I’m 21 and I’ve already had seven interesting jobs. They include being a writer at a magazine, a tutor, a respite worker, and homeless shelter staff. Most of those jobs were internships or temporary positions that paid a stipend rather than an hourly wage—which usually means less than minimum wage.

Although I would have made more money and had more job stability if I had gotten typical teen jobs at stores or restaurants, those types of jobs are usually dead ends. I realized a while ago that I’d rather have a temporary, low-paying job that’s a stepping stone to a career I’ll enjoy, rather than a part-time job that leads nowhere. So far, each job has taught me a little more about what I want to do and how to get there.

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I got on this path by following my interests—in writing, working with children, and helping people—from a young age. In fact, my love for reading and writing brought me to my first internship.

Paid, a Little, to Write

I came into foster care when I was 14, and my second foster mom told me, “Samantha, you are always writing in that notebook of yours. I think the best way for you to spend your summer this year is to apply to this workshop at Represent magazine.” There was a $400 stipend for six weeks and a small payment of about $15 to $50 for each completed story after that.

My foster mom helped me apply for the internship, and the week before my 16th birthday, I got in and started interning for the magazine. Writing for Represent was intimidating because I was now part of a crew in an office contributing to a publication, not just writing in my bedroom. But I realized that writing for the magazine let me advocate for other teens in foster care—and I liked that. I learned to have professional relationships with my fellow writers and my adult editors. I also learned to meet deadlines, which was hard because I love to take my time when writing.

I’ve stayed on at the magazine for five years now, but I realized I didn’t want to just advocate from a desk and computer; I wanted to help people face-to-face. I was trying to be less shy and wanted to challenge myself by speaking up for others in person.

A Year to Remember

I earned my GED at 17, but I didn’t want to go to college yet. I looked for a job where I could give back to the community and came across AmeriCorps. It’s a national public service jobs program that connects people to opportunities to improve the environment, build houses for the poor, and work with children.

I especially liked the idea of working with children. Since I was 6, I’ve babysat younger kids—cousins, foster brothers and sisters. I was also a volunteer tutor, helping K-2nd graders with reading and writing. I like being a role model because I never had any growing up. So that spring, I applied to all the AmeriCorps programs that involved working with children.

City Year was one of those programs, for people ages 17-24. You have to commit to 10 months of full-time work. I was paid $275 weekly before taxes, which is the equivalent of about $5.50 per hour. They also provided health insurance and a stipend to put toward education. Because I was still in foster care, the pay was fine for me, but not so great for my peers who were living on their own.

The experience was much better than the pay. I tutored kindergartners and first graders starting at 8 a.m.; then I’d host workshops or do office work in the afternoon; and then after-school tutoring until 6 p.m. Some days I did community service with the whole group, and I also did some fundraising.

The City Year job ended, but the experience I got working with children and on a team helped me land a new job. I was hired as a respite worker with Mercy Drive Inc., an agency that connects families who have children with disabilities to respite workers and special needs specialists. They didn’t ask for experience with special-needs kids, just that you be caring and responsible.

Adding Experience

image by YC-Art Dept

For that job, I went to the homes of families whose children had disabilities ranging from autism to cerebral palsy. My job was to tutor, babysit, and help the parents with their kids. I started working 30 hours a week.

I felt out of my element at first because I had never worked with children with disabilities. But as time went on, I saw beyond the disability to the child.

There were problems though. Some families wanted me to clean their houses and run errands for them, but I couldn’t bill for those hours on my time sheets. They got mad when I said I wasn’t a housekeeper, and my hours got cut. Some weeks I only worked 10 hours. I was getting paid $9 an hour and was told I would get promoted to $9.50 after six months but that never happened. I wasn’t making enough money, so I had to quit.

I went back to Craigslist where I’d found that job, and I found another AmeriCorps position tutoring kids in K-5th grade at the YWCA. I’d pick students up from their classes and take them to an assigned class for homework help and recreation activities. I became close to my coworkers and for the first time at a job, hung out and did things with them. But because it was a temporary position like most AmeriCorps jobs, that ended in June of 2011 and I was back to job hunting again.

Scammed, Then Scared

I aged out of care in July of 2011. I didn’t have a job, and I had to pay rent. I was so desperate after I aged out that I fell for a scam run by a “bartending school.” A manager there went on and on about all the money I could make bartending and how flexible my schedule would be—all the things I wanted to hear. He then told me that I needed to pay $199 in order to get my license.

I paid him the money thinking that I’d be trained in a popular, high-paying profession. But I looked up the “school” online and found only some reviews saying the place was a scam. I demanded my money back, and they tried to tell me I’d signed a paper that let them keep my money. I got my bank involved and filed a claim on the company. Since I had paid with my debit card, I was able to get my money back. I will never fall for a scam like that again. Make sure you do your research before you give money to anyone claiming they can help you find a job.

Finally, after nine months out of work, I came across the Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP), a New York City program for low-income young adults aged 16-24 who are not working and not in school. They partner with companies that provide internships. I was placed at a drop-in center mentoring homeless youth and assisting them with housing and education needs. The internship only lasts 14 weeks, but I will get job-finding assistance for up to nine months after that.

Need That Degree

Although I’m tired of hopping from job to job, I’ve built up my résumé a lot over the last five years. I’ve learned how to be patient in a crisis from working at the homeless shelter. I know how to lead a community service project from working at the YWCA. I know how to teach life skills and hygiene to children with disabilities from working at Mercy Drive.

I went to college for a while, majoring in psychology, but then dropped out. I can see from the many jobs I have that I want to do more to help people, and to do that I really do need a college degree. I decided to go back to school and change my major from psychology to social work. I hope to make a career in social work, helping youth and advocating for change.

There are a lot of opportunities for young people—and especially youth in care—to get internships, participate in job training programs, and find work through youth employment programs. And those opportunities dry up as you get older, so my advice is to take advantage of opportunities like AmeriCorps, high school or college internships, and youth employment programs while you can.

If you’re interested in getting work experience through a community service program like Samantha did, consider joining AmeriCorps. The national program connects people with opportunities to help others and pays a small stipend. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

City Year, which partners with AmeriCorps, is open to people aged 17 to 24; workers commit to working 10 months at a school and earn some money for education. Learn more at CityYear.org.

Job Corps provides free education and training for low-income people 16 and older. Go to JobCorps.gov