In high school, some people just can’t wait to get a job, especially in the freshman class. But in any given town, there are only so many fast food restaurants hiring pre pubescent teenagers. However, in a state like Iowa, there is always a job to do in outside during the summer. Levi Murphy ‘21, has signed up for one such job that has him working outside this summer.

Murphy breeds corn at Dupont Pioneer in the summer. Murphy has wanted a summer job for two years, but has only bred corn for one year. “My dad signed me up by going to a website and printing off the application forms. I filled them out and mailed them to the company,” Murphy said. In order to sign up for a summer job at Dupont, a person needs to be at least 14 years of age. At Dupont Pioneer, Murphy breeds corn. “Basically what I do is put shoot bags on the corn stocks and put bag on the tassles. I go around and take the tassle bags off which are full of pollen and put it on the shoot bag and staple the bag over the corn,” Murphy said. Murphy breeds corn from seven in the morning to four in the afternoon.

Knowing that he wanted a summer job, and not looking for anything specific besides a job that pays, Murphy saw that working at Dupont Pioneer paid well so he signed up. “I wanted money, and my dad told me I had to work out doors before I can work indoors,” Murphy said. Even though Murphy has to work during his summer break, he’s not disappointed that he has less of a summer break. “They’re really flexible with your schedule and by the time you’re done you still have most of the day,” Murphy said.

When  summer break comes to mind, people usually think of it as a time to escape from the stress of school, and working at job isn’t usually part of people’s summer plans. While Murphy may not have as much of a summer break with his summer job, he will be getting paid so that he can enjoy the time he has left of break and the next school year.