I remember my very favorite summer job as a teen: working at a bakery and getting to take home treats. I have very fond memories of that summer and everything that it taught me {like how it instilled a love of bakeries and all the carbs that came with it). Summer jobs are awesome like that, but according to a recent article, they are on the decline big time. The percentage of teens who had jobs over the summer dropped from 72% in 1978 to 43% in 2016. That’s a pretty massive decrease.
The theory is that more and more parents are encouraging their children to take summer school or courses, study, play or practice sports {that may ultimately help them score a college scholarship}, or volunteer, which looks awesome on college applications. The issue with that, according to the article, is that the responsibility of holding a summer job, learning new skills, being accountable, and showing up on time are often not learned without that summer job. It’s a hard thing to teach otherwise.
On the one hand, I completely understand wanting your kid to have a leg up when it comes to college. If they are set on going, having them volunteer at that food bank or take that AP course or increase their scholarship-worthy 4-pointer makes sense. But what I think that robs them of is real-world experience. There really is something to be said about putting your shoulder to the grind.
“A job will add color to their resume and funny stories to their repertoire; it could be an opportunity to make unusual friendships across generations and different socio-economic strata; it will build resilience and humility; and it will make them appreciate the value of a dollar and the importance of education.”
I agree with all of that. What do you think? Do you remember your summer jobs? Which one was your favorite? Do you think the lessons learned there trump summer school or volunteering?
Talk to me,
~Mavis
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Laura says
My son (16) started his first job TODAY! The French emporium Tar-zhay will never be the same! I totally agree that a summer job is an awesome thing for teens. He came home with great stories already.
Tamara says
I agree with you. Valuable lessons, of course, are learned through playing sports, volunteering and participating in all kinds of summer activities but the lessons stated in the article and your comments are valuable as well. AND. . . learning to work with someone you may not particularly like is also a good lesson. And why can’t some of those hard earned dollars help pay for college? Scholarships are great; however, not everyone gets one that covers all expenses. Good old fashioned summer jobs carry external benefits as well as intrinsic ones. It could be that a summer job convinces the teen that, Yes, they DO want to get that degree.
Andrea says
When my daughter was 16 a few years ago, it was hard for her to find a job. She could only do certain things due to state labor laws. Plus she also found that many adults had these small jobs that are good for teens as a secondary source of income. So there were very limited jobs that she could do. I wanted her to work to learn the responsibility of work, but not enough that she couldn’t have fun. I feel that part of growing up is learning how to handle the balancing act of work and play.
Lisa says
This is definetly an issue. Not so much this summer in our state i found. but all previous 6 years hardly any jobs for students and adults were filling these spots. For. Much neeeded income.
Lauralli says
Same issue here. Very difficult for teens to find jobs. I do live in a small town (25,000) with a pretty low income base. So, lots of adults in low wage jobs. Also, I think employers around here think teens won’t stay with the jobs very long and adults who might make it their career will. And, there is almost no such thing as a full time entry level job anymore. Most low wage earners work multiple part time jobs (with all the juggling of schedules that requires) to equal full time hours.
Jillbert says
Summer jobs are great for kids! My eldest worked in a doctor’s office through high school. He’s now going into his sophomore year in college and working on campus (room & board provided with a break to go to China on scholarship to study). My 16 year old daughter babysits and teaches violin as well as volunteers at a day camp for disabled kids. And my baby (13) has a thriving dog sitting business in our neighborhood. My kids also work during the school year — the oldest through college work study and the high schoolers work at their private Catholic high schools for tuition reduction.
KC says
Totally depends on the teen and what they need to learn or what they need for balance. Honestly, if they’ve already *got* a really good work ethic and show up on time and don’t slack off, I’d be a bit hesitant mixing them in with other student employees, as they’d be likely to either 1. go nuts (recalling your somewhat recent job experience?) or 2. “learn” that slacking off is fine in a work environment – in that case I’d be more likely to encourage volunteering or aim to find a part-time job or internship in a more rigorous environment. I also think that some – but not too much – structure over the summer is beneficial to development and not-burning-out, so if a kid already has a competitive sport and a serious musical commitment, then, eh, maybe a part time job is going to elbow out other valuable things like “being bored” and friendships and rest and such.
