This "oral record" is compiled based on an interview with Kelly Price ( Kiley Pulley ), a 23-year-old Walmart store manager from Buckeye, Arizona ( Buckeye ). The content has been edited and polished.

In 2019, when I was 16 years old, I started working part-time as a cashier at Walmart. I wanted to earn some money of my own, so I thought to myself, why not find a job?

My sister and mom are already working there, and the store is right near my high school. It's also very convenient for me to walk there after school to start working.

In the following years, I rotated through different positions, from cashier to stock keeper, and then to online fulfillment. Later on, at the age of 18, I became a training instructor at the college, and six months after that, I became the head of the digital team.

In the middle of 2021, when I became a team leader, I realized that I wanted to develop a long-term career at Walmart full-time and truly make it my profession. At the age of 19, I became an operations manager; just before my 22nd birthday, I became the youngest store manager at Walmart in the United States.

People often ask me, "How do you manage to do it?" My answer is: I show up for work every day and learn something new each day. Here are six things I have learned along the way.

I realized that I could help others through recruitment.

At first, I wanted to start my own non-profit organization or company to help the homeless population; later on, I realized that I could actually achieve these goals through Walmart.

I can bring about change through the people I hire and the impact I have on the store employees.

When I became a team leader, my income was quite good, and I really enjoyed my job. I started to work actively towards the goal of becoming a store manager. I joined the succession program and spoke with the regional manager every month. Later, after I became an operations manager, I led several projects in my market to prepare myself for the role of store manager.

I have no choice but to learn that the weight of my words is now greater.

When I was just an ordinary employee, I could become friends with everyone and joke around with them. But once I got a position with a fixed salary, everything changed.

For me, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how to speak and how to get along with people from different cultural backgrounds. As a floor manager, it feels necessary to adjust my tone of voice and reduce the amount of joking and playful behavior.

At that time, setting new boundaries for myself made me more confident in my new role, and that's still true even now.

When I first started a position with a salary-based system, I was a bit nervous. Some people said that I might encounter problems managing people who were older than me, but I have never had any issues because of the team not respecting me or not listening to my instructions.

I had to learn how to grant permissions.

Getting rid of the mindset of “if I want to do things well, I have to do them myself” is a significant shift. I realized that not everyone knows everything I know; if I really want to delegate and get tasks completed, I must teach and train others.

An important part of the work for college trainers and team leaders is to train employees. At the level of operations manager, you need to take a step back and expect that your team leaders and college trainers can do the same.

I’ve learned that if I’m willing to grant authorization, things can be completed faster and more efficiently.

I had to learn to become a service-oriented leader.

For my employees, if they need anything, whether it's ordering supplies or helping them submit tickets, I'm willing to do it. I want to speak up for them.

I know that this will make them more productive, and they might also be happier when they come to work.

Moreover, everyone likes to be recognized. For example, when someone says to them, "Hey, thank you for what you did today." or "Thank you for exceeding expectations today."

I had to learn to balance work and life.

When I first started receiving a salary, I was always on standby. I no longer went to the gym, and I also sacrificed some time spent with my fiancé and family. I would always stay at the company, saying, “They need me.”

It's my fault; the team actually didn't need me that much. Now I'm doing better. When I get home, I don't spend all day staring at data metrics, nor do I keep sending messages to the team non-stop. I've started going to the gym again.

I have learned to take a step back and trust that my leaders will do what needs to be done well. I believe they know what they are doing.

I think there will always be some activities that you might miss. It’s indeed difficult to balance everything sometimes, but I’m very lucky because my fiancé also values his career and is highly motivated, so we encourage each other.

I realized that it is possible to build a career without giving up on my studies.

I studied business in college, but then I dropped out after getting a salaried position. I told myself that once I got a management position at my first store, I would go back to continue my studies.

I have now signed up for Live Better U, which is a program offered by Walmart that provides tuition support for certain bachelor's degrees. I am taking some foundational courses and then plan to obtain a university degree.

Continue to study hard and learn more.

For teenagers who are just starting out, I would encourage them to do their work well and to learn as much as possible.

Companies are always changing, especially in terms of technology. It's important to adapt to these changes; don't be satisfied with what you already know.

When I think about my future at Walmart, I tell myself that by the age of 27 or 28, I want to become a market manager – that’s my short-term goal. In the long run, my goal is to become a regional executive vice president.

I always remind myself that it is my hard work that has enabled me to have the life I have now, so since I already have it, I can't complain anymore. Perhaps we don't have time to do all the fun things right now, but if we work hard in our twenties and think about where we might be in our thirties or forties, that keeps me motivated.