I got a job at a restaurant, two days a week after school, when I was 16. I’m not sure if that’s the sort of work you mean, because it’s basically the norm for students to have a part-time/casual job on top of their study in Australia. At the moment I have two jobs, plus two more gigs lined up for the summer. I love the independence that you get when you earn your own money. I enjoy the responsibility, and the trust that has been placed in me. I also know that I don’t want to work in hospitality for the rest of my life, so it’s pretty inspiring, too!
I don’t really want to work though. When we were in our last or second-last year of high school, we got a book of all the jobs that were out there, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go after any of them. I guess because it’s exam time right now I’d be happy to take any of them over studying, so my perspective is a bit skewed at the moment.
It seems to me that your work ends up defining you. So I aim to stay in academia for as long as possible, or until I get a better picture of what I ‘want to do with my life’. I’m afraid of ending up in a job I don’t enjoy. In a way it’s worse than being unemployed because you’re not actively looking for something better.