The Benefits of Experience: New Study Finds More Work Experience Benefits for Youths

Part-time job while studying? Has this question ever crossed your mind? My friends usually had fun during the school breaks and holidays, but not me. After living for two and a half decades, I have no regrets starting work at a young age while studying.

The early bird catches the worm.

14-Years-Old Isn’t a Bad Start at all

I started working at the age of 14, the minimum legal age for working in Singapore back in 2006. And my very first job in life? McDonald’s. I come from a comfortable family background, so why did I choose to work at McDonald’s? There’s always that stereotypical thinking of “huh, why you work at McDonald’s? Is it that you don’t have money?” Thanks to my parents, I learnt how business is operated at McDonald’s instead of just going there to clean tables or make some fries.

Indeed I learnt a lot! And it was quite amazing how systematically McDonald’s operates. After going through the phase of being a lobby crew (it basically means cleaning tables, sweeping and moping the floor, clearing trash bags and being called ‘Uncle’ by a kid), I started working in the kitchen. There was a manager to control the quantity of burgers to be prepared, depending on the traffic. Every item of food or drink in the kitchen had a procedure to follow.

Right, so how did I get this job offer? Back in BPGHS, my school had this one month job internship for the June holidays. Happily, I signed up with my classmates because of the “you go, I go” mindset. In the end, only I was able to make it because my birthday had passed and I meet the minimum legal age to work. But the overall experience was amazing. I met new friends and gained new experiences that I never had.

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.

Also Read: UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM IN INDIA

The Hardship Today Is Your Strength Tomorrow

Imagine that your favourite Chinese drama started airing at 7pm or 9pm on Channel 8. You sat comfortably on your couch watching the drama while I moved heavy filming equipment under the blazing sun, carried the artists clothes to every film location, prepare the props for the scenes, Cale fare and acted for some scenes and co-directed the scenes in studio till late night. At the age of 15 to 18, I have been involved in most of the projects my father’s company produced during my school holidays. Overnight shoots, 11am-11pm studio shoots at MediaCorp, 6am-6pm outdoor shoots, these long hours were my everyday cup of tea.

Also Read: Do you have a job that the average person doesn’t even know exists?

“Time is money” – You will hear everybody saying that from my father’s company. Unlike MediaCorp, my father’s company, Matrix Vision Pte Ltd, has a budget and timeline to follow. There can be up to probably 15 scenes a day for outdoor shoots, rushing from places to places to get shots done. The fast pace environment soon became a norm for me as everything begin to slow down. Not that I was slowing down, but I was getting faster and matching up with the pace.

The last drama “Housewives’ Holiday”, I worked as an AP (Assistant Producer) and PA (Personal Assistant). The drama won the “Best Drama Script” and “Best Drama Serial” award during Singapore Star Awards 2010. It was definitely not an easy job. Always learnt to be adaptive to changes quickly and be prepared. Make yourself mastered managing skills on the ground and interpersonal skills. Just imagine an 18-year-old kid holding a book of scripts shouting “SILENCE!! TAPE IS ROLLING… 3,2,1 AND ACTION!” in the studio, making sure the artists say the correct lines and checking for any mistakes on the screen with all the camera crews around.

A year from now, you will wish you had started today.

The Choice Is Yours. You Are The Result Of Your Experiences. After all, you’re younger now than you will be tomorrow.

Also Read: Unemployment rate in India

Teenage work experience is linked to personal growth. It helps resume building and leads to higher-paying future jobs. In appropriate jobs, teens learn valuable skills, time management and develop confidence in their abilities.

A new study in the Journal of Public Health Management finds that work programs also connect teens to their local communities. Young people learn about local resources and opportunities. At the same time, community members learn how skilled their young people are.

The new research also highlighted approaches to wage inequality. Wage gaps begin early and many teen development programs are unpaid. If more programs had paid work experience, it could help more underrepresented teenagers go on to college. That would eventually create a more diverse workforce.

“Youth from racialized and marginalized communities have often been excluded from internship and career-like work experience opportunities. Especially opportunities that build from their community’s assets and strengths,” said Leah Frerichs, lead researcher.

Also Read: Government Jobs Craze In India. How it is affecting Indian Youth