Warming up before a match
What will I do this summer? There are several options at hand; however, I need to be selective with the activities I choose during my last summer as a high school student.
With each choice, there are advantages and disadvantages. I am going to share some of my past summer experiences with you, along with pros and cons for each to help explain my decision for this summer.
Mayor's Youth Academy
Last year I spent just about my whole summer in the Mayor's Youth Academy. This program provides leadership development to teenagers, exposing them to various career opportunities, as well as promoting community engagement.
I was grateful for the opportunity to be involved in this program. However, I feel like I could have spent this time promoting my business or training for wrestling. This year I am exploring these options and trying to determine which choice will be more beneficial to my future.
My days started at 8 a.m. We visited various businesses and colleges around the city. By the end of the day, I had made valuable connections, but each day I thought about how many T-shirts I could have sold during those hours I spent at the Academy.
Dilemma: I'm an entrepreneur...
My parents tell me that I was born with a passion for entrepreneurship. I have been fortunate to have the support of family and have always been encouraged to pursue various endeavors.
Over the past few years, I have owned several small businesses ranging from skateboard designing to online apparel. I usually operated my businesses throughout the year; I have been able to show profits of $3,000 to $4,200 annually.
Maniac SkateboardsHowever, last summer, my parents thought that participating in the academy would expose me to different workforce opportunities and add something impressive to my résumé.
Because last summer I was not focusing on my business, my sales declined, and I was unable to maintain my business website. This summer, I feel my time will be better spent if I am able to dedicate it to marketing my new apparel business and preparing for the coming wrestling season.
...and an athlete
District finals Because of my lack of training during the summer months, I was not at the top of my wrestling game when the season started in the winter.
I regret not being able to attend wrestling camps or regular practices last summer because of my commitments. Some of the wrestlers that I beat the year before were much improved because of intense training programs that they participated in over the summer.
With any sport, when you do not condition your body and prepare for the new season, you often waste time at the beginning just catching up. I do not want to go into the new wrestling season the same way that I began it last year after spending the entire summer in the Academy. However summer training can be quite expensive.
Growing my business would enable me to pay for the costs associated with the summer training programs...
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