Shia Shabazz Smith: Beyond a Paycheck

Shia Shabazz Smith shares about an early summer job experience.

As my students return from summer break, I wonder which of them spent the summer working. Summer jobs were never simply time fillers for long days. Looking back, my father was a big proponent of summer jobs as part of my education. My first job came through a summer youth program he enrolled me in.

Work experiences presented opportunities to practice executive functioning, responsibility and a small but meaningful sense of independence. My father believed that time away from school should still be time spent learning. When I turned 16, though, he encouraged me to find a job I actually wanted.

 Growing up with my highly fashionable grandmother, the choice felt obvious. I went to work at a clothing store in the shopping mall I loved to visit. What I expected was a fun job surrounded by clothes. What I found was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. Of course, I learned the mechanics of retail such as merchandising displays, keeping the sales floor organized and understanding how a store really operates. But the lessons that stayed with me had much more to do with people. 

Every shift sharpened my communication skills. I learned customer service, patience, problem-solving and how to interact with people from every walk of life. Those experiences became building blocks for skills I still rely on today. And then there was the employee discount. To a high school senior, that discount felt like winning the lottery. By the time school started, I had carefully used it to buy my own school clothes and put together a wardrobe I was genuinely proud of. It wasn’t just about fashion. It was one of the first times I could say, “I earned this.”

 As my students consider summer jobs, I urge them to think beyond paychecks, to the confidence they build, the responsibility they learn to embrace and the quiet ways those experiences prepare them for adulthood. The clothes eventually wear out. The lessons never do. With a Perspective, I’m Shia Shabazz Smith.

Shia Shabazz Smith is an Education Specialist and a filmmaker. She lives in her beloved city of Oakland.