{"id":376721,"date":"2026-10-19T10:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376721\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:16:17","slug":"a-16-year-old-spent-500-on-flyers-plastered-across-nyc-asking-strangers-to-let-him-shadow-their-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376721\/","title":{"rendered":"A 16-year-old spent $500 on flyers plastered across NYC asking strangers to let him shadow their jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Two<\/a> Avi Lichtenstein\/LinkedIn <\/p>\n

A 16-year-old New York City teenager worried about choosing a career has taken matters into his own hands, spending about $500 to plaster the city with more than 300 flyers asking strangers to let him shadow them at work. <\/p>\n

Avi Lichtenstein, a high school junior, came up with the idea after struggling to stop thinking about what he wanted to do with his life. Rather than waiting until college to explore his options, he decided to spend the school year experiencing different professions firsthand. <\/p>\n

Must Read <\/p>\n

“Every night I’m like, ‘What am I going to do with my life?'” Lichtenstein told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>. <\/p>\n

His posters feature a selfie and a straightforward request: “Do you have a cool job and a big heart? Let me shadow you. I’m 16 pls.” <\/p>\n

NYC teen’s $500 investment in career exploration pays off <\/p>\n

Lichtenstein’s goal was to shadow one person each week during the school year, giving him a better idea of what career he might want to pursue before applying to colleges next year, according to the Wall Street Journal. <\/p>\n

He hired two people he found on Craigslist to distribute the flyers around New York City, including in neighborhoods where young professionals work and socialize. <\/p>\n

And the unconventional job-search strategy has already introduced him to a range of professions, including dog grooming, radio broadcasting and restaurant ownership. <\/p>\n

His first opportunity came just a day after he put up the posters, when he connected with a professional dog groomer. He spent three hours observing her work, asking questions about her training, schedule and satisfaction with the job. <\/p>\n

He also visited the studios of a satellite radio company to watch a morning show being produced and has received offers to explore other fields, including aviation, tattoo artistry and marketing. <\/p>\n

One experience has even turned into a part-time job at the Midnight Noodle Mart in The Bronx. <\/p>\n

Jacqueline Rojas, who owns the business with her husband, Adrian Lopez, told the Wall Street Journal that she recognized something familiar in Lichtenstein’s uncertainty about his future; she had felt similarly at his age. <\/p>\n

Since joining the restaurant, Lichtenstein has contributed ideas to help improve its marketing. He designed a flyer advertising an $18 lunchtime deal for teachers and students, suggested purchasing a branded tent for food festivals and offered ideas for making the restaurant’s TikTok<\/a> videos more entertaining. <\/p>\n

A TikTok account he created about his own project has also gone viral, according to the Wall Street Journal, generating more than two dozen additional requests from professionals interested in letting him shadow them. <\/p>\n

Read More: Vanguard reveals what’s coming for U.S. stocks \u2014 and it could be bad news for this group of investors<\/a> <\/p>\n

Why exploring careers early could pay off financially in the long run <\/p>\n

For teenagers like Lichtenstein, figuring out a career path isn’t just about finding a job they enjoy. It could also influence their future earnings, educational expenses and financial stability. <\/p>\n

According to a March 2025 survey from Pew Research Center, 18% of U.S. teens weren’t sure what they planned to do<\/a> after high school, while 86% said having a job or career they enjoy as adults was extremely or very important to them. <\/p>\n

Research suggests that understanding those interests early could have implications for both career satisfaction and earning potential. <\/p>\n

A 2022 study by Applied Psychology examined whether adolescents’ vocational interests predicted later outcomes<\/a>, including educational attainment, occupational prestige, income and job satisfaction. And the researchers found that adolescents’ interests indeed helped predict objective career outcomes, including income \u2014 and that young people whose interests better matched their eventual occupations tended to report greater job satisfaction more than a decade later. <\/p>\n

For Lichtenstein, that makes his $500 investment in career exploration potentially more valuable than simply finding a job he enjoys. Learning what different professions involve could help him identify a path that fits his interests before committing significant time and money to higher education or specialized training. <\/p>\n

After all, the financial stakes can be substantial. College costs vary considerably depending on the institution and whether students attend public or private schools, according to the Education Data Initiative. The average cost of college<\/a> in the U.S. is $39,406 per student, per year. <\/p>\n

What To Read Next <\/p>\n

Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: A 16-year-old spent $500 on flyers plastered across NYC asking strangers to let him shadow their jobs<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n