Current Outlook?

onesooz said:
Fuss - have you considered becoming a certified soccer referee? DS became a referee at 14 and loves it! He plays his own games on Saturdays and refs on Sundays (travel games also pay more) or on Saturdays before/after his own game. It's a job that requires leadership and management skills of all sorts - dealing with young players, peers, and many parents and coaches. A good confidence builder!
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Seems like a lot of fun! Ill have to look into it! Problem is I live in a small town and we don't have a soccer league that accepts teens as refs, I would have to travel out of town to do so.
 
I got my first job at the mall on October of last year. It was seasonal job so starting from Black Friday till after Christmas I was working 20-25 hours a week. It was tough balancing college, gym, CAP, and work. Especially when came fall quarter finals, other workers dropped their hours but since I was seasonal I couldn't negotiate about not working during finals week. I even received more hours to cover for the other workers who couldn't work. But I got through it and did well in my final tests. Now I still have the job and I am now a permanent worker. Having a job promotes responsibility. I learned that I am getting payed so I should get to work on time, no texting at work, and I need to maintain professionalism especially when customers are rude.

I love my job as a customer service specialist at JCPenney. And plus I don't have to bother my parents to pay for my testing fees and I can buy things that I need. You feel more independent.

It is possible to balance work, school and other responsibilities. It's going to be tough losing sleep and being mentally drained. You just have to remember that it will make you better at managing your life.
 
Like I've said, it would be impossible for me to get a job. Unless someone wants to just give me 7 hours a week(1 hour a day) I can do that then. But I play 2 sports yearly(track practice in the afternoon then soccer in the evening), CAP, key club, and the classes I have to keep up with. There just wouldn't be any time at all. If I had a job from 10pm-4am. I guess it could work then, but I prefer to sleep... Also I live in a small town with small chances to get jobs. Normally during the summer I pick grapes at the local winery, but this usually lasts 2 weeks.

Overall, I just have no time, you all say if you put enough time aside you can do it, but I have written down my schedule on paper many times(with specific time allotments) and a job is impossible to be squeezed in
 
Fuss said:
Like I've said, it would be impossible for me to get a job. Unless someone wants to just give me 7 hours a week(1 hour a day) I can do that then. But I play 2 sports constantly(having practice every day), CAP, key club, and the classes I have to keep up with. There just wouldn't be any time at all. If I had a job from 10pm-4am. I guess it could work then, but I prefer to sleep... Also I live in a small town with small chances to get jobs. Normally during the summer I pick grapes at the local winery, but this usually lasts 2 weeks.

Overall, I just have no time, you all say if you put enough time aside you can do it, but I have written down my schedule on paper many times(with specific time allotments) and a job is impossible to be squeezed in
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Don't stress about it. A job isn't a requirement to get appointment. For instance, some kids HAVE to work & can't be involved in community service or sports (i.e. growing up on a farm.)

My DD played sports each season, 2 in the spring. She got a part time summer job helping to teach tennis. She'd practice, then stay 1/2 hour longer to work with the kids. She didn't make a lot of money or work a lot of hours, but it was something she enjoyed AND it gave her some leadership experience.

So, the grape picking counts as a job! It doesn't matter that its only for 2 weeks each summer. Next time, ask if you can be in charge of something (sorry, don't know much about grape picking except for the eating part.)
 
onesooz said:
Fuss - have you considered becoming a certified soccer referee? DS became a referee at 14 and loves it! He plays his own games on Saturdays and refs on Sundays (travel games also pay more) or on Saturdays before/after his own game. It's a job that requires leadership and management skills of all sorts - dealing with young players, peers, and many parents and coaches. A good confidence builder!
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I so agree with this! My DS is doing this. He is 16. His first few games were challenging but it is helping him develop confidence and assertiveness. DS red carded someone's darling 12 year old little girl for overly aggressive play and the girls Dad just exploded. DS remained calm, stuck to his decision and assertively instructed the father if he continued he would be ejected. I was impressed that my 16 year old son could stand up so maturely to a 40 something year old soccer dad in such a gentlemanly manner. The soccer ref job is helping our son have more of a commanding presence.
 
Each person is different. Each application is going to be different. Saying whether a person NEEDS to work and have a job to improve their application can't be answered. It depends on the rest of your application. Just like you can't say that being in scouts is "Better" than JrROTC, Marching Band, volunteering Meals on Wheels, etc. NOTHING is better than anything else.

Caveat: You knew there would be one. LOL!!! If you look deep enough into all the "How do I get into the academy" threads and posts, you'll find that the academy is looking at the "WHOLE PERSON". The "WHOLE PACKAGE". That includes all of your activities. When you hear of the importance of sports/athletics; it's not because the academy is looking for "NCAA D-1 Intercollegiate Athletes". They're looking for the well rounded individual who is accustomed to being "ON A TEAM". An individual who can take orders and directions. An individual who knows how to work towards a "Common Goal". An individual who can handle defeat and keep going. An individual who can be a "LEADER" and help others on this "Team Mission". The same goes for ALL activities. If you're in the marching band; are you truly part of "The TEAM"? Are you one of the "LEADERS"? Have you shown you can work towards the "Common Goal"? Same with Scouts, JrROTC, Class Officer, Boy's State, FBLA, FFA, DECA, working at a job, etc. EACH of the activities, the academy is looking for the SAME EXACT ATTRIBUTES. The reason Sports is definitely on the top of the list, is because it's much more easily "MEASURED". It's easy to see all the attributes accomplished in a "Team Sport". Scores are kept. Varsity letters are given. MANY of the other activities aren't as easily measured. But the academy is still looking to see if you accomplished all those "TEAM" related attributes. Whether is Civil Air Patrol, FBLA, Marching Band etc. And honestly, team sports also includes a level of physical conditioning and fitness that most other activities simply can't compare with. But in the end, the same main attributes are looked for in ALL ACTIVITIES. From Work to Sports to JrROTC to Marching Band to Class Officer. TEAM, LEADERSHIP, GROWTH, ADVERSITY, CHALLENGES, EXCELLING, and overall growing into a better person.

