Three weeks after I turned sixteen, my mom drove me around town to put in job applications. The first application I put in, I got hired. Now I'm going to be twenty in a few months and I still work at the same place. Over the years, I have had to give and take while working and going to school.

First of all, the reason that I work is to pay for expenses. When I began working, it was to pay for my phone, clothes, and if I wanted to go out with friends. After I passed my driver's test and got my license, it was all of those plus gas.

The first give was volleyball. I couldn't manage going to practice after school, leaving early, then working without it effecting my team. On top of that, I was always super tired. I still love volleyball and continue to play intramural in college, but I do miss traveling every weekend to play in a different city.

Another give is weekends. Where I work, weekends off are hard to come by. Especially now because I go to school an hour away during the week then come home and work. This means that I've missed high school and college football games, parties, ect. After a while I stopped getting the text, "Wyd this weekend?" because my friends all knew where I'd be.

A pro to working is more freedom financially. I don't ever ask my parents for money, if I want to buy new clothes, food, or anything then I'll do it. There's a trip to France and Venice this coming summer that I want to go on and by the time April comes around, I'll have the money saved up to go.

People always say, "That sucks!" when I tell them that I'm working on the weekends, but now its just a habit. Although work causes me to miss out on some experiences, it's a good feeling being able to pay my own way.