<p>I'm surprised I haven't seen any replies on this thread who recently worked one of these concession jobs. I've had a summer job at the local waterpark since I was 14, starting by cleaning bathrooms, then in the concession stand for a year, and now my third year as a lifeguard.</p>
<p>I agree with ken about sending a bad message about money, at least for my experience. Now my family is anything but affluent, but because I don't really buy that much, the money isn't that dear to me. About my only significant expenditure is tithing to my church. So in many senses, I am worried about what Ken's talking about. Having a bank account that it, for all intents and purposes to me, bottomless, may come back to bite me next year in college. It does however, get me firmly in the habit of saving 80+% of my paycheck. On the other hand I have coworkers who somehow manage to spend all of their paycheck (my coworkers are generally much more affluent middle-class suburbanites than I am). I imagine for them, the value of money in terms of the labor you put in is clearer. Then again, they apparently have high consumption tastes to begin with, and this clearly isn't helping. I know co-workers who spend their money on very frivolous things. TV's, scooters, game consoles. Then again, many use it for college (these are the people usually most anxious to take extra shifts). So if you do take the job, I'd see to it that your D doesn't spend too much in luxury. </p>
<p>I can't speak to your particular situation, but I know here the issue of nepotism that's being brought up is very much alive in my workplace. A lot of brothers and sisters work there, many the brothers of managers. Even management itself is closely tied, for a while we had 8 managers, and 5 last names. </p>
<p>I have to question those of you saying these jobs aren't sheltered. I mean, I know my experience is limited (it is a waterpark, and hence mostly a place for families, but of course, all manner of people come in. I imagine whatever concession stand your D works at won't be much different), but Harriet's talk of having to deal with crude language and manners has never really come in my experience. Sitting inside an air-conditioned glass box doesn't really expose you to people swearing like sailors, and people were never as difficult as I imagine people in retail or waiting tables deal with. And honestly, I imagine that is also pretty tame.</p>
<p>Where I work, with everyone a teenager in high school or college, and even our management only a few years out of undergrad (many still in grad school), there is no real sense of this being actual work, instead it's acknowledged as a summer job and little more. I imagine this is what 75% of regular summer job environments are like. So don't be so quick to take this as an introduction to the working world. (In fact, in some senses this has been downright harmful. One of our managers simply refused to believe a girl when she said her brother had turned 21 without drinking. They also talk about how another manager took steroids. After the fourth of July management told us there was Tylenol in the guard room, drink plenty of water, and don't be afraid to tell us if you're getting tired, we don't want you passing out on the guard stand.)</p>
<p>Again, I can only speak to my own experiences, although I imagine they're a lot like most other summer jobs, especially the concession stand your D is asking about. </p>
<p>I would still encourage her to take the job though. There is still a good deal to be learned from listening to managers, finding subs, responding to criticism, dealing with coworkers, listening to managers, etc. I just don't think it's this real-world, in-the-trenches type stuff some are making it out to be. In fact, she really should do both. If she's like the typical CC'er, I imagine she already puts in 80+ hour school weeks. Finding time to both work and volunteer for 20 hours a piece should be like a vacation.</p>