But there are a *lot* of great things about work experience. I’d also note that some teens work year-round (I did, anyway?), so in that case the advantages of adding another job in the summer are more limited unless it’s very carefully chosen for complementary experience.
lynne says
My favorite summer job (during my college years) was at a Bait & Taxidermy shop…Absolutely. Loved. It. Learned to love fishing, and the customers were always happy when they came in. In my high school years, I worked after school AND summers at a local pharmacy. The lessons I learned there have followed me throughout life: Customer Service (like how to say “Thank You”, which is SERIOUSLY lacking these days), cash handling (which led me to pursue a degree in Accounting in College), and just learning how to deal with a sometimes not so great work environment (life isn’t a bowl of cherries after all). Sports only last so long in life, and the chance of making it to the pro level – seriously, at most maybe .1%? I think the benefits of a summer job are way too important to NOT have kids be employed. LynneinMN
Kim S says
my daughter is 16, working at chick fil-a this summer. She loves it! She is learning responsibility, teamwork, and meeting new people. She still has time to hang out with friends and volunteer. It has been great for her.
Mavis Butterfield says
The HH and I truly believe that everyone should have to work in food service at least once in their life. There are SO MANY skills to be learned in doing so. Good for her!
Laura T. says
I agree! My first job was at McDonalds, a long time ago! I still remember some of the work ethics. One thing that they taught us was this…If you have time to lean, you have time to clean! I can remember that from almost 40 years ago!
Sheri says
I never had a ‘real’ summer job, mainly because we lived so far out from the town where jobs were.and MOm and Dad didnt want to run me. I was however expected to do a lot around the house and ride the mile into the small town where my grandparents were and clean house and help out once Grandma had a stroke. I didnt go to college for multiple reasons, but my first real job and what I did for almost 30 years was working on a horse far,..not riding and sliding but hard bust your butt care of sometimes up to 200 head on a standardbred breeding farm. I dont think a teen NEEDS a job to learn good work ethic and showing up etc I saw my parents..and I just knew that a job meant you DO it ..to the best of your ability..and it wasnt supposed to be fun or easy
Now my ex BF’s son ..he was not expected to work a job as his parents wanted him to concentrate on school and be a ‘kid’ to the point that he was never taught to even mow the lawn!! When he got into a little teenage trouble junior year, that was when it was decided he needed a summer job to look good for the judge..go figure
Marcia says
I guess it really depends. I didn’t really get a real summer job until March of my senior year in HS, when I was 17. My town was small, and it was hard to find a part time job as a teen. When I was 16, my parents had separated and I moved out of my house into an apartment with my mom. It was an adjustment.
The next summer, when I was 17, I honestly don’t remember much of the summer. Reading, TV, exercise, whatever. Finally in March of senior year my mom was able to get me a job at the grocery store. You see, the town was small so you needed to KNOW someone to get a job. In this case, my mom’s coworker’s husband was the grocery store manager. I worked as a bagger.
Also, I didn’t have a car. My mom had a car. I didn’t really have access to a car. So the job *had* to be within walking distance. In this case, 0.6 miles, through some parking lots and along a highway, so I had to walk in the weeds. Often in the dark, because I sometimes got the 5 am to 9 am shift.
Of course the summer jobs were useful. I saved money for college that summer and the next one, which was in between Freshman and Soph years.
But I’m not sure if I’d make my high schooler work a summer job if it was also a year-round job. I only had a few months of grocery bagging in evenings and weekends. We will worry about that when we get to it.
In college I bagged groceries, worked for the gas company (washing cars and bathrooms, mowing lawns, loading and unloading pipe, weedwhacking the field, even dug a ditch). I made pizza, worked as a cashier in a pizza place, did some programming (badly), painted dorms. It was hard sometimes because I was also in ROTC, and had to go on Navy training for 4 weeks every summer too – so needed a job that was willing to let me do that.
