TJ MAXX

When I turned 16 the first thing I wanted to do was to find a job. Luckily TJ MAXX let me be part of their team and I started working. I wanted a job to make money so I could buy things I wanted and so I did not have to give any explanations to my parents on what I have spent my money on. Little did I know that when I started at TJ MAXX it was more than just a job it was a learning experience. I had to make sure my work schedule did not get me behind on any of my school work, my parents gave me a bill I had to pay and I learned the value of saving money. Working at TJ MAXX has been a bitter sweet experience.

I was so excited to start working and especially at one of my favorite stores. I was so excited I decided that I was going to work four times a week, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I thought to myself “the more I work the more money I will make.” I worked that schedule for about a month; I was exhausted after that month. I was falling behind in school because I had very little time to study. My parents started noticing that I was falling behind and told me that if I was going to continue to work I had to cut back on my hours so my job would not interfere with my school. That is what I did and this is when I started to get the concept of time management. I learned no matter what I do, I always have to make sure school comes first.

Once I started getting paid all of my hard work started to pay off. I was getting money and I loved it! As soon as I got my paycheck I would go spend it on something usually I did not need. For example new clothes, getting my nails done all the time, buying CD or simply going out with my friends. I got paid every Friday and it seemed by Monday or Tuesday I would little or no money left. To me it did not matter because I knew that on Friday I would get another check and everything was going to be fine. My dad started to realize that I was not spending my money wisely and told me “know that you have a job I think it is time for you to start paying your cell phone bill” I was shocked! I was shocked but I also understood that if I wanted something I had to work for it. At first I thought it was going to be easy, in my mind I was thinking it is only fifty dollars a month. The fist bill came and I did not have enough money, I continued to spend my money on unnecessary things, so my dad took away my phone and said until you learn how to pay your bills you will get your phone back. That Friday I immediately gave my dad fifty dollars so I can have my phone back. I learned that if I saved fifteen dollars a week at the end of the month I would have enough money to pay my bill.

It was summer and I was so excited!! Usually summer was a time to relax and not do anything. This summer was different I had to work. Working in the summer meant that I would have a lot of more hours. At first I did not want to work all summer but I had to because I had to save up to buy a car. That summer I worked a lot, sometimes I think too much. Since I was saving money I had to distinguish my needs for my wants. That was very difficult because everything I wanted was a need for me. When I saw that if I did not save I would not have a car and I would be miserable because I would have to take the bus everywhere and I did not like riding the bus. I started to save like crazy and hardly spent any money. When summer was over I had enough to buy me my very first truck. I was so happy I finally realized in order to get something I had to work had for it and eventually my hard work would pay off.

Working at TJ MAXX was more than just a job it was a learning experience. I learned time management I learned that once you start making money you have bills and I also learned the value of money and if you save your money the end reward it great. TJ MAXX was my first job and probably the only job where I have learned valuable life lessons.