How taking risks can change your life and help you make a little extra cash
Senior Year.
I thought I would figure out where to go to college, maybe get a second job and hopefully, buy that ’05 Hyundai Sonata for sale parked in the driveway next door.
Boy, was I wrong.
Nothing really big happened for me until my 18th birthday. Until that point in my life I hadn’t really taken many chances: I went to school, did my homework, went to work and paid bills. I had the typical life of the working teenager.
For my 18th birthday my family took me across the Red River to show me a whole new world full of risks. They took me to the Casino.
The first time I went I left $40 ahead of what I brought over.
I was hooked.
Soon after that I was over there every weekend, playing the brightly lit games with my parents and grandparents. I wasn’t too reckless, though. Each time I went I would only bring a set amount of money with me, say $35 or so, and when I was out, I was out. You have to expect to lose what you take over. I did not bring an ATM card or hide cash in my car, I would just watch as my family played when and if I ran out of money.
Soon it had become a habit.
One December evening, I was playing one of my favorite machines, the Red Ruby. I let the machine take my last $10 and hit the glowing button with the bright bold letters that read “MAX BET.”
Nothing.
I hit again.
Nothing.
I hit it again knowing it was my last bet.
The game went into free spins.
$100.
It continued into another red spin.
$300 more.
It did it again.
Again. Again.
When it finally stopped, the machine read $795.
I remember so vividly the man in the cowboy hat standing next to me telling me congratulations. The loud dings of the bells going off, my grandmother racing around the corner to cheer with me in excitement.
I took the money and ran. The following Monday I took that money and deposited it directly into my savings account.
Over the next few months this happened a couple more times, and each time, I would place the winnings into that same savings account, never taking any out. By the time March came I had saved up enough to finally start looking into getting a loan for that car next door.
Get on the fast track to getting a new vehicle by learning the tricks to the trade
So my mother and I went to the bank and talked to the man in the loan office. He told me all I needed to know about loans and credit. I was starting out with a credit score of zero. Which is not bad, but it also is not good. I was going to need a co-signer. I was lucky enough that my mother agreed to help me out. Mr. Brown, the man in the loan office helping us, told me exactly how to get good credit built up. Pay my loans on time. Every time I do that I will build up my score and over the course of a few months he told me that I could have a good credit score. A good credit score is really about in the 700s and above. If you have a score in the 800s, you can basically have any credit you want, obviously with limitations. Once a year a person can have their credit score pulled for free, but be cautious, every time you have your score pulled, whether it is at a bank or at a car dealership, it will go down a few points.
So I was approved for a loan. I was so excited. I went to go looking for cars that very day. Mr. Brown told me about how to go about shopping for cars as well.
Women, if possible take a man with you. I am not trying to sound sexist, but it’s true. The salesmen at the car dealerships generally take one look at women and immediately decide it will be easier to sell to them if there isn’t a man present. It is true. It happened to me when it was only my mother and myself out looking at cars. They will try everything to get you to take the car off the lot with you that very day. They will ask you to test drive it, take it home with you for a few days, show it off to your friends. It is all a scheme to make you fall in love with the vehicle. That is exactly what they want. When shopping for a car, try your absolute best to not take the car home overnight. If you do though, only take it home for one night. Any longer and you will be sucked into it and have a bond with the vehicle.
Do not be afraid to walk away from a deal either. Talk numbers. Talk numbers with a whole bunch of dealerships, for a whole bunch of different cars. Do not settle for the first one you come to. Test-drive all different kinds of vehicles. Even the ones you think you will despise.
After talking numbers with the salesman, he will tell you that the deal he just gave you is the absolute best he can do. It’s not. He can do better, and don’t be afraid to tell him “no.” Tell him he has to get you a better deal. At which point he should come back with a better number or an added in package. Try this dance with him a couple times until you are satisfied. If you aren’t satisfied, walk away. It will be extremely hard to do, but if you do it within the next few days you should receive a phone call asking you to come back. They will try negotiating again and will probably come down even more on the price. You can always get the deal you want. It just depends on how patient you are, and how willing you are to walk away from what already seems like a good deal.
This is how I got my car. I took the advice and ran with it. Of course I got some help from my family members along the way, as it should be. But for the most part, it was me. Just me. I paid for everything, and am continuing to pay for everything, all on my own. This feeling, the feeling of success, makes it entirely worth it. It feels great setting up a good credit score that will help if I need to borrow money later in my life for a house payment or a loan for graduate school.
Taking on not one, not two, but three jobs, as well as going to school every day
About the same time I got my car, I also got a job offer.
A night nanny.
I never imagined that I would take on a position such as that, but now that I have, I love it. I watch a four-year-old boy twice a week every other month. It was just the little extra income that I was looking for. I never imagined having two jobs, let alone three.
This year in school I really got to thinking about what I want to do in my life. I always knew I wanted to help people in some way, shape or form. I never imagined that it would come to me so quickly.
In my sophomore year I got my first real taste of chemistry, and I loved it. It combined my appeal to math and science both in a way I never knew existed. So I continued my love for the subject the next year in Mrs. Martin’s AP Chemistry class. Along with her classes and other guidance she gave me throughout my years in her classes I decided what I wanted to be when I get older.
A Pharmacist.
As soon as I figured this out I immediately started researching all about the occupation. Everything about it appealed to me. It required the math and sciences I love to learn about, it helps others, it is meant for me. As I researched more, I came to the conclusion that I want to travel to South America and do pharmaceutical research. I wanted to start immediately, but since becoming a pharmacist requires two years of pre-pharmacy and four years of grad school to get the doctorate in pharmacy, along with years as a resident, I knew it would be a while. So I looked into what other things I could do in the pharmacy just to get my foot in the door and get a feel for what I want to do.
I could be a pharmacy technician.
Even though you have to have graduated high school to become a tech, I could still apply for the job, which is exactly what I did.
I went into the pharmacy at United Market Street and applied for the job, did my two interviews and was accepted for the job. I am now about to apply to become a tech in training, which you don’t have to be a high school grad to do, you only have to be 18. I have been working there for a month now, and I love it. I never imagined I would love a job as much as I loved my other job working at my grandmother’s sewing shop, Karen’s Sewing Basket, but I love all my jobs equally. I find a great deal of satisfaction in working. Even though sometimes it’s crazy, getting out of school at 2:00 going to work at the pharmacy at 2:30 working until 7:30 then getting off to go be the night nanny, I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.
I never imagined coming into high school I would have it this together when leaving. I have a 2010 Dodge Avenger, a few jobs, and I know what I want to study. I have also stopped going to the casino for the most part; it’s hard to find time between work and school and sleep. And who knows, my plans may be completely changed in the next year, but that’s just a part of life: you never know what is going to happen next. All you can do is try to prepare for the future the best you can.