Family businesses tend to be the pride and joy of many families, and students raised in such an environment often acquire various skills at a young age. These experiences can set them up for future success; however, some students don’t feel the pull to continue in their family business and choose instead to pursue different career paths while others take full advantage of the employment opportunity and work to continue the business.
Transitioning from a cap and gown to a family legacy can be a significant change for some, while others are accustomed to working in the business. Students who have worked in their family business since childhood often experience this.
Senior Angela Pan’s mother owns a Chinese restaurant in downtown Washington called How Lee. Growing up in this environment instilled in Pan a strong work ethic and helped her understand why managers are so insistent on completing tasks and meeting deadlines.
Pan comments, “My mom has owned [How Lee] since 2010, and I’ve been helping her since elementary school, around age 10. I mainly worked as the front cashier.”
She has decided that instead of following in her mother’s footsteps, she wants to become an optometrist after a lesson about eyes in her Psychology class sparked her interest in the field.
“I’m not a great planner, but once my career path is planned and set in stone, I might return to help out once a month, but only if I’m needed; I’d prefer not to, though. It isn’t an easy industry to work in, especially every day. So I think it’s cool, but it isn’t something you want to do every day in the future,” adds Pan.
Like Pan, Wyatt Rodgers, another THS senior, is taking a unique approach to joining the family business. His dad owns a construction and excavation company called J Rodgers Construction. His dad has over 20 years of experience and has owned the company for about 11 years.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve been working with him and doing stuff around the properties and out on jobs, I learned how to drive the trucks when I was pretty young, I can pretty much do a better job than what most people in the market right now could,” states Rodgers.
He plans to attend the University of Kentucky and major in finance before returning to join the company and eventually take the business over from his dad.
Rodgers says, “It’s a generational thing. My dad needs to hand it down to someone, and eventually, I’ll hand it down to my kids. It’s just a good opportunity to take.”
Trinity offers many classes to help prepare students for joining a family business later in life.
Rodgers notes, “I was mainly self-taught, but all the woodworking, metalworking and engine classes would definitely be a big help. You have to be mechanically inclined to do this type of job.”
However, fellow Senior Jonathon Thomas has a different plan for his future. His dad has owned an IT support company called BT Consulting Service for 20 years, and Thomas plans to transition directly from graduation to helping with the family business.
Thomas remarked, “It’s easier to start off in a business that is already established; it’s also in the field I was already wanting to go into, so it makes sense to help my dad.”
As a child, Thomas would accompany his dad to job sites and shadow him. This exposure allowed him to see the environment in which his dad worked and the duties he performed, sparking his interest from a young age.
“Growing up in that environment, surrounded by technology and going to the jobs with my dad influenced me to go this route also,” states Thomas.
He hopes to continue the family business for generations to come after his father inevitably hands it down to him.
Trinity wishes the best for all students who have grown up in this environment as they navigate their paths, whether through college or directly into the workforce via the family business.
