<p>My husband and I both found working in high school was a bad move. My husband says for him, he stopped focusing on school so much and allowed himself to take on way too many hours. Then he blew the money partying. I can tell you that my husband had no concept on money or budgeting when I met him as his parents paid all his bills and his job simply provided partying money.</p>
<p>In my case, I was on my own and parentless at a young age. I had to work to pay my bills in high school. But I had to work a lot to get by and the more I worked, the less I focused on school. School became less important.</p>
<p>Clearly, my husband and I had opposite situations.</p>
<p>For our own children, of our ones old enough to work, one choses to do volunteer work and study and babysit for neighbors. She also plays an instrument so she practices. But the other (one I have posted about before) choses to sit around watching Netflix. He also works on his computer programming somewhat. I think there is far more recreation than work going on. He will be 18 yrs old this fall. I will try to ask him to help with things around the house, which he does. But then I start to feel guilty as if I am asking too much. </p>
<p>What would you expect of a 17 1/2 yr old? His grades are not that great to begin with. I don't want to distract him from school. But he is sort of worrying me when all he seems to do is watch TV or be on the computer. I do not know what percent of the time he is programming.</p>
<p>I would expect a 17 year old to work at a paying job during the summer. Actually, I would expect a 16 year old to work during the summer too. Around here, even 14 year olds work during the summer.</p>
<p>What about the school year though? He could not do a summer job as we had a major trip that we just now got back from. However, local businesses will start hiring again soon for the school year.</p>
<p>We expect different things from our kids, according to their activities, homework, and their own goals. Our oldest was a B/C student, headed to CC, and not involved in EC’s. Getting a PT job the summer between Jr/Sr year, and keeping it through the school year, was the best thing for him. His grades did not drop at all. We helped him set up a budget. He kept the job into college and was able to buy a good used car.</p>
<p>Our second son had a very involved EC, he was a self motivated student with several AP classes each year, and was aiming for competitive universities. During the school year school was his job. He held internships working full time the summers after his Jr and Sr. year. He saved most of the money and is responsible for all spending money and books at college. He just finished his first year and is working FT again this summer.</p>
<p>Our third is a rising Jr. who did not work this summer due to summer enrichment programs. Had he not been accepted he would have looked for a job, however they are hard to find this year. He will be taking several AP’s and has the same EC his older brother did so we are hesitant to add a job. We will see how things progress.</p>
<p>I think if the student is not heavily involved in school, has the time, then a part time job can be a really good thing. Helping them set up a budget can be important. Today with direct deposit you can have money sent to their checking accounts and then have automatic transfers to savings…unlike when we were kids and had a handful of cash. :)</p>
<p>My dad lost his job and we were in the middle of a move so it really wasn’t an option - I had to get a part-time job this summer (I’m a rising junior). If I was in a more stable financial situation then I don’t think my parents would have made me get a job, but I understand that times are rough and that you have to do what you have to do. Even if we weren’t tight on money, though, I would’ve gotten a job. Personally I think it is kinda selfish for a kid not to get a job (or at least look for one) if they have the time to get one and the parents have the need for it.</p>
<p>I also play 5 or 6 sports (4 are varsity) and may have to give up a couple to make room for a part-time job during the year. That’s just how life is some of the time. If you have absolutely no other responsibilities during the year/summer and you STILL don’t have a job (or are at least looking for one - I understand it’s hard to find one), that’s really bad. I would KILL for some extra extra hours in the day, and to see so many kids sitting around, twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do really annoys me. =/</p>
<p>Of my kids, the one who was the best student was the one who had a job, although not until senior year I think, so I’m not one to think that poor students should have jobs and strong students shouldn’t. If he were my son, I would think that if he has time to sit around and watch Netflix, he has time for a job. If he were involved in a heavy extracurricular or volunteered many hours or has lds to the point that he doesn’t have time for recreational activities, then I would say it makes sense not to have a job. But the extracurricular load or the volunteer work is a decision that should be made with parental input.</p>
<p>Both of my S’s started working at a grocery store year ‘round as soon as they turned sixteen (during soph. year of h.s.). Both kept same job until they graduated from h.s.
