Work after school

As a teenager in 2017, it is not an uncommon occurrence for me to have a part time job. I go to work some week nights as well as weekends. I have fun at work, but being a teenager sets me apart from my coworkers.

I feel like I have to work twice as hard to be considered as trustworthy as my adult coworkers. I am not seen as hardworking because school is my primary focus, and it is assumed that I do not care about my job because I am just a kid.

I also work in a store that only sells men’s and boy’s clothing, so I am always surrounded by men when I work with my only reprieve being my female colleagues. Because I am a woman working in a men’s store, I am often put in positions where I feel extremely uncomfortable. This includes being hit on by groomsmen, random male shoppers, and sometimes even grooms.

I also have unfortunately experienced sexism in my work. Sometimes I get a man on the phone or in person who gets upset with me when I explain a situation to him, and I am told that women have no place in menswear.

I know I am not the only student who has issues with their part-time jobs.

“I do like my job,” said Chelsea Roundtree, 12, “but working until three in the morning is not my cup of tea; and yes, it is legal for me to work that late.”

Even with all the challenges at my work, my coworkers care for me just as I care for them, and I enjoy every day I spend with them.