Stepping Out of Our Comfort Zone! BeMoneySmartUSA Teen Shares Her Experience

Autumn and Alyssa get into the Farmers Market Spirit
with Face Painting creations by April May

At the BeMoneySmartUSA Farmers Market we are asked to perform a myriad of different jobs. One of  the jobs we perform is Hospitality. In this job we greet customers who visit our market with a hardy and happy "hello" and then proceed to assist them with their groceries and/or to find a specific farmer or vendor they are looking for.  We also take the opportunity to sign them up for our weekly announcements and monthly newsletters where they have the opportunity to learn more about our markets and receive additional savings in coupons.  Engaging with customers in this way has really helped me develop my skills in both sales and customer service.  It's not always easy to walk up to a complete stranger and engage in conversation.  Getting this hands-on first hand experience affords me the chance to practice the skills we are taught in both the financial and business courses offered through BeMoneySmartUSA.

Before I could even begin to work at the Farmers' Markets, I had to first complete a financial and business workshop taught by BeMoneySmartUSA.  These classes were free and I was afraid they would also be boring.  Instead they were chock full of great information and facts about the economy that I had no idea about.  Most importantly I discovered that I had the power now at my age to begin the process of preparing for my own financial future.  My age was actually an advantage and I recognized both my own power to create my own future and my responsibility to understanding our own family's budget and spending.



In the business courses I also learned career skills that are important for getting and keeping a job, most importantly how to "stand out".  Standing out in the job market as a teenager can be challenging, because we spend so much more of our time trying to fit in among our peers that it isn't second nature.  We learned the importance of being prepared, having a 30 second elevator pitch to introduce ourselves to potential employers and also how to create a job when one cannot be obtained.

The continued lessons we receive each week as we work at the markets includes lessons in "soft skills" that helps us develop skills in communication, ethics, teamwork.

My work with BeMoneySmartUSA Farmers Markets will continue to help me develop other skills in sales, public speaking and time management.  This opportunity has helped me become much more confident overall as a person and a leader.

Written by Autumn - Visions in Education