Students carry on their family businesses
By working with their parents, students have a more unique job experience.
January 1, 2020
Many teens get ordinary jobs working in retail or the food industry while they are in high school. One student who has a more unique work experience than others is freshman Ally Sul. Sul works at her mom’s salon, Hello Beautiful as a receptionist and deals with making appointments as well as keeping the salon clean. Sul took the job with her mom because she wanted money and thought it would be easy to jump into.
“[I wanted the job] so I could make my own money, but also I could work for my mom and I wouldn’t have to work with like a stranger and have to get them on my good side and get on their good side,” Sul said.
Sul thinks one of the major benefits of working for her mom was how easy it was to attain the job.
“You see that was what was fun about working with my mom. I didn’t have to do a full-on interview,” Sul said. “I asked her and she felt okay with me doing it.”
Anh Nguyen, Ally’s mom, thinks that Ally is gaining valuable knowledge by working for her, and although they rarely work alongside each other, Nguyen is still teaching Sul things about the way to run a business.
“She’s making her own money and she is learning to be responsible,” Nguyen said. “She is learning to run a business. She’s learning the ins-and-outs of a business and understands what it’s like to work and to schedule yourself and to juggle those things.”
Nguyen realizes that she benefits from having Sul work for her and treats her like a normal employee.
“I feel much better when she is here because I know she’s taken care of it even better than I would have if I was here,” Nguyen said. “If she has any questions she asks me, and I have no problem addressing issues or concerns with her.”
Sul believes her work experience is different than other high schoolers because her mom understands her job and can relate to her.
“I think it’s easier for me to talk to my mom about stuff that happened at work because she’ll understand…and she’ll be able to understand the problem and fix it easily,” Sul said.
Senior Cainen Hissong works with his dad at CH Lawn and Land Service and believes the greatest thing he got from working with his dad is all that he has learned.
“We bonded and I learned so much. That’s why I can do the things I can today that a normal person would have no clue around… he’s taught me a lot. So it’s worth it,” Hissong said.
Hissong originally wanted to work with his dad because he wanted a job different than everyone else and one that would pay well.
“Freshman year before I started I was a referee for soccer. I wanted to make more money, and I didn’t want to work at a restaurant like everyone else,” Hissong said. “I knew I had the potential to make more money.”
Hissong took over his father’s business in his sophomore year of high school and continues today to run it with the occasional help of his father.
“[My dad] started it my freshman year, and then my brother owned it… I took the reins and I owned it the rest of my high school career,” Hissong said.
Junior Vinny Garcia works alongside his dad at Garcia’s Lawn and Landscaping. Garcia said his work experience is different than other students because working closely with his dad allows him to grow as a person.
“I believe that my work experience is different than other students because he will push me to my limits,” Garcia said. “He will always motivate me to become a better worker and a better person.”
