HS students working during school year?

Parents Forum
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<p>I am with those who advocate for working during the school year. I held a part-time job during the school year all through my junior and senior years of high school. I started the job during the summer in between sophomore and junior years and because my supervisor was so pleased with my work and eager to keep me for the school year, she offered me a flexible school year schedule. I generally worked just on weekends, but we stepped up my hours on school vacations and when I had more time and I was able to get time off when I needed it for something academic or sports-related.</p>

<p>I cannot say enough about what working did for me. Although I had always been a hard worker in the classroom, it took me a little while to find my groove, work ethic-wise, at work, and I think that learning to function and manage the office politics in a relatively low-risk setting will be beneficial when I am working in a professional position for the first time in a few years. Additionally, interacting with people several years older than me who were still working in low-wage jobs because they had chosen not to begin or complete their college education provided a clear, and unpleasant, picture of what awaited me if I chose not to do what it will take to obtain a college degree. </p>

<p>I also think that students having their own money is important. For me, it was NOT a financial necessity in any way that I worked. However, having some cash coming in and then directing some of it back out enabled me to learn lessons about banking and personal finance that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. As I am sure all of you do, my parents talked to us about saving, budgeting, etc., but it’s hard to learn the little lessons about balancing a checkbook, keeping your bank account organized, choosing a bank, making transactions, figuring how much to save and where to put it, responsibly using a credit/debit card, without actually having some money to do it with. </p>

<p>Finally, I’m always amazed by how many parents on this board have students who don’t drive and there is no sense or urgency to get them driving. Admittedly, I live in a semi-rural area where driving is pretty much a necessity, but I started driving at the end of my sophomore year and made the time to do all of the practice, driver education, and such leading up to that. While I know different states have different laws about when young people can start driving, being licensed to operate a motor vehicle in America is pretty much a necessity at some point, and I don’t think kids should be going off to college not knowing how to drive. Frankly, driving is a key life skill, and I don’t think it’s a valid excuse to say that S or D is too busy. I also can’t imagine how S or D is going to handle all of his/her newfound freedom as a college freshman when he or she hasn’t even gotten in a car and gone somewhere alone before.</p>

<p>I don’t think that parents should allow academic/extracurricular/athletic pursuits to trump “life” obligations like learning to drive or gaining a little bit of work experience. In this economy, employers can afford to choose and are not going to hire an employee, especially one with no work experience, who only has, at this point, two and a half to three months of availability (and that’s assuming the OP’s D can start immediately and she isn’t going to be missing any work time for summer programs, sports camps, family vacation, etc.). I made time to work and learn to drive in high school and I still managed to graduate at the top of my HS class and was accepted to, and will attend, a university with a sub-20% acceptance rate. JMHO…</p>

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<p>Thanks for everyone’s input. DD does not get out of school until June 23. She has various unpaid things to do in July and August (trip, camp, volunteer work) and will practice her driving skills over the summer (has a permit, won’t be eligible to drive alone until Oct.). The babysitting/tutoring idea is a good one for extra cash. However, also I want her to get some experience dealing with the public and working for someone who doesn’t have be “nice” to her because of social relationships with the family. She needs to learn how to deal with people on her own. I think that is one of the great benefits of a job at this age (not just the money).</p>

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<p>I wanted to mention that while I never thought I would be working during the school year, I got a job the summer before my junior year and continued working there through my junior year, the next summer, and my senior year - I’m still working there now. If there is no financial incentive, it’s still a great experience. In my case, most of what I made went into college savings, but it’s really, really nice to have your own income, and know that if you need money, you have it to spend - it’s a great feeling.</p>

<p>I would highly advise her to consider working part-time throughout the year, especially if the job is flexible. I had a really crazy schedule, but I managed to work about 10 hours most weeks, which was a good income level to sustain. I definitely learned a lot from working with the public, as well.</p>

<p>Also, on a different note - not to think too far ahead, but when she goes to college, she will always have a fallback job if she gets one now. At least where I work, the college students can always return for the summer if they don’t find another job, which is very reassuring.</p>

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<p>My son worked throughout the school year by his own choice – starting halfway through his freshman year, when he got a job as a library page.</p>

<p>But he had no conventional extracurricular activities, and my husband and I placed strict limits on how much he could work – not so much in terms of hours per week as in terms of hours per day. There had to be time for homework. He got a job in a retail store at the start of the summer before his senior year and kept it throughout the school year. But because the store insisted on shifts a minimum of six hours in length, we insisted that he could only work on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday – and his boss accepted this restriction, assigning him to two of those three days every week. There was no way that we would let him work from 3 to 9 on, say, a Tuesday. There would be no way for him to get his homework done.</p>

<p>My daughter didn’t work for pay until the summer before college. She did have extracurricular activities, as well as a more demanding academic program (she was in IB; her brother wasn’t). </p>

<p>I think both of them made good choices, even though those choices were very different.</p>

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<p>My two oldest did work through the school year. Not a ton of hours maybe around 10 during the school year, 20-35 during summers. We did not encourage them nor deny them. They both made the decision themselves. It’s been “good” for both of them as it’s led to an easy transition finding work summers and during the college year and my oldest will effectively have 5 years work experience when he graduates college next year.</p>

