Gaining work experience during your high school years is incredibly important. Need convincing? Here are three reasons why!
Every movie, T.V. show and book tells us that our teenage years are the best of our lives. With this mindset, you may see working as a waste. I mean, let's be honest, late-night adventures with friends sound far more appealing than hours spent in an office building. However, despite Hollywood's messages, the real way to waste your teenage years is with a live-fast-die-young mentality. Our teenage years are essential to building a strong foundation for the rest of our lives. Thus, gaining work-based learning experiences during your high school years is incredibly important. Need more convincing? Here are three reasons why you should acquire professional experience in high school.
1. Fill your resume
Your resume is the key that will open doors in your future career. After you graduate, employers will be impressed by relevant work experience. Since many teenagers don't pursue jobs during high school, having significant professional experience will make your resume stand out against the rest of the applicant pool.
2. Build your network
It's truly never too early to start building a network of professional contacts. You never know when you're going to need a strong reference to land your dream job or internship. By developing strong professional relationships in high school, you'll have a leg up on the competition after you graduate.
3. Develop soft skills
Soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, and creativity, are becoming increasingly important in the modern workplace. While school can give you a foundation of soft skills, the only way to truly develop them is by experiencing an actual working environment. Having job experience will show employers that you will bring these valuable skills to their workplace.
