College is an opportunity for students to get ready for the work force. Our University provides the tools needed so we can later become the leaders of tomorrow. Those dreams of the future, however, shouldn’t prevent us from taking on small jobs right now.

Although we are getting our education from the University, we also need to also accumulate the benefits from holding a job. Even if the money isn’t important because of parents or saving accounts, the benefits of maintaining a place in the working world still holds value.

Small jobs teach students how to follow before they become leaders. Leaders are important in our society, but the quality of the leader is tied to their understanding of their followers. When we start flipping burgers at Cookout, we must take the orders that we will give someday. This is how we can learn the proper way to present our orders to future followers. To lead, we must first follow.

Our work ethic is thoroughly improved in a small-time job. During the weekend, I sell shoes at Crabtree Valley Mall, and although shoes aren’t the normal source of income for people holding political science and economics degrees after college, I’ll use that work ethic in my later line of work. The same voice telling me to learn how to check in shipments and convey a concept to customers is completely applicable to later jobs.

The most important part of a steadily held job is the record. A manager records first hand the development of a person’s work ethic and success as a follower. And if the record of a person is faltering, the manager helps guide us to a good record. Since the manager is our recorder and our guide, they realize that our good record is a reflection of their ability to manage.

That realization is the key reason why managers are such good references for our future managers. When our political science majors or engineering majors apply for jobs at firms after college, they need someone to vouch for their good work ethic and ability to follow. If our managers have a vested interest in telling others how wonderful we are, they will be our best reference.

I fear some students are veering away from small jobs because they think they are worth more than the pay. After all, someone making a 4.0 in the design school probably thinks they deserve better than a $7.75 job at a fast food joint on Western Boulevard. That attitude is so short sighted. The real benefit of the small-time job is the experience and record of experience.

Even though a 4.0 design student joining a fun extracurricular group is a more likely scenario, the impact of a professional manager’s opinion of our work ethic is much greater. When we’re submitting our applications to firms we want to join, my shoe store manager’s opinion of my work ethic is worth worlds more than my president from Alexander Hall Council. That difference makes up for minimum wage.