My mom found the ad in our weekly newspaper asking for “summer help.” It was a plastic’s factory about 1 mile from our house. I knew I had to get a job to go to college – especially an expensive private college.

The factory didn’t seem to have a formal interview process. I went in that Wednesday, signed an application sheet and left. Within a few days, they called and just hired me. Personally, I think they hired me because they are always short of help. But my resume pointed out that I was an honor roll student, an experienced farm worker and an athlete. I graduated May 18, and I began one day later.

That first morning when the alarm clock went blaring at 6 a.m., I had my doubts about what I was getting into. I had to be at work by 6:50. O.K. That is early for me. Thank heavens I only had to drive a short distance.

They trained me for a few days before I actually ran one of those machines. I didn’t really know what I would be doing all summer, but I figured it wouldn’t be exciting work. I just kept thinking that I was making $10.70 an hour to stand there and take plastic parts out of these machines. For an 18-year-old with really no past job experience, that was pretty good.

During those three months. I just went to work and didn’t think about it. The was mind-numbing. I became one of those – “can’t wait till Friday” people. Some of the jobs were better than the other ones. I made everything from these plastic balls (which I have no idea what they are used for) to oil pans. I hated the oil pans. Those were the worse because you had to cut around the soft plastic flashing to make the product look like an oil pan. I also made plastic stadium seats for all the new football and baseball arenas going up around the country.

I couldn’t wait for the summer to end, but by the end I had made over $4,200. Wow. But little did I realize how fast that money would go.

During my first day on campus at this private college, my checkbook became depleted by $3,000 for the first semester bill. Those are big numbers on one check. And it happened to be the first check I ever wrote. And the sad thing is that that doesn’t even include the loans I had to take out. OK. Did I make a mistake not going to a least expensive state school?

I can’t cut the job down much though, and I’m grateful for the paychecks. My boss and a few other leaders there told me I could work all the summers between my college years and come back any holiday or spring break that I want to make some money. I know I’ll have to take them up on their offer because those college bills won’t be going away anytime soon. Can’t wait to see what they’ll be making out of plastic when I get back there again.