By Odari Gervais
As a teen, I sometimes wish I could go back to middle school and start preparing earlier for my future. I feel like people in my generation should start looking for real opportunities sooner, not just small part-time jobs, but experiences that help build our future. One of the most important things is building your resume early. Things like internships, volunteering, leadership roles, and jobs show that you are responsible and willing to work hard. Internships and volunteer work especially help you gain real world experience, learn new skills, and make connections that could help you later in life. It’s also important to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, even if they seem scary at first. A lot of young people wait until they are in a crisis or really need money before they start looking for opportunities, but it’s better to start while you’re comfortable and have time to learn and grow. If more teens push themselves earlier, we can build stronger resumes, gain real world skills, and create better opportunities for ourselves in the future. In the end, I remind myself of something important: I am somebody. I have value, I have potential, and my future is worth working.