<p>Frankly I’m glad they worked (as will our youngest soon). I’ve hired many interns over the years and I’ve yet to hire one that hasn’t had some “real” job. I think those kids just interview better, have more confidence and understand what work is. I don’t think I’ve ever hired a new college grad who hadn’t had some sort of real job probably for the same reasons. It’s just one of those “life steps” that has to be taken at some point in time but I think job hunting post college in this economy is probably easier for those kids who have held down jobs at some point. I’ll find out soon enough I guess with my own!</p>

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<p>From March of my junior year through the beginning of December my senior year, I worked weekends and over the summer as a Letter Brush Artist at SeaWorld San Antonio, TX, for Kaman’s Art Shoppes. It was a good first job–fun, outgoing, taught me time management and people skills, paid on commission, great venue, free tickets for me and my family, lots of exercise, awesome and cheap food (think grilled tilapia with rice pilaf, two vegetables, and a soda for less than four dollars total; I LOVED the food there!), the list goes on…and I’m about 99% certain that Matthew McConaughey walked past one night…but I’m glad the season ended in December for us. I’ve had 4 AP classes, Orchestra, Choir, and an independent study class this year, plus out-of-class activities, and my stress level started to SKYROCKET second semester. But it wasn’t too bad for the most part; if you’re good with time management and need or want to earn a little money, and can find a job that you think would suit you, it’s a great opportunity. Plus, when you get to college, you’ll already have work experience, which will help you in the long run.</p>

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<p>I don’t drive. I don’t anticipate it being a problem, and I even live in a rural area where you might think driving is a necessity. It just isn’t, especially for those of us who are moving to places with public transportation. I don’t think all students should have a job during the school year (but I think all students should have a job at some point) and I don’t think that all students should drive. I don’t think either is a necessity, but there are definitely benefits to each - as has been outlined.</p>

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<p>clg2010 - In MA, where I live, kids need to take drivers ed in order to get a license under the age of 18. My S got his permit in Jan, and has only had 2 of the 12 hours of required driving lessons to date, he just can’t fit them into his schedule. He gets plenty of practice with us, but the required hours have to be with a licensed instructor. I am hoping he gets his hours in over the summer, but with work, vacation and football, that may not happen. </p>

<p>My S does take the train to school and gets around the city to sporting and other events using public transportation without issue. My MIL grew up and lived in the city til she retired. She got her license in her late 50’s. My 18yo nephew goes off to college sans license in Sept. I think driving is a mindset and if you never have something, you don’t miss it type of thing.</p>

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<p>As I stated in a prior post, D did not have a job during HS. I agree that there are many valuable aspects of working, but not in every situation. I know a student who insisted on working, while letting grades and EC’s slip. In this case the student did not need to work, but liked to spend a lot of money on clothes and designer handbags. Another parent was very proud of his S’s working part time but admitted his son does not lift a finger at home. My D may not have had a job in HS, but she did have chores (more in the summer), such as cleaning, laundry, cutting grass, shoveling snow, etc.</p>

<p>When we were not sure if D would find a job this summer, we offered to give her money but only if she worked for us. There are plenty of things that need doing around our house (painting projects, cleaning basement, etc.). Perhaps if your D does not find a job you can do this.</p>

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<p>Here’s a NY Times article discussing the difficulty that teens are having getting that summer job.</p>

<p>[Job</a> Outlook for Teenagers Worsens - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Job Outlook for Teenagers Worsens - The New York Times”>Job Outlook for Teenagers Worsens - The New York Times)</p>

<p>NJSue: As the OP, I understood that you were totally on board with the usefulness of having employment during the teen years, but that your teen was having difficulty finding that job. </p>

<p>As I mentioned, my daughter had the same problem last summer, and was very disappointed that she could not snag that minimum wage job. The coffee shop jobs that used to be filled by teens in the summer are now being snapped by college students or young adults (at least in my west coast city). The only other jobs here were gov’t internships that went to at risk youth.</p>

<p>But, as it turned out, the babysitting gig has worked for her, and her GC says it it a good job to have. She make $10 an hour and averages 5-10 hours most weeks, and it is flexible. And fortunately, she has the academics to qualify for summer programs instead of a full-time job in the summer… </p>

<p>Jobs are hard to find in many areas these past few years. When I was a kid, it was a breeze to find that minimum wage job. Not so today…</p>

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<p>D has been babysitting since she was 12. Not always a regular gig, but enough to keep her feeling like she had her “own” money besides her meager allowance from us. Once she got her driver’s license & she started driving our 3rd car on a regular basis, we asked her to get a job to cover her gas money. She did get a p/t job (7-10 hours/week) during the school year. I’ve felt very strongly that I wanted my kids to have at least a year in retail, restaurant or other “dealing with the public” type work so they could see how other adults behave. It has been an eye opening experience for her. Other adults don’t always tip, control their children, or have pleasant attitudes towards those who they feel are working “for” them. We (DH & I) do and while learning through example is great, sometimes it’s good to see the other side of things too, KWIM?</p>

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<p>My S played Varsity Baseball and Varsity Football but wanted a job his junior and senior year. The only thing that made sense was to have him umpire on weekends at the youth baseball field. Every holiday tournament he got one or two games a day for long weekends. He didn’t mind because he had his own cash. It was nice because the chief umpire had a call in system. If he wanted games, he called in for them. If not…someone else gladly took them.</p>

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<p>I’ve been working since I was 15, normally about 20hrs/week during school. I juggled that with 4APs/year, being president of 4 clubs, and being involved with 4 more. You can do it, you just need a planner and the DRIVE to do it. In my hometown, most high school juniors and seniors work about as much as I did, so we all just learned to make it happen</p>