I’ve been working since I was 14, at a few companies that…were not good. From not allowing us to drink water to not paying me minimum wage (even the one for people under 18) to scheduling me alone with my physically violent coworker, I just kinda thought…all jobs were gonna suck?
I recently got a job at a local waterpark. They pretty much only hire teenagers, which led me to think they probably wouldn’t have anyone who knew the laws, but they’ve been so nice. We get 30 minute paid breaks every 2 hours, and the managers walk around to make sure we have everything we need. They buy us all popsicles which we can have for free (because it’s hot and they don’t want us getting hurt). They pay us above minimum wage, and they let us take time off whenever we need it. Some guy came in on his birthday, and they sent him home to go celebrate with the logic “you’re still a kid, go have fun,” and then they gave him a small bonus just for deciding to come in that day.
Also, the work itself is good. I’m not reprimanded for calling people out on disrespect (in fact, they actually encourage it) and if anyone is being disrespectful, the managers let us ban them from the slides. There’ve been a couple people who have yelled at us, and the managers were immediately at the slides to back us up. The people there are generally pretty nice too. Yesterday, I got yelled at by a woman, and this random guy walked up and told her that she could not talk to me like that, and that she should be ashamed to be talking to a kid like that. That’s not super important, but the point is that after being so used to managers doing less than the legal bare minimum, it’s so nice to see a company go above and beyond. So much so, that I’m actually excited to go to work most days.
This job is great, but it’s also the first good one out of 4 jobs. I know a lot of companies are sleazy and don’t have my best interest in mind simply from working at companies like that, which worries me that I won’t have the resolve to put up with it anymore. I’ve got a taste of what working should be like, and idk how I’m gonna go back.
Also, before you say anything, I know a job at a waterpark isn’t “the real world”. I argue that it should be. Even if the benefits are health insurance instead of popsicles, I like to believe there are more jobs like this one.