In lieu of the (quickly) approaching holiday season, the soaring sound of teenagers complaining about the financial demand of the holidays is at an all-time high. Consequently, the ones complaining about not being able to afford the holiday season are the ones that do not have a job. The circumstances in which students are unable to attain a job due to academic obligations are understandable; students do not want to see their grades drop and parents can attest to this.

However, having a job during the winter months can be beneficial to not only a student’s pocket, but also to parents. The possibilities in finding a job during certain months of the year are more extensive due to seasonal hires. Stores seek more employees to aid with the requirements of the season, such as Christmas shopping during the winter or the sales during the summer.

Contrary to popular belief, acquiring a job is a not a difficult task. Applicants should not hesitate to follow through with their interest toward the position at hand. If a place of interest does not follow up with an individual, the said individual should follow up with a call or email. If the desire to have a job is truly strong, the instinct to follow up will be just as prominent.

Personally, my reason behind getting hired was to have the social experience I will utilize in the near future. My first job (in retail) taught me that the ladder to achieve certain goals was a crucial one in the working world. If I was not willing to commit to a task presented to me by my employer, it would have been more of a challenge to earn my title of “sales associate.” More recently, I sought a barista position at my favorite local coffee shop.

Though I have been working as a barista for eight months now, I am learning more than just the value of a dollar. My social skills have grown to be either extremely professional to new customers, or conversational with the faces I see in the cafe on a weekly basis. My ability to differentiate between schemes of communication is one that I will be able to use in my future, along with my mastery of reading body language in order to decipher how an individual should be approached.

When people around me ask if a labor-intensive job, such as one of a barista, is too difficult, I answer with a definite “yes.” However, I would be a barista even if it were a volunteer position. I am not saying that I will be a barista for the rest of my life, but what started as a demand to develop social skills has turned into much more than that. I am now able to manage my time (a task I can possibly use on assignments), I am able to maintain a high level of resilience (a skill which can help with strenuous obligations such as studying), and I am able to keep focus, regardless of the commotion occurring around me (a skill which can be used in countless day-to-day activities). Along with that, I am graced with the ability to learn during every shift.

Obtaining a seasonal job can rid complainers of their financial funk. Besides the extra dollar, a job–no matter how temporary–will teach life-lessons applicable to the “real world.”

Give your couch a break. Start applying.