work & money

Will Lawmakers Approve Funds for Summer Youth Jobs?

New York's Summer Youth Employment Program provides much-needed work experience and paychecks to thousands of teens annually. But this summer, there may nearly 3,000 fewer jobs available than last year--unless state legislators act now. (full text)

No Job, No Home, No Green Card

The author, who has a son, doesn't learn until she's 19 that she doesn't have a green card. She scrambles to get that before she ages out. (full text)

I Was Alone and Scared, So I Know How Older People Feel

The author immigrated from Africa and ended up in foster care. She learns English and the subway system and gets a job as a (compassionate) home health aide. (full text)

Finally, a Work Role Model

Until she's 19, Alexus has never lived with an adult who talked about her job. In her new home, her foster mom talks about work and gives her helpful advice. (full text)

A Role Model

Confronted with racism and loneliness, Gabrielle drops out of college. Back home, she works hard to turn her life back around, inspiring her little sister and other Latinas in care. (full text)

I Want an Equal Relationship

Trina doesn't date yet, but looking at those who do, she wants more equality between boys and girls. Boys should not always pay for dates, she says. (full text)

Immigrants Work on the Weekends Too

Elvia Victorio works a lot, including as a professional photographer on the weekend. She shares pictures of the rodeos she shoots every Sunday, featuring other hard-working Hispanic immigrants. (full text)

Frozen Out of the Trading Club

The author joins a stock trading club at school and does very well. She is treated disrespectfully and eventually pushed out. She has an elegant solution. (full text)

Volunteering Helps Me Too

Marlo starts volunteering mostly to make business connections, but then a foster care organization helps him with college. He vows to keep giving back. (full text)

Launch Pad

Jazmine reports on Techie Youth, a nonprofit that gives hands-on computer training to foster youth and former foster youth. (full text)

For-Profit Colleges: Not the Best Value

Marlo attends a for-profit college and gets into some debt. He researches for-profits and finds out that public schools are a better value. (full text)

Building a Better Life

The author has been in care most of his life. He loves his biological parents and sees them often, but gets more support and encouragement from his foster mom. (full text)

Who Will I Be as an Adult?

The author was physically and emotionally abused. When she ages out of care, she finds that years of being put down keep her from going after work or college. (full text)

No Job, No Home, No Green Card

The author, who has a son, doesn't learn until she's 19 that she doesn't have a green card. She scrambles to get that before she ages out. (full text)

Representing

Otis looks back at writing for Represent for five years and how it's helped him get in touch with his feelings and inspire others. (full text)

On My Own: An Aging Out Story

The author recounts the scary countdown to turning 21 with her work hours being cut, her public housing not ready, and her foster mother's commitment shaky. (full text)

Keepin’ It Professional

After a teen colleague calls him "unprofessional," Desmin decides that his street style doesn't work in the office. (full text)

Keep Your Hands and Remarks to Yourself

Lavell explains what sexual harassment is and what you should do about it if it's happening to you. (full text)

From Inmate to College Student

The author's lust for money gets him in trouble, but he learns to redirect that desire into a plan to become an accountant. (full text)

My Green Debit Card

Chimore gets in big trouble - and debt - with her first debit card, but it teaches her valuable lessons about being careful with her spending. (full text)

The Real Deal on Credit Cards

Chimore breaks down the rewards and hazards of having a credit card. (full text)

How I Learned to Be Stingy

Asia spends half her paycheck on her friend's party. The friend swears she'll pay it back and never does; Asia gets new friends. (full text)

Stealing My Good Name

Chimore wants to have a good credit history because she's about to age out of foster care. Then she finds out that her identity has been stolen and fraudulent credit card accounts opened in her name. (full text)

I Keep My Bling in the Bank

After getting his first paycheck, Jarel learns that banks aren’t just for rich people. (full text)

Maxed Out

Lured by the ease of getting a credit card, Xavier runs up a huge debt after he leaves foster care. He has since been able to get his finances under better control, although he still owes money. Reprinted from FCYU-2001-07-22. (full text)

Is College for Me?

The author faces many obstacles to school success: trauma, lack of support, and at least one learning disability. He gets through high school and must choose between college and a vocational program. (full text)

ASAP: Right on Time

This writer found her college footing thanks in part to ASAP, a program that supports low-income students in New York City's public community colleges. (full text)

Derailed by Foster Care and Trauma

The writer is derailed from school by abuse and neglect, trauma and mental illness. She keeps trying, though, and eases her way back toward college through a hands-on nursing program. (full text)

Don’t Get Played

Chantal describes both the benefits and pitfalls of having a bank account. (full text)

The Rags to Riches Myth

The recession of 2008-2011 is the latest setback for Marco’s father, an immigrant who hoped to find financial stability when he came to the U.S. 20 years ago. (full text)

American at Heart—But Not on Paper

The writer, an illegal immigrant, scrambles to find a job that pays well and won’t ask for his Social Security number. (full text)

Maxed Out

Xavier racks up $2,100 in credit card debt before deciding to take control of his finances. (full text)

Getting By on Crayon Money

Diana feels ashamed that her family is on welfare—until she sees what it’s like to pay bills. (full text)

Growing Up on the Job

Josbeth got her first job at 15, and working has taught her to be responsible, keep her cool, and overcome her shyness. (full text)

Rush Hour at Macy's

Sharif faces impatient customers, uncooperative cash registers, and self-doubts during his first day at work. (full text)

Working in My Parents’ Chinese Restaurant

When Jessica begins taking shifts at her parents’ Chinese restaurant, she feels shame and resentment but she eventually appreciates the value of persistence and hard work that the job teachers her.
(full text)

Why I’m Proud to Have a Job

Christopher writes about the benefits of juggling work and school and how it puts you at an advantage when applying to colleges. (full text)

Growing Up is Hard to Do

DeAnna writes about her life during the four years following her high school graduation and her journey toward independence. She learns it is a meandering road. (full text)

Good Enough to Be a Lawyer

Damia’s dream of becoming a lawyer, her worry about her English language skills, and her fear of criminals collide when she lands an internship at a District Attorney’s office. (full text)

Not a Stretch

Eliza navigates around her parents’ wish for her to become a doctor and finds a career path that feels right. (full text)

My First Time: On The Job

Diamonique is excited to land her first job at a McDonald’s, but her boss soon becomes verbally abusive. (full text)

How to WOW Employers

Donald wonders why his job applications go unanswered—until a job training program teaches him what it means to be professional. (full text)

One City, Three Worlds

While Wall St. has recovered from the recession, a lot of low and moderate income workers have lost their jobs permanently. NYC reporters travel to three different neighborhoods (wealthy, moderate income, and poor) to find out on the ground how the recession is affecting people. (full text)

Rewriting My Dream

Marsha’s parents, like many immigrant parents, want her to become a doctor. A career in medicine becomes her dream too—until she realizes that she prefers writing to science. (full text)

Can I Even Afford To Apply?

Stephanie is disturbed by the high costs of applying to college and believes financial waivers should be easier to get. (full text)

Senior Dues Can Lead to Senior Blues at NYC High Schools

A Young Sportswriter Spends a Night at the Garden

Shawn covers a Knicks game as an intern for The New York Times, which convinces him to become a sportswriter. Dove, however, goes to Wesleyan, becomes co-director of a Beacon School project in Harlem, and founds "Harlem Overheard" in 1996, a youth-written magazine modeled on NYC. (full text)

STORE SUBSCRIBE LESSON PLANS FROM THE AUTHOR LINKS WE LIKE ABOUT US FAQs CONTACT US