Older Teens Benefit From Having A Job
At some point in life, a child starts to become an adult and needs to start experiencing adult things. One of the things that helps to prepare a teen for adulthood is getting their first job. Not every teenager gets a job but those that do are better prepared for college and the world after graduating high school.
Age seventeen is a common age where a teen might be looking for work for the first time. Jobs for 17 year olds are usually simple jobs in service or behind cash registers but they show the child what is required of holding and keeping a job. They teach responsibility, how to deal with co-workers, and what it is like to have a boss.
Likewise, jobs for 18 year olds are pretty much the same but if a teenager can find work in an area that interests them that is the best situation. If a teen likes money then a job in a bank might be interesting. If a teen enjoys swimming then a lifeguard or swimming teacher job might be in order. A job can be both fun and a learning experience at the same time.
Much of the time parents are the one that make their kids get jobs. After all, why would anyone want to work during the summer when they can have the whole time off? However in these harsh economic times, if teenagers want any kind of spending money it might be an incentive to get a job. Not all parents have the luxury of doling out allowance money like they might have several years ago.
The more teens that have the experience of having a job the better for our society. We need to be teaching our young ones what will be expected of them and they need to learn that it will be their responsibility to earn a living. Schools are sheltered places and it is good for a teenager to get out in the real world and see how real people struggle with life. Having a job in high school also looks good on a resume later when trying to get their first “real” job.