jobs was priceless. Of course, moving furniture and working in a plant where the temperatures reached over 100 degrees daily always helped prepare me for the brutal heat of two-a-day practice at the beginning of football season.

In high school, my father told me I was gong to get a little taste of what the real world was like. And, boy did a get a taste.

Not only did I gain experience for my resume down the line, but I also gained some cash. Of course, my parents gave me things when I needed them, so they did a good job of providing for me. But, I had to work for my school clothes, a car, and any other extra things that I wanted. Yeah, my parents would buy me clothes, but it may not have been name brand product. Our high school back then was no different than the schools today. So my mother said that since I didn't want to wear the clothes that she bought, then I should buy my own. So that's what I did. It gave me a feeling of self-worth though when I was able to use my own money. It gave me a new sense of responsibility.

There's nothing wrong with having a summer or a part-time because a little work won't hurt.

(Michael Allen is a staff writer at the Log Cabin Democrat. He can be reached at 505-1234 or mike.allen@thecabin.net)