y experience with Junior Achievement started in elementary school, where volunteers would come to my class and teach about finances—all subjects that would help later in life. I learned about the difference between needs and wants, how to earn money, different kinds of money (debit, credit, checks, cash), and entrepreneurship. These were some of the most memorable days I had in elementary school, as they were not only fun and engaging but also something I knew I would be using in my adult life. It made me feel a little more grown up, or at least as grown up as a ten-year-old could be.

Fast forward a few years later. Nearing the end of middle school, I had an opportunity to use these skills that I had gained. In 2021, still amidst the overbearing pandemic when hanging out with friends wasn’t as easy as it once was, I wanted a computer. Not just any computer, but one that was higher end. What was the problem? Well, computers cost money, and I didn’t exactly have a lot of spare cash in 8th grade. I had already saved $200 from my birthday and Christmas from the previous year, but unfortunately that reached only one-sixth of the total cost. The computer I wanted was a hefty $1,300. At a time when computer parts costs were rocketing due to shortages, it’s fair to say that, even as someone who had never had a job, I knew that this was little more than pocket change.

Eventually, after a little bit of heartache, I realized that this was a little over my budget. To save on cash, I would need to buy all the parts for a computer and assemble it myself instead. Now I only needed $1,000, or about $800 more than what I already had.

Over the summer, I negotiated with my parents a way to earn more money: by collecting rocks and getting paid per rock collected to help build the rock wall in front of our house. I also had to make some sacrifices, such as selling many of my personal items, like games that I hadn’t played in years. Eventually, after another birthday when my parents had conveniently given me just enough money to afford my computer, I had reached my goal.

This sort of planning and saving was exactly what Junior Achievement had taught me years earlier. Because of these essential skills that were laid down when I was young, I was able to better strive towards my goals as well as learn something new in the process.