Lisa says
My son worked a summer job full time and a part time one and during high school very part time. He took AP classes. Did volunteer work and played baseball for the school and travel leagues. Now is a soph in college and plays baseball. I tried to get him to do less but Some kids can do it others need to do less. Its a matter of the child and what they can handle whats a healthy balance
Ellen in Clackamas says
I got my first job the summer I turned 16 (about a hundred years ago!!). I was a housekeeper at the Nursing Home my Mom worked at–boy was that an eye-opener…seems even though I had been cleaning house at home for a long time I didn’t really know how to clean–who knew you had to brush under the toilet seat? Anyway, the next year I moved up to be a nurse’s aide –another eye opener!! During the summer I took all the shifts I could get and then worked 3 days a week during the school year. I liked those paychecks because it supported my use of a car. I do wish I hadn’t been quite so money hungry though–my senior year I was very tired from all my activites and working. My kids worked some but seems like none of my grands have worked. Partly because jobs were hard to find and partly because their folks wanted them to “be kids”. They don’t seem to be doing anythings productive…but not my business.
Linda Sand says
I never had a summer job which means I didn’t learn how to be a reliable employee. I was fired from my first full-time job for absenteeism.
Sara says
My first job was working at a movie theater!!! Best job ever! Free popcorn, pop, nachos, & movies! I worked there from the time I was 16-19 & loved most things about it! Also, they identified me as a good employee, and were very flexible with my schedule which is what I needed since I was heavily involved with sports, ballet, and academics. Amazing what I learned to balance during that time of my life. I do remember I was always tired though….
Karin C says
My kids who are now 22 & 20 have both had jobs since they were 14, our daughter first job was at our small towns only restaurant at the time she was there until she moved in with her dad and she has continued and has gone up the ladder in the restaurant business she is a manager at a very Up scale place in Kelowna BC , our sin started out doing lawns/yard work when he was 14 by putting flyers in everyone’s mail in our small town (600 people) and then after he graduated he switched to the flour mill in the next town which pays above average and fill benifits and is mon-Friday ,
They have each bought their own cars, paid for insurance and up keep. They live in their own and have money in the bank . Their jobs have taught them responsibility and the value of the money they earn .
Part time jobs are a great start into the work force and teaches many things to our youth .
Diana says
I never worked until college, and then I worked part time all four years. My children went to high school about a 40 minute drive away from home, and never had jobs. I told them that going to school was their job. During the summer they had sports activities and travelled to summer college programs for high school students. They all went to college on the east coast, (we live in southern California) so they did not work, again focusing on college as their jobs. Summers were spent as unpaid interns, or traveling, or attending college programs in other countries. Same thing during grad school. I think learning a good work ethic and good people skills are the important things. They have all done very well in their careers and are very hard workers.
Laura says
We have said the same thing to our kids: Until they graduate from high school, school is their job. We expect them to do well, and so far three out of four have earned full or near-full scholarships for college, and we have high hopes for our last child who is a senior this year. Besides school, all of them had extra-curricular activities that kept them busy, and we felt that was enough – high school these days provides pressure enough. Two of them still got jobs while they were in high school, but that was entirely their choice – our son worked part time at the local theater (great for us because we got to see movies for free when he was working), and another daughter did childcare after school. She is currently working two jobs year-round while she attends college to cover her room and board expenses. Another daughter works during the summer (in a restaurant) to save for college expenses and extras not covered by her scholarship, and our current senior will go to work next summer. Whether they worked or not during the summer or the school year, they all have a great work ethic, and all know they will at least work during the summers while they attend college to help cover expenses.
Wyoming Gal says
I hire 140 seasonal employees for my company. They range in age from 14 to mid-80’s. They work as cashiers, sales clerks, food and beverage associates, tour guides, custodians, grounds crew and interns in professional positions. The high school and college age students who are hired have quite a bit of diversity in how well they do and how prepared they are to show up for work on time, work well and even enjoy working. Definitely the college students selected for the professional internships show lots of evidence of previous work and volunteer experience, have good grades and strong interests in pursuing a given career field. It is so competitive for these students when they complete their degrees and look for work in their fields. Having the best resume to obtain internships is very important to give them options for their future careers. I believe strongly that college students should either work at summer jobs, find internships (preferably paid) or take classes. It is hard for young people, even with good educations, to get a start at a career.