S1 even worked for the same chain gro. store for three years during college in his university town. S1 didn’t have any time consuming ECs’ unless you count living in the gym. S2 played football all four years and still kept his job.</p>
<p>They learned a lot on the job. It was an invaluable experience. They learned to budget and that the more " fun stuff" you want, the more hours you have to put in on the job to get it. And that you also have to spend your money on stuff that’s not fun…like truck repair or paying for a lost textbook… and that if you’re scheduled to work and all your friends are going to a party/game/movie…you still have to work. </p>
<p>S1 ended up with a pretty responsible postion for a h.s. kid. When he interviewed for a NROTC scholarship, the interviewer more interested in how S1 handled his job responsibilities than his high class rank/gpa/test scores. S1 got the scholarship.</p>
<p>My daughter that just graduated hs this year got her first job in March after cheerleading was over. Prior to this, she had never had a job due to cheerleading and dance. Wow, thank goodness she has one now - what a difference it has made to have her paying for her own clothes, gas and helping with college expenses.</p>
<p>My youngest does not have a job yet (age 16) and that is ok because she also does cheer. I think having a job is a good idea but with kids in sports it can get very stressful trying to manage their time.</p>
<p>Definitely work. Either a few hours all year long or a lot of hours during the summer at a seasonal job. Stop providing money for all expenses (give the kid some bills) and you shouldn’t have trouble with them partying away every penny.</p>
<p>One of my kids was in an IB diploma program and also was involved in several time-consuming extracurricular activities. She never held a paying job until the summer after she graduated from high school. A job would have taken up a lot of time that she needed for the heavy IB academic workload and her ECs.</p>
<p>My other kid started working halfway through his freshman year of high school. Except for one month, when he was between jobs, he worked continuously until a couple of weeks before he left for college. He was in a regular high school program and had no ECs. For him, work was his EC (he is a computer geek, and he wanted the money from jobs to pay for new hardware and software). </p>
<p>He did OK academically despite working, but my husband and I put strict limits on how much he could work – not so much in terms of hours per week, but in terms of hours per day on Mondays through Thursdays. He had to have time available on all of those days for homework. At first, when he worked in a public library, where the kids never worked for more than 3 hours a day, working on a school day was not a problem. But later, when he got a better-paying job in a retail store, the hours became a problem because the store wanted all the employees to work at least a 6-hour shift, and that would not allow enough time for homework. We insisted that, except during school vacations, he could only work those 6-hour shifts on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and the manager of the store agreed to give him that type of schedule. </p>
<p>Working can be a very good experience. I know that it was for my son. But unless it is a matter of financial necessity, I wouldn’t require a kid to do it if it would interfere with academics or with other worthwhile experiences. For my daughter, not working was the better choice. If you do allow your kid to work, keep an eye on the hours. School assignments are often given on one day and are due the next. A kid needs to be able to complete those assignments on time and get a decent amount of sleep, too. Work shouldn’t interfere.</p>
<p>I think that it is very child, AND JOB dependent. </p>
<p>In our experience, the part time job my son first got over a year ago has been one of the best things to ever happen to him. It has boosted his confidence, taught him more about money, and about time management. Most of all, it has taught him people skills. Let me repeat that. Most of all, it has taught him people skills. </p>
<p>The money has been nice, and he does have some in the bank for school. He is not going to be paying for a full semester of college or anything, but he has enough play money for this year. </p>
<p>And the job he has is one that does not have crazy hours, with a boss that understood the need for him to study and not take on too many hours. He worked with all adults except for the owners children that went to HS with DS. </p>
<p>In our house, it’s “being productive” and that can mean volunteering, ECs, or paid work during school year and summer. </p>
<p>And I’m a giant fan of gaining work experience, which to me is as important and developmental as any sort of thing a young person can do. You learn so much with a paid job that is beyond making money. Not to mention, you gain work experience…and work experience leads to work experience…and ultimately you need great work experience and not just an education. Sure the job of flipping burgers may seem unrelated to being a future accountant, but you have to start somewhere.</p>
