The Week Before the Trip

The excitement for the upcoming school trip to Junior Achievement Finance Park had been building up all week. To prepare, we delved into the world of finance using a dedicated notebook. Topics ranged from distinguishing between credit and debit cards to uncovering the mysteries of government taxes. Little did I know how valuable these lessons would become?

How We Were Arranged to Go

The day finally arrived, and we gathered in the school cafeteria, ready for an adventure in financial literacy. Each student signed in on a paper, and after the official check-in, we were sorted into different groups. I found myself in Group M, surrounded by fellow eager learners.

How We Went

Boarding three separate buses, the journey to Junior Achievement Finance Park began. I lucked out as my friend shared the same bus, ensuring a journey filled with chess games and Wordle challenges. The excitement was palpable as we neared our destination.

What Was It About

Upon arrival, we discovered a round center with tables lining the walls, each hosting different stands representing companies like Toyota, CVS, Publix, Amazon, and more. Our mission? Navigate through these stands, choose a job, and manage taxes and expenses based on our simulated income.

The Stands That I Saw

I explored various stands, each offering a unique perspective on financial responsibilities:

Publix: Managed a budget to purchase ingredients for a meal. (Note: My culinary skills were put to the test, but alas, no finished meals.)

Toyota: Arranged car cards to simulate the car-buying process. No right or wrong way, just an optical and prepared approach.

Universal: Engaged in a quiz about insurance and jobs, and regretfully missed out on the hurricane simulator.

NSU: Solved riddles about different jobs, particularly enjoying the aqua biologist section.

Amazon: Participated in Kahoots about cloud technology how Amazon manages its information, and the roles of technology in modern-day business.

Summary of What I Learned at the End

The job that caught my attention was the Computer Data Analyst position at Amazon, offering an average annual salary of $74,600 (forgive any inaccuracies). With this income, we had to solve all of our taxes and expenses. After meticulously managing my finances, I found myself with a surprising $100 in spare funds. While unexpected, it reinforced the importance of budgeting and financial planning.

In conclusion, this trip left me feeling more confident about handling expenses, budgets, and taxes—although the budgeting part was TOTALLY not learned through culinary expertise ha, ha(ironic laugh). However, my previous experience at the KubeCon+CloudNativeCon trip in Chicago played a good role. The Junior Achievement Finance Park experience was not only educational but also a fun and interactive way to explore the world of finance.