Cleaning out raw meat tubs covered in leftover blood is one of Carlee Smith’s (12) least favorite tasks at the Edgewood Locker where she has worked for three months. 

Smith chose to work at the Edgewood Locker, a local meat processing business, partly because she has many friends who work there. 

“They’re really flexible,” Smith said. “You can pick your schedule, which was nice for me, as I live on a farm.”

Smith has a variety of tasks she performs ranging from peeling deer or beef sticks to packing meat for customers.

“If somebody has a certain amount, it all has to be divided up so it fits in certain boxes nicely and it’s not exceeding the weight capacity,” Smith said. “It all has to be weighed out properly.”

Another reason Smith decided to work at the locker was that they pay well. She started at $12 an hour but makes an extra dollar an hour when she works overtime. For every year she works there, she will also get a dollar raise. 

Smith highly recommends that teens, especially in high school, find a job. 

“You don’t really have a lot of exposure to real-world scenarios until you do get out into the workforce and you learn how money works, about time management, how to be a good co-worker, and more,” Smith said. “I think that having a job gets you ready for what you’re going to face after high school in general.”