Take a Reality Check with your teen

If you are an adult and paying your own bills, you know what life costs on a monthly basis.

If you are a kid, like most kids you probably tune your folks out when they start to lecture on what things cost today.

Now there is a site for both groups to look at and make a reality check: www.twc.state.tx.us/realitycheck.

The site asks you to enter a location; the nearest to Jasper would be Beaumont. Then make choices of how you want to live- do you plan to have a large car, an economy car, or a used car? In cities like Houston, public transportation would be another option.

What about being connected- do you need cable TV, a cell phone and a land line, high speed internet?

Do you plan to cook, eat out, or a combination?

Each choice adds to the running total of your monthly expenses. Once you've made lifestyle choices, choose from a list of careers to see if they pay enough to foot the bill for all your "needs."

The point of this reality check is to help youth realize they need a career that can support the kind of lifestyle they want.

WorkForce Solutions offices around the state have a variety of programs specially tailored to help young people find a career to support these choices.