Leslie H says
As raspberry farmers, we have been summertime employers for 30 years. Things have changed over those decades! Indeed, the child labor laws have cost many summer jobs for kids, mostly those younger than 16. But I think the bigger change is that it seems that kids don’t have the need, or desire, to make money. I really think because they have so many of their needs met, they don’t value the opportunity jobs offer. When we began hiring harvest workers, they realized that we had only one month to work (the length of raspberry harvest) and they did not want to miss a day. They were there to make money. In the last few years, I have to hire nearly as many subs as regular crew because everyone has a camp, or a convention, or a vacation to go to. If you’re gone for a week, you have missed 25% of the season…Yet, neither employee nor parents flinch at this. My employees 30 years ago were loath to leave that much money on the table, and were dedicated to be on the job every day. This year for my 30 day harvest, (8 employees each day) I had to fill 41 shifts with subs. It’s a challenge!
I’m not so hard-hearted as to expect them to give up once-in-a-lifetime activities,thus the many subs. But kids do need to learn that quite a bit of real life is getting through drudgery, and that earning money requires hard work. They need to learn that you won’t always have it all; you will have to sacrifice for what is your priority. They need to learn to be creative when dealing with monotony and tedious activity. Work on the farm provides these opportunities, but often these valuable real-life skills take a backseat to sports, and camps of extra-curricular activities that will be short-lived.
We’ve had a lot of great kids work for us over the years, and still do. The expectations of kids & parents are just different. We’ve had some that don’t last — it’s too much for them. But those that do are well-rewarded by us. When you make your living for the year in a span of 30 days, you are pretty dependent on your employees. We are grateful for them. And on their side — we hear all the time about how kids who have done farm work have a leg up on being hired for other jobs. They know how to work.
Tracey says
My daughter turned 16 this spring and is busy with sports all year during the school year. My grandma gave her her car, we are paying the insurance because it’s insanely expensive, and I told her she needed to have a summer job to save her own gas $$ for the year. I didn’t want the car thing to be totally free. She got a job babysitting a 10 yr old and is basically being paid very good money to hang out with him at the pool at the local country club all summer. I’m not real sure she is getting the lesson about working for $$ but at least she will have her own gas $$, lol.
Heather in Idaho says
Don’t get me started here! This is a great subject, Mavis!
I homeschool my children throughout the entire year. My husband is very entrepreneurial-minded and has instilled in the children very good work ethics.
With that said, one of our daughters has an etsy shop making specialty dog quilts and dog bibs; one son makes soaps and candles and sells them at several stores locally; I have two sons that mow lawns, rake leaves and do snow-blowing, depending on the season. And they also deal on craigslist and make $100s of dollars. The littler children all help their older siblings out in way way or another. This is on top of their schooling.
So I thoroughly believe in getting a summer job, if possible, earning money at home, or volunteering somewhere. Learning the fine skills of communicating with others, being responsible with time and money is key to living a respectable adult life.
Okay, I’ll just say it…educate yourself as much as you’re able, learn to make money for yourself, reduce texting, and unplug the video games!!!
Jean says
We homeschool our children too. We have 7 that range in age from 23 to 4. Our oldest 2 have graduated from a 4-year university and have worked several jobs from the time they were 16. The oldest did accounting work on Saturdays for a local pharmacy, researched stocks for an independent financial planner, and did an internship in his field of study. Second child became a pilot at 16 and worked for an airplane charter company to rent their planes at a discount and save money. He did that for almost 5 years while also juggling a couple of internships during his college years. Our third took his first job this summer (an internship) for an IT networking division of a local credit union. It was the worst experience ever! They had no goals for him, no real work for him to do, his boss was gone most of the weeks he was there so his job was to sit at his computer from 8-5 everyday. They paid him $15/hour and he got 3 college credit hours.
Darla says
My teen job was working for the Red Cross at the mobile Blood Banks. Met many different and interesting people.
My son wanted a job when he turned 12, but of course no one would hire him. He started his own pet sitting business, starting with our neighbor who went out of town for a weekend. He fed, groomed and walked their German Shepherd twice a day for 3 days and wrote a log of what was done for the owner. Soon several families booked him to pet sit while they went on summer vacation. He took care of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds.
Deborah says
I think the answer to this will depend on the individual situation, there is no “RIGHT” answer.
For myself, the summer was the time that my family was able to get in our car and camp in a tent, tent trailer or trailer. I was very lucky and got to quite a bit of Mexico, Europe and Great Britain and the some long road trips in the USA. If I had a summer job then those trips wouldn’t have happened. We had a small family, and trips were well planned, and economical.