<p>There are a lot of unique aspects of ‘getting a paid job’ that aren’t necessarily coming from other sources. How to search for a job, make a resume, send emails, show up for interviews. And just how hard it is and how they are in competition with everyone else is an valuable life lesson. Then there is having to take direction from not so great bosses, or follow rules that don’t make sense, all very useful! Having bad jobs or difficult bosses, in particular, is a great motivator for staying in school and for learning about what you hope to avoid in future jobs (or avoiding what to do as a future manager). Dealing with customers and the general public, and then your workmates, is such great experience too. Then there are those little things, like sending emails to your boss, negotiating shifts, checking your pay stubs and managing your banking, giving notice, asking for time off for a special event, playing tricks to relieve boredom, being on time and showing up every single day…priceless. </p>
<p>I hire students to work in my lab as research assistants. I don’t care about related experience (which would be rare), but I do care about work experience. Students who have worked, especially in typical teen grunt jobs for an extended period of time, are the ones I want to hire. I believe if they’ve stuck with a job that isn’t necessarily fun or inspiring (or looking great on the resume), but that does require you to be reliable, follow directions, and show up everyday for a paycheck, suggests a certain pragmatism and exposure to an aspect of life that many in our university students have never had.</p>
<p>My son had a part time job starting the summer before his senior year and he has kept that part time job since he started college last fall -working over breaks and again this summer. </p>
<p>Imo, having a paying job was one of the best things for him. He got a great lesson in effective time management (he also had several EC’s which he had to fit in, college apps, and school work to manage) and imo, this was a huge help once he got to college. I am amazed at his ability to handle his classes, studying, a sport, and several clubs as well as having time just for fun. Also, I think having a paying job (his was basic min.wage at a store) was looked upon favorably by college admissions.</p>
<p>While I can’t speak for other places, in my school district, there was a distinct split between the top academic kids and everyone else.</p>
<p>Of the people competing for admission to elite schools (and the full rides associated with admission) nobody worked. The assumption was that their “work” was the schoolwork and extracurriculars (often filling up 60 hour weeks) needed to get in, and the payoff was the scholarship at the end of the tunnel. Kids expecting to go to the local state flagship however generally had jobs which they used to save money for college.</p>
<p>It worked out reasonably well for everyone, I suppose.</p>
<p>Depends on the kid, high school, and curriculum. </p>
<p>At my urban public magnet, I had to drop my stationary store cashier job after a semester in because the academic workload/rigor of the HS and the commute proved to be too much. If anything, only folks I knew who worked part-time jobs were supergeniuses, folks who ended up transferring back to their local zoned high school, or struggled to graduate near/at the very bottom of our graduating class. </p>
<p>Then again, I worked part-time from 5th grade till beginning of 9th in various jobs ranging from pizzeria dishwasher(fired after a day for extreme clumsiness) to stockboy/stationary store cashier. </p>
<p>Moreover, once at my LAC…had no problems juggling working part-time of up to 20 hours/week on top of a heavy 15-16 credit class load* and ECs. '</p>
<ul>
<li>At the time, 16 credits was the max allowed without special permission from the dean to take more. Equivalent to 5 courses and 1 one credit lab.</li>
</ul>
<p>Our kids don’t have time to work during the school year but have part-time summer jobs. Part of DD’s “job” is to work on her sport as she will get a lot more in athletic scholarships then a summer job. Our son has been working about 20 hours/week. Summers during college years, we expect them to put in as many hours as they possibly can whether that is working on their sport or at a job.</p>
<p>I used to be opposed to the idea of high schoolers working during the school year, but my own D’s experience changed my mind. She was not interested in sports, did not really care about school activities with the exception of one or two things, and she participated in music outside of school. She got a job for 12-15 hours per week as a file girl/general dogsbody in a medical office (she is interested in medicine). It was terrific, the best thing she could have done. She has valuable learned things about the realities of a medical practice and the rhythms of an office. She likes the feeling of camaraderie and respect from co-workers, and she appreciates the money. She never really liked doing “kid stuff” and this job, although it’s quite routine, makes her feel part of the real world in a way that student council or Key Club would not. </p>
<p>We found no conflict between her job and her schoolwork. On the contrary, her time management improved enormously after she started to work. Her grades even rose a little. So, for the right kid who has found the right job, I think working during the school year is great.</p>
<p>I am of the depends on the kid opinion. Neither of my kids worked during the school year. The first child had a two-hour round- trip commute plus sports, music, and studying…no time. The second one went to school around the corner from the house, took a less academic program, and had lots of extra time even with sports.</p>
<p>NJSue–if our kids were not involved in their activities, yes, they would be working part-time jobs. As it is now, they have 2-3 hours each night after school for sports or their activities, then homework, many weekends taken by sports/activities and just don’t have time. Take away those committed hours and they would have PLENTY of time to work.</p>