When people are trying to find their way into a particular job or internship, they often look for ones that seem really important or pay a lot of money. But there are other things to think about that are even more important. For instance, a job that helps you learn can be valuable, even if it doesn’t pay much. You’ll have a chance for fancier, higher-paying jobs later, and the stuff you learn from those early, lower-paying jobs will be useful for many years.

Take Freddie Roach, the boxer, for example. He decided to work for free at a boxing center to learn important skills for his career. In the end, this choice paid off, and he earned a lot more money than if he’d taken a different, paid job at the beginning. Lots of other experts made similar choices when they were young. Like Charles Darwin, who could have gone to medical school or had a well-paying church job. Instead, he got his father to let him work for free as a naturalist on a ship. He studied plants and animals, and that helped him create his famous theory of evolution.

Benjamin Franklin did something similar. Instead of taking over his dad’s profitable candle-making business, he worked at a printing company. This meant a longer apprenticeship and not much money, but Franklin knew he could learn how to write well, which turned out to be a big help for him later. So, when you’re looking for an internship or your first job, don’t just focus on how fancy it is or how much it pays. Look for the ones that help you learn and develop your skills. These kinds of jobs will lead to more money and success in the future.