"It's OK for those of you who are continuing your education," Doris observed, "but I'll have to find a job." She reflected for a moment, and then asked, "What am I going to do?"
There might have been an answer if she had obtained job experience through a part-time or summer job, but since her folks had never suggested that she work, Doris had kept busy in other ways. Now, as she faced the prospect of having to seek a job, she realized she had no idea of how to go about the task or what she might be facing. A business of most any kind was a mystery to her, except perhaps the stores where she shopped.
Possibly you are as mystified about business as Doris is, and that is to be expected if you have never had to work for others or had a business of your own. Actually, there is nothing difficult to understand, and if you think that business is made up of airlines, supermarkets, retail stores, office buildings, television, and the local pizza parlor, you are quite right. However, let's not forget the farmer, the plumber, the sales-person, the taxicab driver, the nearby garage, or even the young teenager who sells lemonade from a little stand in front of his or her house.
WHAT IS BUSINESS?
Business is any activity that a person, persons, or a company undertakes to make money. The most important thing to remember about any business is that it exists to make money. It may provide a service, like cleaning or cutting grass, or sell goods people need to buy, like groceries, clothing, or jewelry, but the owners started their enterprises to make a profit. Profit is the money left over after all the bills have been paid. Norma Lincoln's experience illustrates this clearly.
Norma wanted to earn extra money so she could go to a championship basketball game. She wondered what she could do to earn enough cash to buy a ticket. Finally she decided to make and sell fudge because she had observed that her friends often bought some at the nearby candy store on the way home from school. She would sell her fudge to classmates after school next Friday.
She borrowed ten dollars from her mother to help finance the purchase of milk, chocolate, vanilla, and aluminum foil. Thursday afternoon and evening she made, cut apart, and wrapped several batches of fresh fudge. The next morning she put a notice of the sale on the school bulletin board. After school was dismissed she stood outside and sold her shiny squares to an eager crowd of students. Norma could hardly wait to go home and count her money. After repaying her mother the $10, she had $18 left over-the difference between her costs and the money she took in, in other words, her profit-enough to buy a ticket and some food to eat at the game.
The financial success of any business is measured by the amount of profit it makes. It is senseless to invest money, work hard, and then discover that you are not making a fair profit or enough to justify the effort. When you read about a business failing or closing its doors, that tells you the company was not profitable and was unable to pay its bills. Making profit is essential for every business if it is to survive.
One more thing-it is not altogether true to say that the only purpose of business is to make a profit. No business will last long unless it shows a profit, but neither could operate and make money if it did not perform a necessary service for its customers or sell them something of value in return for their money. Every business has to please its customers, otherwise it won't have any.
So we might say that the purpose of any business is to give the customer the best possible service or product at the lowest price that will still enable the owner of the establishment to make a fair profit. Whether you are in business for yourself or working for others, you should remember this.
BUSINESS CAN BE FUN
You should get enjoyment from meeting, talking to, and dealing with people. You should get a kick out of making a sale and a thrill from knowing that you are making life better or easier for someone because you made the service or goods you are selling available to that person. If after giving your job a good try you find that being in business is distasteful, ask yourself why. If you cannot do anything about the reason for your unhappiness, find a new job or get out of business altogether. Don't go on being unhappy; life is too short. Chances are, however, that your part-time job or summer work experience will be fun. Let's hope so!
Business can be fun and it has a place for you, too. "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow." Margaret Rudkin started baking bread in her kitchen. From such humble beginnings an extremely successful business developed. Today Pepperidge Farm products are famous throughout much of the country. Earlier J. Willard Marriott opened a nine-seat root beer stand in Washington, D.C., a small beginning for what later grew into $3 billion Corporation.
Many a large business and many a successful businessperson had humble beginnings, just as you will. And although your ultimate goal may not be to create an industrial empire, you can have the fun of getting into business while you are young and enjoying some of the pleasures and rewards that it can bring. Try it for yourself and see if the two purposes of business-to make a profit and to make satisfied customers-present a challenge and at the same time give you a very happy experience and a feeling of accomplishment.
OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSINESS ARE UNLIMITED
You may not realize this but you are living in one of the most challenging and exciting periods the world has yet experienced. Just where space exploration and satellite development will take us is anyone's guess. Perhaps you will be able within your lifetime to enjoy a weekend excursion to the moon or at least a one-hour rocket journey into outer space orbiting the earth. Computers are busy changing our lives every day, and who knows what tremendous changes, like the Internet, lay ahead. Cures for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, and other afflictions are probably only years away. New energy sources could create countless unusual businesses and opportunities for the ever-growing population. Doubtless you will enjoy a shorter workweek with much greater opportunities for an even wider choice of recreational activities than are presently available.
