By the end of senior year, many high school students have had a job at some point. Some jobs are great, some are not and others are just plain awful. With so many jobs to choose from in the Allen area, there seems to be a different experience for every employed student.

While the typical job is very specific and repetitive, senior Shaylee Butler’s work environment is full of surprises. As a show control for the Allen Americans, she deals with insane crowds, professional athletes and the pressure of satisfying hundreds of screaming fans with graphics and entertainment.

“The environment is really crazy because you are a part of the crowd,” Butler said. “You are putting on a performance for the crowd.”

Her position in particular is managing the sponsors and ads that show up on the screen by following a script given to her. She has not only gained experience with audio and video production, but she has been given many opportunities to meet professionals and get her name out in the world.

“The best part about my job is networking and meeting new people,” Butler said. “Mostly because I started off not really knowing anyone.”

During her employment under the CHL(Central Hockey League), she has met a variety of important people in the sports world.

“I just think it’s really cool that I work with such a big team,” Butler said, “especially one that became CHL champions. Not many 16-year-olds can say they’ve done that.”

Joy in work can be found in simpler environments as well. Junior Sara Fulton has worked at Chick-fil-a since November 2013, and loves her job.

“The environment at Chick-fil-a is always happy,” Fulton said. “I fit in really well with my coworkers.”

Most people start off in dining, which is when employees check up on customers and ensure their satisfaction.

“The best thing about my job is interacting with people and making people happy,” Fulton said. There are plenty of benefits working at Chick-fi-a like discounted food and having every Sunday off. I love that it’s closed on Sundays so I can focus on my family that day.”

Of course every once in a while people come across a job that is not so great. Junior Johnathan Emerson worked at Kroger for four months, starting in February of 2014. He had just received his license and needed a way to pay for gas. Kroger is located near his house and always has openings, so it seemed like a perfect choice. However, Emerson did not realize he would hate it so much.

“It was awful,” said Emerson. “The working conditions sucked.”

Emerson said there were multiple accounts in which the regular staff seemed to be more productive and efficient than the management. He worked about 30 hours a week, but the managers were not very accommodating to his schedule. As an active member of the band, Emerson needed flexible hours.

“I would tell them I had band Monday night from 6-9,” said Emerson. “They would schedule me from 5-11. They were incompetent.”

Emerson finally decided to quit and now works at Cinemark, which he says is much better than Kroger.

Although each encounter varies significantly from person to person, they all have one thing in common: a learning experience. Whether a first job is good or bad, employees leave with valuable, lifelong skills that can be applied to other areas of life such as school, family and social life. Having a job in high school is a unique adventure that prepares students for adulthood.