The Best Summer Job

Background:

Although it's only November, you need to start planning for your 2021 summer job. You have a variety of choices this year and want to determine your "best" choice. You pose this problem for your team of math friends:

We have many opportunities for a summer job. Some allow us to work from home virtually/electronically, some are a walk or bike ride away, and others require us to drive or take a train. Each job offers differing numbers of hours each week and the hourly rates also vary. Some involve physical activity, or at least not sitting at a desk (e.g. cashier at a store, lifeguarding, or wait staff at a restaurant), while others are mostly sedentary and perhaps use analytical and organizational skills (e.g. data analysis, office administration, or research).

Let's develop a model that will evaluate the choices we have for our summer jobs and help us all find the "best" job. While we certainly want to earn and save some money, we also want to have time for recreation activities (e.g. exercise, outings, and social time with friends). Let's make our model one that will be helpful for all high school students to think about and analyze their summer job options.