VIDALIA — After a few hours on their feet working at McDonald’s on Carter Street, Yoshiko Wilson and Taylor Parker were ready when their break time rolled around.

Sitting down in a booth to munch on French fries and chicken nuggets, Wilson, 16, said McDonald’s was her first job, and that after a week on the job, she liked it.

“It’s fun,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of cool people who work here.”

Wilson said she decided to get a job for the experience.

“I heard they were hiring, so I just decided to apply,” she said.

Even though she hasn’t worked long enough to receive her first paycheck, Wilson said she definitely prefers some duties to others.

“I like working as cashier,” she said. “I’m good at math, so I like to deal with the money.”

For Parker, 19, working as many hours as she can is just part of a tenuous balance she maintains.

A full-time student at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Parker has a 6-month-old son — Jeremiah — and that is why she is working, she said.

“In the mornings I go to school, and when I get out I go see him,” she said. “When I get off work, I go get him, and after I put him to bed I study.”

Though it can be tough, it’s not too tough, Parker said.

“At first I didn’t get too much sleep, but it’s really not bad when you get used to it,” she said.

Parker is studying to become a registered nurse, and she said her work at McDonald’s has helped her learn to be able to deal with a lot of different kinds of people.

“I like helping people,” she said. “I love the customers.”