Getting It Wright

Getting+It+Wright

Annie Rouse, Staff Writer

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker switches jobs 10 times before the age 40. The number of jobs is growing to 12 by the end of your lifetime.

Everyday, seniors are thinking about the scary future questions. What are you going to major in? What do you think you will achieve in the future? Where do you want to live? Will you be happy doing that? The decisions you make now you will be stuck with for the rest of your life. The owner of Pinwheel toys, Lora Wright, defied this deception of “choosing a career now is the only way you will have a future”. Even when she has all of the stress of an independent store owner, she continues to be helpful and supportive to everyone.

“I was inspired to open the store because I love toys and I love toy stores! It had been quite a while since there had been a toy store in Wheaton and I really felt like we needed a toy store… So, my sister, mom and I decided to open the store,” stated Lora Wright. Students are making decisions on the future now when they don’t know the answers to life changing questions. Students are forced to ask the quesitons about family in the future, the affects it will have on the job and qualifications of the job.These questions cannot be answered until it affects them in 10 years. How was Lora Wright supposed to know that districts won’t hire teachers with Masters? Being pressured to make the right decision of what you want to do in the future and have it be correct is insurmountable. Changing job paths is a normal thing. Lora Wright pursued her dream to open a toy store which would never of happened if she didn’t have her masters degree.

Making the right career path is very challenging that is why it takes 12 tries to get it right. That doesn’t mean it isn’t scary. “The most difficult things are getting all the building permits, liability insurance, corporation licenses, IRS documents, resale certificates, computer systems and technology up and running. People think running a toy store is choosing toys and selling them but it’s much more involved with tons of paperwork, state laws to follow, federal laws to follow, etc,” said Lora. There is more to choosing a career than what meets the eye. That is why people need to experience the job to see all the aspects the job entails. There is some risk to choosing a job but you never know the outcome. It could be your passion, so it is worth the risk. “Like most small businesses we are able to pay our expenses but we have a large bank loan so we don’t make a profit yet. However, we are still able to pay our bills! But like everything in life, there are positives and negatives.”

Through all of the stress of owning an independent store Lora Wright still sees the positive side of everything. After opening a toy store Lora says “ the most fulfilling part of the job is definitely getting to know the employees and customers.” She forgets about all the loans and competition of sales and remembers she is doing what she loves. Her love for her store is contagious.  Brianna Frasca, a worker at Pinwheel toys said, “She brings joy to everyone she is in contact with.”

Choosing the correct major seems like the end all be all to most seniors right now, but through the example Lora Wright has shown, job hunting is natural and is necessary to pursue your dreams. The most important thing is to do what you love and you never know you could go from a Master in teaching to owning your own business.