<p>I don’t particularly want mine working, at least during freshman year. I also dislike the idea of them taking jobs that could otherwise go to students who really need the money to stay in college. To me, that’s just not very nice - “I’m an affluent kid who wanted a few extra bucks, so I chose to work at the coffee shop and got the job over you, the kid who needs every penny for her education.” I feel differently when it comes to something that is skill-based (e.g., an internship in a given field), but when it comes to the regular, everyday, job-to-earn-money types of jobs that are found in or near a campus community, it’s just not very nice IMO.</p>
<p>Driving a cab can be hard work and it doesn’t always pay well, and it can be dangerous.In NYC cab drivers ‘lease’ their cab from the cab company who owns the medallion, they pay a fee for using the cab during their shift up front and if I remember correctly, a percent of the receipts. Not sure who has the insurance on the can, whether it is the driver or the owner. In other cities you work for the cab company and get paid an hourly wage+tips. One of the things that used to be nice about driving a cab was that the tips were usually in cash, so you could get away with not reporting some of it, but these days they now take credit cards in the cabs, which on top of everything else here in NYC means the cabbie is paying a 10% fee to the processor of the credit card (thus if the fare if 10 bucks, the actual amount they get is 9 bucks). For a college kid doing this as a part time job it might not be bad, as a full time job it is tough. </p>
<p>Feel glad, though, friend of mine worked as a driver for an escort service, which technically is legal, but in the wrong circumstances he could have gotten nailed for being part of a prostitution service, but he made good money at it.</p>
<p>While I understand concerns about time, especially as a freshman, I also think it is a good idea for kids to get work experience, even if the job seems like schlock central, it gives the kid experience in working with others and other real life skills, and when an employer looks at a cv of a kid coming out of college seeing work experience is a big plus. When I got my first job out of college, one of the things that got me the job was that I had worked a number of different jobs, the one that impressed them for some reason was the one I had helping fix cabs at a garage (wasn’t anything glamorous, usually found myself repacking wheel bearings, cleaning out filthy cam covers, trying to reach spark plugs GM kindly buried under a ton of crap and so forth).though come to think of it the job in question, which became my career, was very much like that:). It also gives the kid confidence and having some pocket money teaches a lot about having your own money and how to use it. </p>
<p>Experience that directly ties to the field they are trying to get into obviously doesn’t hurt, but making the case that the kid knows responsibility is a biggie, no matter what it was. (I think my friend was a driver for an escort service was helped by his resume, he became a trader at a big brokerage firm, that probably made him a legend there <em>lol</em>)</p>
<p>I think everyone, no matter what his or her family’s financial circumstances are, deserves a chance to work. The students who really need the money to stay in college are probably getting work-study, needs-based scholarships, or financial aid. My D gets none of those. Saying only students who need money should take on-campus jobs is like saying only people whose spouses are unemployed should be able to apply for jobs. All students deserve a chance to earn money, learn responsibility, and answer to a boss. Bill Gates’s kids deserve a chance to have a job as much as anyone else. Why are we having them go to college in the first place? To prepare for a career in most cases. All work experience is valuable.</p>
<p>I’m glad my D got the job she took the initiative to apply for and secure. Obviously they felt she brought something to the job or they would not have hired her. She believes her workstudy peers were earning significantly more than her but she didn’t care and was glad to have the work experience, since it was only the 2nd wage-earning job she has ever had and the only one she ever got totally on her own. It gave her a great opportunity to know a lot of folks, including faculty and students in her major, which helped her get into the school and program she REALLY wanted.</p>
<p>I do not think it unreasonable for a kid to get a job if they are qualified and hired and do a good job and don’t feel only those who are workstudy or somehow deemed “needy” deserve jobs. There are plenty of jobs reserved ONLY for workstudy kids and those are the only folks who can apply and get those jobs anyway.</p>
<p>Employers choose the best applicant to fill their needs from the pool that they get. It seems to work pretty well.</p>
<p>They’ll have the rest of their lives to work. I don’t see it as something they <em>have</em> to do, given that they don’t <em>need</em> to do it.</p>
<p>My kid’s campus jobs were work study for the first two years, then her sister graduated and she no longer qualified for the federal work study job. But the college wanted her to stay in charge of the chem labs, so she’s paid out of private funds. There are no other juniors or any seniors, since the others in her class level were fired for carelessness. She’s training a workstudy-eligible sophomore to take over next year when kiddo will be too busy for employment.</p>
<p>She needs the job for her day to day expenses, and isn’t depriving anyone of federally funded workstudy. Works well for all involved.</p>
<p>Of course some parents don’t want their offspring to work in high school or in college. Some people get a sense of pride that they can provide completely for their children. But I was raised by a depression-era mother, and all my sisters and I were expected to work starting in high school. I inherited this work ethic for better or worse. I have also heard that having a paying job over an extended period is equal to or better than doing internships. Certainly there are invaluable skills learned from working that can not be taught in a classroom, like show up on time or get fired.</p>