So far as jobs are concerned, you may be sure that new businesses will continue to offer unheard of opportunities to those prepared to take them. It is never too soon to start preparing for tomorrow and for the possibilities that lie ahead. Remember that business never remains the same. It keeps growing, advancing, and offering new ideas for those willing to grasp them. This includes those individuals-perhaps you too-who want to go into business for themselves and who will recognize the advantages that small business has to offer. Most of us think in terms of big business-corporations like General Motors, IBM, American Airlines, McDonalds, or Walmart -but each of these giants were once a small business started by one or two individuals who had a dream and a little money and lots of imagination, drive, and persistence. Now is the time to start thinking about your business career and prepare you for the wonderful future that lies ahead.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
If someone asked you today “What are you going to do after you graduate from high school or college?" you might well reply, "How do I know? I haven't given it any thought."
Such an answer is understandable, but you can see that it makes sense to look ahead and have an idea of what you want to do in the future. High school students are increasingly being expected to choose a career during their early years so that they can plan their courses accordingly.
Thus, if you have some preference for a kind of work, you can take the proper courses in school and college to prepare yourself for that career. When you start looking for a job or have your first interview, this gives you a big advantage. If you know what you want to do, you can prepare yourself further for that career by getting experience through part-time and summer jobs. You will be earning cash and gaining experience, too.
Almost everyone has some skill or can develop one. Skill is the ability to do something well. Don't overlook the skills you learn or develop at school. They may prove more useful than you suspect and may even lead to a career.
Take the case of the versatile musician, Guy Mitchell. While attending Washington Junior High School in Rochester, New York, he heard that there was just one vacancy in the school band-in the oboe section. Guy knew nothing about this instrument, but he immediately decided to master it. In addition to his other musical accomplishments, he was later called the world's foremost oboist.
Those talented in art, writing, music, woodworking, mechanics, sports, and so on may find it possible to earn money while in high school and look ahead to a career at the same time.
Have you considered which of your school courses may help you prepare for a job? In addition to the usual academic studies, such as English, mathematics, social sciences, and the rest, many schools offer training in driving a vehicle, typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, shop, automotive repair, and other skills. If you are attending a trade school, you are prepared for a certain type of work; you may find opportunities during your spare time to put that knowledge to work now and earn as you learn.
There are certain required subjects that many students tend to pass over lightly but that are important because they give you other useful skills. Some of these are grammar, English composition, spelling, mathematics, foreign languages, public speaking, and social science. Many people never learn to speak or write English correctly. Have you ever had to listen to a speech made by someone who didn't know how to speak well? Were you ever waited on by a clerk who couldn't add accurately? What do you suppose a prospective employer would think if your letter of application contained misspelled words, or, if during the interview, you spoke incorrectly?
Make the most of school now. Each course is planned for a definite purpose, and if you are smart enough to find out in advance what it is supposed to do for you, you will get a great deal more out of it. School gives you a wide background of useful information. It teaches you to think. It helps you develop various skills that you will need throughout life. Take advantage of these opportunities.
Don't overlook skills you may learn while helping at home. Perhaps it may interest you to know that a national survey of five thousand boys and girls showed that 91 percent are given various jobs to do around the house. Many said that they did not like the idea of working, but 74 percent admitted that it was only fair to do their share of household tasks. The most frequent jobs boys were required to do were the following, in this order: cleaning their rooms, washing dishes, mowing the lawn, washing the family car, babysitting, housecleaning, and shopping. Except for mowing the lawn and washing the car, girls are normally expected to do all of these tasks-and of course many also cut grass and keep the car shiny. As you will discover later, these skills will be useful when you have your own home, and some of them can even be turned into a profitable business now.
After Roberta Brenson married and started keeping house she regretted that she had not learned how to cook, sew, make beds, or shop. Her mother had never bothered to teach her any of these skills because her daughter had resisted becoming involved when she was in school. Roberta vowed that she would insist on her daughters and sons learning all of these skills.
If your father or mother is mechanically inclined, makes things, fixes the car, or is otherwise handy about the house, be sure to watch as he or she works and see how you can help. You may have the opportunity in this way to learn a lot about carpentry, paper hanging, painting, electrical work, glazing, and the like. You will find it fun to work along with your parent and you'll be learning, too.
If you enjoy cooking, ask your parents to let you help prepare meals. Women make excellent cooks but some of the best chefs are men. There is always a demand for good cooks and the pay is attractive. Outdoors, you may be able to help your parents in the garden or on the farm and learn much that will later prove useful.
Do your parents use a budget for planning the family expenses? Perhaps you could take over responsibility for keeping the books and thus gain actual experience in managing money. (For planning a budget of your own, see Chapter 12.)
If there is someone in your home who can speak another language and is willing to teach it to you, by all means take every chance to practice reading, writing, and speaking it. Ability to read, write, and speak a foreign language should open up many interesting job possibilities for you when you are older. You may not become an expert now, but you can make a good start and later perfect your skill in school or through private tutoring.
IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO
The young person who knows what he or she wants to do when finished with school has a tremendous advantage over one who does not. Such an individual can start a career immediately and not waste time trying this job or that until finding the right one.
