Sophomore Clara Ferate and her dog Henry take photos for the Edmond Wood Room Territorial School House’s Instagram account. “We’ve only done this once, and it went well,” Ferate said. “I was trying to get him to sit with a treat so we could get a photo of him with a slate.” Photo courtesy of Clara Ferate

From working at a museum to volunteering at a golf course, students use their creativity and passions to find or create jobs that they enjoy. 

Sophomore Clara Ferate works at the Territorial School House in Edmond. Her job is to welcome people and tell them about the history of the school’s foundation in 1889. 

“People will bring in their grandkids while they’re touring,” Ferate said. “It’s always fun.” 

Ferate’s favorite history facts to share involve the Land Run and women’s roles in the early education system in Oklahoma. Her ability to reword facts for people of different ages has benefited her while working at a historical site.   

According to Ferate, socializing and passion are a huge part of finding a job that you enjoy. These two factors are what helped junior Kate Thomas, who created her own business making posters. 

“I would just do it occasionally for my friends, for my family, and people I babysit,” Thomas said. “Everyone was like, ‘you should start a little Instagram and start a business,’ so I finally did it.” 

Thomas works 15 to 20 hours a week, which can occasionally interfere with athletics and school. 

“It’s definitely a little time consuming,” Thomas said. “Whenever it’s really busy, it’s a lot of time [spent on] painting banners.” 

Even though Thomas can be overwhelmed with the long hours, she says that it teaches her the valuable lesson of time management. 

“I definitely have to get all my stuff done for school first before I start anything, but it also has really taught me how to prioritize my time and allocate that,” Thomas said.

Because Thomas spends so much time painting posters, certain skills play a role in managing her business.

“I’m really creative, and I like talking to people, so that’s nice, and I care about making their day better,” Thomas said. 

Freshman James Wade works at Trosper Golf Course in Del City. He volunteers in return for free golf and use of the driving range. 

“My favorite part is basically the experience of a real working job,”  Wade said. “There’s not a lot of young people, so I get to help out my community, which is always nice.” 

At the Trosper golf course, at least eight hours of work is required to get one free round of golf. Wade goes to work on the weekends and some days after school. 

“Normally when they have me come in on the weekdays it kind of interferes more with school than sports, but I mean, not on the weekend,” Wade said.

When Wade is working on the golf course, weather can have a major impact on the tasks he is assigned.

“They’ll have me go pick up trash on the course, fill in the greens, make new greens, stuff like that, and the weather can normally slow down business when they have me come in on weekdays,” Wade said. 

As a golfer, Wade loves his job. 

“I would say it’s just like a physical job, and if you just know enough about a subject, you can perform well in your duties as a job,” Wade said. 

 A high school job can help students with real life skills, like managing money and building responsibility. For these students, having a job has been rewarding in many aspects of their lives.