<p>While some parents feel pride in being able to provide every dollar their student needs or take the view that they shouldn’t have to work yet because they have their whole lives to work – the reality is that these days, coming out of college with a resume listing no work experience at all puts you at a severe disadvantage when your peers all held 1 job during the school yr and had a summer job or internship every summer. By the time you’re a senior, you’re competing with people who have held up to 6 positions, and you aren’t really going to be able to say ‘well I didn’t need the money.’ No employer wants to hear that, nor will you have the chance to explain since your resume won’t get you to the interview stage. In the law firm world, once every few yrs, my firm ends up hiring a new atty who is a stellar candidate on paper but has NEVER worked; usually, it’s students who never needed to work. While that’s a great life situation, their adjustment is not particularly easy (if it happens at all), as they don’t get the concept of how to behave in an office, how to treat others esp staff members, the expectation that sometimes you have to work really hard for the money etc. It’s better if these expectations are acquired over the years through a series of jobs in college, rather than all at once in a professional position where no one will be sympathetic because they won’t understand where you’re coming from.</p>
<p>I wondered why my son even considered a part time job. Then he reminded me he was doing tons of babysitting last year. I think he misses the constant flow of incoming cash.</p>
<p>I didn’t seem to affect his grades at all, but these were often easy, well paying jobs.</p>
<p>^^ aj725: excellent post!</p>
<p>My D in Boston decided to start babysitting while in college. Apparently you can make $15-20/hour in the city. She takes the T or rides her bike to their neighborhood (safe area) and it fits around her class and study schedule. The funny thing about it she did it because she wanted a kid fix, but in the end she decided that as much as she loves ‘her kids,’ it’s also the best best family planning method you could invent, as you really have to feel the responsibility of what it takes to raise kids through all the ups/downs/good/bad/sick/healthy moments. I was worried about her time at first, but it also gave her a 2nd family away from home and in the end helped her balance her life this year.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. It’s good to get some insight into some financial considerations - expenses, insurance, taxes - that my son will have to think about. I hope SmithieandProud is right, if he has a friend who is already doing this, he might be able to ride along for several shifts and see what taxi driving is really like before he goes much further. </p>
<p>After some homesickness his first semester, my son is really enjoying being in the city this year. Even as I worry about him getting lost, stuck in traffic, or confronted by a dangerous customer, I am proud of his sense of infinite possibility.</p>
<p>He may wish to get himself a great GPS as one of the tools of his new job as well, to minimize himself being lost. Some are better than others and if he buys it from Costco, he can return it if it goes bad. We’ve had to return quite a few so far, so only buy ours from Costco. They last up to a year and then die, get returned & we buy a new one that is better than the prior one at a lower price! Personal preference is Magellan, but I know many who prefer Garmin. Some phones also do GPS directions, if he happens to have a plan that does it. One of the great things about GPS devices being sold is that many have lifetime traffic updates, which can be very handy, especially in big cities where there may be construction. We have found it handy when we did our big roadtrip. It let us know about construction along the route & is very useful in LA.</p>
<p>Babysitting is a great idea. I did that when I was studying abroad and it was a god-send. In cities especially, you just need to have access to transportation and at least one reference (I gave people the emails of clients I had worked for at home, and then once I developed a couple of local clients I used them). I would advertise on craigslist, and always use the name of my college in the ad (it’s good for hooking alums). It’s also a great way to make money during unpaid internships. </p>
<p>And I know most people think of girls as babysitters, but guys stand out from the crowd of other sitters, and a lot of parents (particularly parents of boys) really want male babysitters because they see them as better able to relate to their sons, more likely to be interested in sports or other pursuits their sons are into.</p>
<p>My D applied for a job with her school’s alumni association in her first semester. She interviews alumni (info provided by editor) and then writes articles about them for alumni publications. She loves writing, so it came easy to her. In her second semester, she applied to work at the student center and was hired as a supervisor. Now, she works in marketing for the Career Center on campus and has given up the student center job. She got these jobs on her own – no pressure from us. We no longer provide any spending money, and she has managed to build a good savings account as well.</p>
<p>At my son’s LAC, they would send out email job postings to all students when if they had job opportunities, so it was very easy to take a part time job even during the first weeks of school. He was hired to produce a video for the admissions office, take photos for the year book, create web design work for a couple of departments and a few other odds and ends. His second year he tried a stint as a local wedding photographer’s assistant that he found online, (hated it) and an assistant to a nature photographer (loved it). During all four years he did web design work that he found through Craig’s List or word of mouth. He has a fairly nice portfolio created over the last several years, and said that if his career in environmental policy (his major and passion) doesn’t work out, he knows he could support himself on his freelance web design and computer work. </p>
<p>I completely agree with those who emphasize working during college. I worried at first that he wouldn’t have time for his studies, but he managed to graduate Phi Beta Kappa and have a nice saving account as well. He came home after graduation and opened a CD. 
He didn’t "have’ to work from the financial standpoint, but he did have to in his own mind for his own growth and sense of independence. Whatever advantages he may have in the future job market because of his work history is a plus of course, but the real advantage of working is what you learn in the process that can’t be taught in a classroom.</p>
<p>I hope your son’s cab driving experience is a positive one, OP, even if it doesn’t last long. The confidence gained from making your own money and knowing you can support yourself is invaluable.</p>