Getting a job is no different. Some people have to get a job. They need to help support their family. As such. we as ALO's need to know this so we can show that economic priorities have inhibited you from doing other activities. At the same time, some students get a weekend job or Summer job strictly for the money. Nothing wrong with that at all. And it definitely shows your ability to work on a "Team". But it's quite unlikely that MOST part time jobs that 16-17 year old high school students have, will provide them with any "Leadership" opportunities. Chances are, you're doing labor and simply getting paid for your labor. Nothing wrong with this. But this job won't make up for lack of leadership experience if you choose working a part time job over being involved in activities that will allow you to develop leadership skills and opportunities. Again; not talking about the individual who MUST WORK in order to help support their families. We, "ALO's" definitely want to know about this. Just like it's not a student's fault if they attend Chugwater High School in Wyoming. There are a total of 11 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS at the school. Do you think they have many AP classes; the IB program; Honor's Courses; etc. ? Chugwater High School students shouldn't be penalized when applying to the Academy or any university. It's not their fault. Well, it's not a student's fault if they HAVE TO WORK to help support their family.

But for the student that CHOOSES to work; there's nothing wrong with that. HOWEVER.... Do not substitute working for an opportunity to do activities that provide leadership, team building, common goals, etc. opportunities. This is why it's so important to have MANY activities under your belt. Maybe some of your activities you have leadership opportunities in, while some of the others is what gives you the opportunity to help others. For what it's worth, my son never had a "Job" during high school. My position was; he HAS A JOB. "HIGH SCHOOL". Same with my daughter. (She never applied to the academy). But their JOB was to get the BEST GRADES, the BEST ACT/SAT SCORES, and as many SCHOLARSHIPS as possible. I wanted them to have choices and options; which they had MANY. In return for them doing "THEIR JOB"; I took care of providing them an allowance and taking care of their spending money during college. (Even though my son received an appointment to the academy, and got paid there, I still provided him the same monthly spending allowance that I gave his sister who went to a private University). They earned it. Considering between the two of them, they saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars; (Didn't cost me anything for either one's college education); I didn't mind taking care of their spending money. Not to say my son didn't cut grass on occasion to make $20. But he never had any regular type job.

Point is..... You can have a job, or NOT have a job. That doesn't matter. What matters is when you add ALL of your other activities to it. Is playing 3 varsity sports a year better than just 1? Depends. How far did you excel in that "1" sport? Is JrROTC a good thing for your application? That depends on what you achieved in it. It's the whole package. The Whole Person. Whether or not a job is a good thing or not depends on the rest of your application.
 
I've been asked by a number of individuals, on numerous occasions, about the importance of sports. This thread is about current applications. It's discussing extra curricular activities, working part time, sports, clubs, leadership, etc. A while back, an individual posted something provided by the NCAA to universities and others interested, on WHY Athletics was so important. That it wasn't just a "Money Making" activity for the universities. The NCAA was trying to show that athletics, COMBINED with academics and other activities, make for a very well rounded individual. They didn't mean just NCAA D1/2 intercollegiate athletics. They also meant high school, jr. high, and city league and YMCA type leagues also. But the attributes listed below can also be found in OTHER ACTIVITIES. And that's the entire point. While every one of the attributes listed below can be found in athletes involved in organized team sports, if your Forte in live are some other activity, that's fine. But make sure when you fill out your academy or other College Applications, that you figure out a way to describe how you extra curricular activities helped develop these attributes for you. Again, the following list of attributes was designed to show how athletics develops individuals and isn't just designed as a money making venture. But some/many of these attributes can be found in other activities. But all in all, these attributes are what the academy is looking for in their "WELL ROUNDED INDIVIDUAL" The list is in alphabetical order; not order of importance. Hopefully it will help you all when you try and describe your extra curricular activities, and how it's helped you become a better person.

"What does athletics teach individuals:
Attention to detail , Awareness of diversity, Challenging yourself , Commitment, Communication, Competition , Confidence , Cooperation , Coordination , Decision making , Dedication, Determination , Diligence, Discipline, Endurance, Fitness, Flexibility, Focus, Following plans/directions, Give/take feedback and criticism, Goal-directed, Improvement, Integrity, Individual/group effort, Keeping records, Leadership, Learning from failure, Management, Multitasking, Organization, Overcome obstacles, Pain/fatigue management, Patience,Performance, Persistence, Positive attitude, Prioritizing, Problem solving,Punctuality, Pursuit of excellence, Respect, Responsibility, Scheduling, Self-directed, Self-esteem, Set goals, Strategies, Stress management, Supervision, Tactics (offense/defense), Teaching, Teamwork , Thinking on your feet, Time management, Training motivation, Work ethic."
 
Christcorp, Very thorough and well-rounded advice. Thank you for taking the time to do this!
 
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