Having 4 kids, none had summer jobs. Many reasons, helping with Church VBS, attending Church camp, Playing varsity basketball (a year round sport) Having one car in the family, no real bus service, 100 plus temperatures, too hot to walk to a job, ability to visit overnight to relatives, after working very hard at school-long days a little break.
Also, the summer break is not nearly as long as when I was going to school. The chain restaurant where my oldest son works would not temporarily hire my college age daughter as a host because she would not be able to work long enough. Even thought they seem to not be able to get anyone to stay more than a month !
My oldest daughter never had a job till she got to college- she graduated-got her master’s and now works at that university.
My younger daughter never had a job till she went to college-she was her high school valedictorian, played varsity basketball, she now is interning and other experiences during her summer.
Oldest son, never had a summer job, but if he had, how could we go anywhere during the summer, he did a volunteer position at a food bank during his senior year, and now works at a restaurant.
Youngest, well he has a developmental disability. That’s a different story.
Amy says
My first summer job was picking blueberries when I was 12, I worked every summer since then saving money for college. I got quite a bit of scholarships to college, so the money in the bank helped with books and helped buy my first house after graduation.
I now hire several highschool kids each summer, and it’s getting harder and harder to find kids willing to work hard with good work ethic. It’s frustrating as an employer, and when kids move on in their careers they will find out the importance of a good reference. State law does limit the age at which we can hire now and the amount of hours they can work in a week. We hire starting at age 16.
Lydia says
My neighbors 14 year old son is holding a basketball camp at his house this week. He charges $160 per week and it goes from 8:30-12. He provides snacks. He came up with a whole schedule of games and drills to do with the children. I can tell he spent lots of time planning. He and a school friend work together. He has 6 kids which is almost $1000!!! This kid is smart and his camp is awesome. It is also far cheaper than any other camp around here and no drop offs!
Mavis Butterfield says
Holy cow!
Susan S. says
Great topic for discussion, Mavis! There’s a wonderful book that was recently released by Ben Sasse entitled, “The Vanishing American Adult” that discusses this topic more in depth. There’s been a huge shift in how our society has approached this subject following WWII. I believe that all teens should get a job during the summer, if not throughout the school year (whether it’s working for family or out in town). It fosters a necessary work ethic that enables our youth to spread their wings, learn to contribute, and become self reliant. Like so many others, I baby sat from the time I was 11, got my first store job at 15, worked through high school, college, and law school. I’m no super woman and somehow maintained what I think is a normal social life throughout. My husband (former active duty Marine) and I also believe that our country should require mandatory service for two years following high school – whether it’s military, or domestically focused on our homeless, poor, childcare, or infrastructure. I’m sure many disagree, but that’s just my two cents 🙂
Carrie says
In high school if I wanted money to do things with my friends I had to work. My parents paid for my car insurance, some clothes and food but if I wanted to go out to eat or to the movies, etc. I needed to make the money to pay for it. I am 30 now. When I was 16 I was a cashier at a grocery store, at 17 I was a hostess at Outback and at 18 I worked at a pizza place. In college I worked at a florist, delivering flowers and making small arrangements. I worked at Girl Scout camp 2 summers in college and had a paid internship for one. One summer I took 2 classes for college and worked at an ice cream shop. That was my favorite summer. I loved school, making a little extra money (and free ice cream) and making memories with friends. Working at camp was the most difficult but best job ever. So rewarding.
Pamela says
I never had a job while in school. I wish I had though. I think it would have made it less scary when it came time to work my first “real” adult job. Also about areas not having jobs for kids. I live in an area that is a summer tourist destination. There are tons of summer jobs for kids (and kids at heart I suppose). So many that sometimes kids from certain areas of Europe come over to work the summer. But these jobs are strictly summer. Some of these areas are virtually ghost towns in the winter!
michelle says
Summer jobs have been great for our family. As others have stated it instills skills in them that are invaluable in the real world. We are fortunate to have an amusement park five miles away so all my kids are working there this summer and past summers. My oldest went to an out of state college (partial scholarship) against my advice, one year later we had to bring him home because he went into a depression and totally hit bottom. We told him you can live at home but you have to go to local college and find a job. Best thing that ever happened to him, he got his confidence and esteem back and switched his major from bio to business because he liked what he was doing. He is currently doing great in school and has become an area supervisor at the park. My daughter has been able to save a significant amount of $$ to supplement her college scholarship this coming year. My youngest got his lifeguard certificate and works at the park as lifeguard. He complains sometimes, but he likes having his own money and it keeps him off the computer/games. Win, win in my opinion! I do agree there needs to be a balance in work and play though my two youngest end their job Aug 1st so they can have some down time and prepare for upcoming school year.
