The past four summers I worked as a lifeguard at a local water park, this summer I finally broke free and got a new job. Life-guarding was my first “real job” and while I definitely didn’t love every part of it, looking back I can appreciate what I learned from my first job.

1. Jobs aren’t supposed to be fun

The first summer I started working I hated that my job wasn’t fun, because at sixteen all I cared about was having fun. One day I was complaining to my aunt about this and she said, “Well that’s why they call it work, not Kennywood.” The fact is I wasn’t entitled to have fun all of the time, I had to grow up and accept that life was not about simply having fun. My first job taught me the importance of work and work ethic. It may not be the most exciting thing ever, but it is something I can carry with me.

2. Jobs are allowed to be fun

After accepting that my job was not about having the time of my life, I was free to find out that it could be fun if I made it fun. I realized I could either hate every minute of my life, or learn not to. Eventually, I choose the latter. Joking around with co-workers and focusing on the good rather than the bad can change even a crappy job into a pretty great experience.

3. Just because you get a paycheck doesn’t mean you can afford everything

When you are making money for the first it may feel like you are unstoppable, but your bank account will quickly remind you that you are not. Budgeting is an important skill to learn and use! I mean it, use a budget, it will save you a lot of stress later.

4. "It’s just a summer job” doesn’t mean you can slack off

This is probably the most important lesson I learned from my first job. In life there are going to be a lot of things you do not want to do and they may not seem important at the time, but no matter what the task you should always do the very best you can. You should take pride in every job you do, no matter how mundane it seems. All work is valuable, even if it’s not what you end up doing for the rest of your life, strong work ethic will help you succeed in whatever field you end up in!

So to my first job, yes I did hate you, but I will never forget what you taught me!