Check your first paycheck against your shifts and break rule

About this exercise

You got your first paycheck from your part-time job and it looks short. You earn $15/hr, and shifts longer than 6 hours have a 30-minute unpaid break (exactly 6 hours has none). Write exactly 4 numbered lines, one per shift, showing paid hours, then one unnumbered last line: Should be X hrs x $15 = $Y; stub $Z; short $W. Plain text, under 70 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Not giving the break rule. The AI guesses, or follows your friend and takes a break from every shift. Try: Add: "Only shifts over 6 hours lose a 30-minute break."
• Not asking to see the work. You'll need the shift-by-shift hours to ask your manager. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Sat: 8 − 0.5 = 7.5 hrs"
• Leaving the ending open. The AI explains taxes instead of the gap. Try: Add: "Last line: should be, stub, short by."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 10 words."
• Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a text to your manager. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."

What a strong prompt includes

• Gives the break rule
• Gives the rate
• Asks to show the math
• Sets a word limit
• Asks for plain text

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