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I dont know what job i want. What would you recommend for your first job for a 16 year old?

Im an outgoing person tho i am shy but i can adjust after getting used to people. #first-job #job

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Adam’s Answer

Hi Kaleb:

My first job was at McDonald's and I can honestly say that this helped me throughout my entire career so far. You may snicker that I mention a fast food restaurant, but I believe that it helped start me in developing the following skills:

Customer Service: as you are dealing with the public you are trying to make their experience the best that you can. Learning to communicate with people as you are selling them your product is extremely helpful in all walks of like. In addition, if there is a problem with their order, you get the opportunity to make this right.

Teamwork: While there are many different functions at a business like this (grill, front counter, drive through), you have to work as a team to make sure that your product gets packaged and delivered appropriately. Only by working as a team, can you make sure this happens.

Individual work: sometimes, you are left to your devices have to make sure that you are doing everything yourself. When waiting on a customer, it is only you that they see and you have to take that responsibility to make sure that their experience is perfect.

There are also other opportunities while working at a place like this. You could become a trainer which would introduce you to another potential career. You could also become a crew chief with limited supervisory responsibilities.

By being able to work in the above environment, I really feel that it prepped me for my career.

Hope this gives you a good perspective!
Thank you comment icon Thanks i dont mind fast food i have a food handlers permit so that should help if i were to try it. Kaleb
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Jad’s Answer

Find what interests you and try to find a way to get involved. For me, it was watching movies at the theater, so that’s where I worked when I was 16. For my brothers, it was going to the local amusement park, so that’s where they applied. Being so young, you can spend time working on jobs that don’t necessarily line up with your career, just what interests you and have fun doing.
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Ron’s Answer

I don't think you can go wrong as long as it's a legit job! (Also, stay safe and follow guidelines in your area). What is most important is to just get started, because it's not very realistic to find a perfect first job. You will probably have many jobs over your life and each one will help you know yourself better and the next job will easier to think about based on your previous experience.

My impression is that you can get a few very important things from your early jobs as a teenager:
1) Building a work ethic - do a good job regardless and strive for your best, even if it's not your favorite thing
2) Learning to work/deal with people - both managers, coworkers, customers
3) Learn the value of money and your time - know how much work it takes to earn that dollar and then understand how your time is spent earning that dollar
4) Learning about what working life really is about - this will help you know what you want to do and don't want to do and make job hunting a little easier

For example, you can start at Fast food like recommended here and you'll get all of these. Sure, it can be tough at times, but I think it is important to not quit just because it's not easy. That's the real world and food (or fun) costs money. Learning from any job will help you learn more about what you like about work so you can know where you want to look for your next job.

A lot of it is going to depend on what is available around you if you want to be local. If you're interested in digital things, you can start building your skills and you may have more options.

A few ideas: tutoring, doing tasks for your neighbors (especially if they are quarantined), delivery, building an app or website for an organization

One thing I would recommend is starting to looking around your network and see what people do for work. If you see something that seems interesting, ask if you can job-shadow them for a day or an afternoon. You'll get to see what their job is like and it will help you think about your own job search.

You can also volunteer to get experience and see what is out there.

I would just start a job and stay committed for a reasonable amount of time while you keep learning. As you keep learning, you can see what you like about your experiences and that will help in future decisions.

Ron recommends the following next steps:

Shadow someone who has a job that looks interesting, and make notes about what you like
Volunteer to also try experiencing different things
Think about what you like about your shadow/volunteer experience and use that to search about future jobs
Just get started - you'll learn as you go and if you keep waiting you'll miss chances to grow
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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Kaleb! I would recommend maybe a fast food restaurant, ice cream shops, coffee shops, or a retail store. if you work in a fast food restaurant then later on you can also maybe be a server as well with more experience and make tips! If you work in a retail store you can also move up later on and be a manager even, this could allow you to make more money during college! I would suggest to apply broadly to a couple different places and hopefully something will come up!

Best of luck!
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R’s Answer

I would encourage an internship in a field you are interested in. Many are likely to be unpaid, but the experience you gain is extremely valuable.
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Heather’s Answer

I completely understand what you mean. I am shy at first but once I warm up to people I can be much more outgoing and talkative. My earliest jobs were cashiers at various stores. I was able to talk to the customers as they were checking out, but didn't have the pressure to try and sell them on things (ex. retail clothing stores). My favorite experience that helped me feel comfortable working with "the public" was at a certain food store that does most of it's business during Thanksgiving and Christmas. They would hire a bunch of students each holiday season (so it was also a short-term gig) and they started me out on the phones. I answered the phone to take orders and give directions to customer. The store provided us with a script that covered many frequently asked questions that customers might ask. After being on the phones for a few days and using the script and FAQs , I was able to then move up to the counter where I dealt face to face with customers coming in to order or pick up their pre-orders. Because I had learned enough about the store and product from my phone experience, I felt completely comfortable working directly with customers at the front of the store.

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