Your vocational guidance counselor will tell you that now is the time to think about your future, and that if you are wise you will choose a career, at least tentatively, and do everything you can to prepare for it. Your counselor would not advise you to stick to your original choice if you found later that it was not to your liking. However, there is a fifty- fifty chance that what you decide upon now will be the actual career on which you will later embark. If it works out that way, you will have used your years in high school to great advantage. On the other hand, should you change your mind, you will not have wasted your time completely because you will find that you can at some time or other put to use any knowledge or experience you have gained.
Therefore, if you can find a job that will help you gain a skill and experience toward your career, you will be making a good start toward your future.
A PART-TIME JOB CAN PROVE VALUABLE
To sum up what we have said, we believe that you will find a part-time job or summer vacation job worthwhile for the following reasons:
- It enables you to earn extra spending money. Who doesn't need more of the precious stuff? What a comfortable feeling it is to know that you have an extra dollar or two on hand in case you need it.
- You can earn money toward your education. A college education is not essential to success, but in general some kind of vocational-technical training is necessary for a career if you do not go on to college. Not everyone should go to college, or even wants to. If you have chosen a profession like medicine, law, dentistry, or engineering, which requires a college degree, then you, may have to consider how you are going to pay for it. In most families, even where the family income is way above average, financial help from younger members may be welcome or needed. A college education can cost between fifteen and eighty thousand dollars (more or less) unless you receive scholarship aid. Even with such help you will probably need additional cash for living expenses, books, recreation, and other items.
- You can earn money to help the family. In many families the extra money a daughter or son can earn after school and Saturdays is needed urgently to help meet expenses. A young person who can make money is a great credit to her or his family and is to be congratulated. It is no disgrace to be poor, but it is unfortunate when a young person who knows that the family needs extra money doesn't try to get a job and help.
- You can earn money for presents. "I like to be able to buy birthday and Christmas presents with money I've earned," Wanda Temple told us. "I didn't feel as though I was really giving Mom, Dad, and Pete presents when I bought them out of my allowance. But since I've been working in the grocery store I can buy them even better presents, and best of all, it's with money I earned!"
- You can obtain business experience. Having a job while in high school will give you good business experience. Then when you look for the real thing, you can say to an employer: "Yes, I've had some experience. I worked in the Rexall Drug Store." Furthermore, a part-time job may help you discover your capabilities or skills, as well as your likes and dislikes.
- You will discover what you can do best. It is not always possible to tell what you can or want to do unless you get out and try.
The point we are making is this: choose the career you hope to enter. Then, if possible, find a part-time job in that field and see if it appeals to you. While you are working and testing a job, you will also be earning. Further, a part-time or summer job may help you discover a hidden skill as well as reveal more about your likes and dislikes.
WHY WE MUST WORK
Unless you are fortunate enough to win a large sum of money on a TV program or are remembered in the will of a rich uncle, chances are pretty good that once you have finished school or college you will have to work until you reach normal retirement age. Don't let this thought bother you. Work should and can be enjoyable if you choose your career carefully and find the one for which you are best suited.
Girls used to look forward to marriage as the end of a business career. Once married, they were expected to keep house and raise a family. Today this is more often the exception than the rule. Young married couples too often find that the wife's income is needed to help meet current bills, to accumulate a down payment on a home, and to build up a little savings. Furthermore, many mothers work in order to help pay expenses.
Before you start your first real job, you should learn as much as possible about what business has to offer you as well as what type of work you can do best. A business of your own or a part-time job will help you earn dollars and at the same time enable you to learn something of the business world and how you may best fit into it.
Actually, if none of us had work to occupy our time, life might become dull. There would be little or no purpose to living and nothing to which we might look forward. Even though the idea may not have occurred to you yet, someday you will probably marry and raise a family. That will require a good, steady job, for you will want to give your family all the advantages and security money will buy. Even if you do not marry, you will have to support yourself. A job will be important whether you are a boy or a girl. With the divorce rate ever climbing, you may be faced with having to earn your way through life, even though you never planned it that way.
The best way to learn something about business is to get a part-time job or start a little business of your own. You can do this on Saturdays, after school, and during vacation. Not only will you earn extra money, but you will gain experience and perhaps discover the business that most appeals to you.
FIVE TYPES OF JOB IDEAS
Once you have graduated from high school or college, you will probably have a wide variety of jobs from which to choose, and quite likely you will be free to work wherever you wish. But while you are in high school or college, you will have to find a job nearby-except, perhaps, during summer vacations-or start a business of your own that can be conducted in your neighborhood.
As you read ahead you will see there are many job opportunities to consider, and it is probable that one or more not mentioned in this book will occur to you. For your convenience, the job ideas contained here are listed under five general headings:
- Employment Opportunities (Chapter 4)
- Salespeople Are Business Independents (Chapter 5)
- Becoming an Entrepreneur (Chapter 6)
- Don't Overlook Your Hobby (Chapter 7)
- Working for Your Parents (Chapter 8)