Emily B says
I think this is part of a larger discussion of what we are telling our kids that all their eggs go into the basket of college. There is a serious shortage of workers for blue collar jobs. Some of them making terrific money. My daughter (23 YO college graduate) worked every summer, and also did some volunteering. I think not having these young kinds learn what a work ethic is until they out of college is a BAD IDEA.
My kid may be a pain in the butt, but I’ve been told by teachers, employers, and volunteer coordinators that she’s a hard worker. And I’d put my money on that any day of the week.
Great topic, thanks Mavis. Ahem…and now I will step down from the soapbox.
Mavis Butterfield says
I too believe there is a MAJOR shortage of workers for blue collar jobs. Monkey Boy has been working at a job he LOVES since he’s been 16 {part-time}. College was not for him. Now that he’s been full time since graduation he has almost enough saved for a down payment on his first house. How many 20 year olds can say that? There is a HUGE value in real life skills. I wish more people appreciated that.
Emily says
That is incredible! Way to go Monkey Boy. He is so far ahead of the “adulting” game at 20 years. Nice nest egg for purchasing a home, and ZERO schooling debt. No doubt, he is modeling the behavior of what he sees at home. Spend little, save lots.
There’s a super interesting article that CNN wrote about garbage men in NY state that make $100K annually!!! The cost of living is of course greater, but holy buckets that is nothing to sneeze at.
I’m a 42 YO single parent. I had my daughter young, and had to go to work immediately because her father wasn’t a contributor to her life in any way. My family gnashed their teeth and lamented about how I was bound to be stuck in a rut as a single parent, without a college degree, and limited prospects.
I’ve raised her, gotten her through college, and work at a job making $63K annually (more than what the median income is here for college graduates). I’ve also purchased my own home without any help.
While it wasn’t easy I wouldn’t change a single thing, except perhaps talking my daughter into a vocational or trade school. The burden of college debt is alarming and it’s not getting any less expensive.
Mavis Butterfield says
You’ve done well Emily! You should be proud of yourself. 🙂 I too say the CNN article about the garbage men. It’s amazing isn’t it. People have no clue how much those blue collar workers make.
Linda says
Having spent my career teaching at the college level, I can unequivocally say that the kids who have work experience have a more down to earth attitude toward both their studies and toward their personal lives in college. Those without work experience frequently hold the opinion that their college degree is going to result upon graduation in an immediate offer of a CEO position making 6 figures. Their first job offers are harder to come by, and are often met (go figure!) with disillusion. What? I start at the bottom?
My own children worked in retail and food service positions in high school. These are some of the hardest positions available because, let’s face it, the public isn’t always nice. Having that experience convinced them that college would be their way to escape a lifelong career in those fields, and far more convincingly that I could ever have told them.
Mavis, I love your blog. You provide a forum for discussion that just wouldn’t happen otherwise. Bless your great big heart!
Vylotte says
I think a job also teaches an important lesson about the real world value of money. Are those pants really worth five full hours of hard work? Do you want to pay $10 for a meal you can make with what’s at home? Real world stuff!
Patty P says
As a kid and teenager I grew up on a dairy farm. I had chores to do all year long, but in the summer the hours got longer as crops had to be brought in in addition to the normal chores. I guess I “lived” in my summer job! We also participated in 4-H and took livestock to the county and state fair, so that was a huge chunk of commitment too…getting animals trained and cleaned and ready to go (which happened outside of our regular chores). As a junior in HS I was the county’s Dairy Princess, so I had to go around to several events throughout the year to promote our local dairy farmers. This included giving presentations to school age children, which meant missing school and then having to make up what I missed.
So I feel that even though I didn’t have an “official” paying job in my teenage years, I still earned quite a bit of responsibility and time management skills. In return for all of my hard work my parents bought me a vehicle right before I went of to college. I look back on those times pretty fondly and hope to instill the same kind of work ethic in my child (we’re heading off to the county fair with all of his animals today).