Junior Dasia Caldwell isn’t waiting for a college degree to seek employment.

While she is still in high school, she works as a sales associate at Buy Buy Baby in Farmington Hills. The store sells baby clothes, toys, and child care items for pregnant women. “The atmosphere is great and I enjoy my co-workers,” she says, “I love it.”

Caldwell is one of many Southfield High teens who willingly work during high school.

As an employee at Kroger in Farmington Hills, Senior Juawan Ward works about 24 hours a week. He says he doesn’t mind going in to work because he likes having the income.

Ward admits working with customers can be challenging sometimes, recalling the day he went looking for a female shopper’s keys outside while she remained in the store. He says, “She had the keys the whole time”. Despite the occasional irritations, Ward says, “I like the checks.”

Earning money is one of the first steps toward independence a teenager can take, says School Counselor Trish Yorke. It is also a chance to use and make money with communication and math skills learned in school.

Seniors Nijah McNeal and Simone Mosby are already making money with their math skills. They are both tellers at Michigan First Credit Union’s branch inside Southfield High . Each year the branch hires two tellers from the senior class., and they were selected to work about 15 hours each full school week.

Mosby says, “I like that my job and school are in the same place. It’s convenient.”

McNeal admits, “The uniform is boring, and I get tired of wearing the same thing every day.”

Her counterpart nods in agreement about the blue polo shirts they wear to school each week. However, there is an upside. The two say in unison, “Working with my best friend makes it fun.”