<p>My dd (a rising hs junior) had initially planned to attend a fairly rigorous summer school program, but due to reasons not germane to this discussion, that plan fell through. She does not have the kinds of extracurricular interests that lend themselves to summer programs (e.g., she's not into drama or whatever). She does do volunteer work at our local hospital but it's not sufficient to occupy her summer fully. </p>
<p>Since we were of the mindset that you're not just going to sit around the house over the summer, we told her to get a job. She is going to have 2 part-time jobs, both at our local mall. One is at a retail clothing store, the other is hostess at a casual sit-down restaurant. For many reasons, we think this is VERY good for our daughter, who has been blessed with a lot and this will be a good opportunity for her to gain in maturity and experience.</p>
<p>But I can't help thinking this puts her at a disadvantage versus the rising hs juniors who are working in labs developing the cure for cancer or doing all kinds of Very Important Stuff. So I just need some lovin' from other parents :-)</p>
<p>As a parent of a college freshman looking for any kind of summer job, and not finding any so far, I can tell you that your D is very lucky.</p>
<p>Most HS students do not spend their summers saving the world in the labs. Holding a real-world job is looked upon very favorably by colleges and future employers alike.</p>
<p>Having a job at HS age is excellent. It can really help her mature, get used to the commitment of showing up on time on a consistent basis, get used to dealing with less than ideal coworkers/customers and bosses, have more appreciation for the amount of effort it takes to earn some money, see the inequities in life when some dufus who happens to have been there longer is making more money for doing not as good of a job as her, etc. It’ll help her read people and deal with them better. Future employers will look upon this as an asset.</p>
<p>If she has no work experience this experience might be better for her than some summer program with what amounts to more academics.</p>
<p>My understanding is that while college admissions officers would be impressed with the kid who finds the cure to cancer over the summer, they are inundated with aps from kids who do summer programs. Having a job is a selling point, and can even help her stand out in the crowd. It gives her a perspective on life that they often don’t see. And the fact that she’ll have two jobs plus the volunteering will show she can handle time management and juggle different responsibilities.</p>
<p>It took a lot of pounding the pavement on her part. One thing I had her do was make up a resume of her activities and had her send thank you notes for interviews. Even though these are minimum wage mall type jobs I thought it could make her stand out ESP because she is competing with college students and adults. I did not envy her trying to find a job in this economy.</p>
<p>Yes, consider your D lucky…the same with our D2. Last summer, prior to college, she landed a retail job. She called the store in April, and has been rehired to start 2 days after arriving home from the east coast! In this economy, she really lucked out! We’re happy…:)</p>
<p>Sorry, but I don’t agree. First of all…there are NOT that many students working on cancer cures in high school…but I think you know that. Many students work in the summer and that is not a bad thing. As you noted, it gives the student a broader view of the world dealing with the public…not to mention there is a level of responsiblity associated with summer work. Congrats to your kid for finding two jobs. I know kids who are still looking for ONE.</p>
<p>One of my kids had summers that were partially occupied with programs related to his field of study. BUT he also worked the rest of the summer (summer music programs are usually not more than six weeks long and he was lucky to have an employer who scheduled him for the rest of his summer to work). The other kid went to camp one year, and a weeklong program for fun another year, but she basically had full time summer work all summer long. Both got accepted to the number one (and two) colleges of their choice.</p>
<p>This will not put her at a disadvantage at all. Working is highly valued, and the jobs you noted are typical (and, these days, coveted) teenager jobs.</p>
<p>Working and educational programs are BOTH valuable experiences - really, at any age. </p>
<p>Will your daughter’s two jobs equal full-time? Adding in a small amount of educational volunteer work that can be done as she has time, such as library or hospital volunteer, would give her a sense of accomplishment, not that working two jobs isn’t already admirable. She has the opportunity to impress TWO bosses and thus, procure two amazing recommendations down the road. Have her focus on learning as much about the job(s), and beyond the job(s) as possible. The business aspect of the retail and food industries can be fascinating and prove invaluable in sorting through potential career options. </p>
<p>Finally, encourage her to save a good portion of her earnings. The discipline she’ll learn is also invaluable and will provide her with the high school equivalent of “financial security” which can be quite satisfying.</p>
<p>Working is valued the same as an exceptionally strong EC. Your D is very lucky to have landed a job, and no matter how humble her jobs are, she’ll be learning a lot about the world and her self, and is gaining experience that will impress adcoms far more than experiences that students parents paid for them to get.</p>
<p>Thank you; that is kind of what I needed to hear! Maybe I’ve spent too much time on cc reading the resumes of 18 yos that never seem to mention paid work as an extracurricular unless it’s “prestigious” in nature. (interning for a congressman or discovering cures in a lab).</p>
<p>Two of my friends just got their kids into Penn and NU and they’re just normal, bright, hardworking kids – not the 20 APs with all 5’s, 36 ACT, national award winners on cc. I’m beginning to think that it’s really possible for “regular” kids to do ok!</p>
<p>And the jobs may provide fodder for application essays. I seem to remember reading about a kid who wrote a wonderful funny insightful essay about what he had learned about people by bagging groceries.
My shy daughter got a job as hostess at a local restaurant in hs. She learned how to act as if she were outgoing - a good skill for anyone.</p>
<p>S had had a full time job lined up as a day camp counselor for some time, until this week when he received the sad news that camp enrollment was down and that they no longer would only be able to use their returning counselors from last year…he was laid off before he started!!! He said, “This is the real world, isn’t it, Mom?” So sad…</p>