Job opportunities are limited for high school students, mainly due to the fact that a lot of jobs have specific age requirements. Before you reach the age of 16, there’s not much you can do… besides maybe babysitting or cutting the grass for some sort of allowance. But once you hit 16, real job opportunities present themselves. From working in a department store folding clothes to being a waiter or waitress at a restaurant, many teens push themselves to get jobs. Teenagers all like to have a little money to blow and to get that money, they get jobs. Another prime reason is so teens can afford cars, which come with the cost of driving and gas. Also at this age, teenagers all like to have a little money to spend, and to get that money, they become employed, and work for that money. Senior Emily Croll has been working at Panera Bread in Cranberry for the last two years; she started there when she got her license. “I wanted a car and to be able to pay for gas. But who really wants to get a job and work?” Croll said. Most high school students assume the positions of common jobs that are available at this age. About 10 students work at different Giant Eagles, including Senior Jordan Price. “It pays good. I make $10.40 an hour and I get to work outside,” Price said. His job at Giant Eagle is a parking lot attendant, and it sure pays to “bring carts back to the store from the parking lot… and empty garbage by the front doors.” But there’s a larger expanse of jobs in the workforce than one may think, you just have to look harder to find them. Freshman Travis Hryckowian works at Three Rivers Paintball on Rochester Road as a referee. “I like paintball and thought it would be fun having a job where I get to watch people play all day,” Hryckowian said. “Basically, I make sure people call out if they get hit.” Senior Crysta Clear found herself working at the Nutrition Shoppe in Rochester when her mother, who also works there, got her the job. “I took it because I like money,” Clear said. “The people there are really nice, but I don’t believe in the type of medicine that they sell here. I feel like I’m selling people really expensive placebos, which can cause a little tension.” Junior Tippin Harkins uses her looks to her advantage when it comes to being employed in the workforce. She has modeled for different department stores, including Get Inked Strawberry and the gun company, Beretta. “It’s great money,” Harkins said. She got into this unique job when she received a modeling advertisement in the mail. “You can look online and you can model for stores, you just have to talk to the managers.” Harkins said, “Pittsburgh has a lot of agencies you can work with, and agencies are good for staying safe.” Part of her job entailed just wearing clothing articles from Macy’s and David’s Bridal in public places as a form of advertisement. Confucius’ ever-popular saying states to, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Senior Nicole Wallis mixes passion with profession when it comes to being employed. She found a job teaching what she loves: dance. When offered a job at her dance school, Louise School of Dance in Baden, Wallis readily accepted. “The owner told my class they needed help… I told her when I was free and got scheduled accordingly,” Wallis said. Being in dance classes herself, Wallis can use her own dance education to teach her classes. “I teach a class of six year-olds and nine year-olds. I teach tap dance, jazz, ballet, baton and gymnastics,” Wallis said. “But we do have chores… and then there’s always that one six year-old that goes rogue and doesn’t listen at all.” Outside of being employed at different companies, some students self-employ themselves to make some hard-earned cash. Sophomore Cheyenne Carr started breeding and selling rabbits after her first pet rabbit won Grand Champion in show at the Big Knob Fair. “Last year I officially started the rabbitry. I call it ‘Splash a Color Rabbitry.’ I breed, show and raise Mini Rex Rabbits and have been doing it since 2009,” Carr said.“I have almost every recognizable color the [American Rabbit Breeders Association] recognizes; that’s where the name came from.” Having a job comes with many perks, the best one for a high school student, being money. “I buy clothes and shoes because I hate wearing the same outfit many times…I think that I have over 60 pairs of shoes,” Harkins said. You’re in high school, get a job you like and don’t settle for the first job you can find. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to be an assistant teacher… kind of a weird aspiration,” Wallis said. You never know where you may end up working. Whether it’s entrepreneurship or working for an employer, having a job during high school is good for teenagers. It teaches responsibility, along with the value of a dollar. You learn to deal with co-workers and maybe even a boss you can’t stand- things that are imminent when you enter the workforce after you get a full-time job after high school.