5 Good Reasons for Teens to Have a Part-Time Job

Son started his new part-time job today. His first job was as a Lifeguard when he was 15. He was only making about $7.50 an hour. Also, his work ethic needed help. We talked and decided that he would get another job after his Eagle Scout project had been executed. In March, Cebastian’s Eagle Scout project was successfully completed. He is having his Board of Review in a couple of weeks, so it was time for him to get a job.

Part-time jobs as a teenager have changed. When I was a teenager, I remember spending almost a full day going to stores at the mall asking for applications, filling them out, and then handing them back. When he went around the mall, he was told to apply online. He asked for my help, and I said sure cause Cebastian needs a job. He also applied at Barnes and Noble and a couple of movie theaters. In a few days, he got an email from one of the movie theaters that he had gotten the job. We had gone to see “John Wick 3” a few weeks ago at that movie theater, and it was apparent that they need help. I remember mentioning to both my teens that this would be an excellent place to work cause they are short-staffed, and they would have to work extra hard.

It is important that both teenagers work. It has helped me tremendously (even though I’ve hated a few of my jobs). Here is why it’s good for teenagers to have a part-time job as soon as they can get a job.

Know What I Liked and Disliked in a Job

Since I was 15, I’ve had a job. From working at Marshall’s (first job), The Gap, McDonald’s, an intern at Social Security Administration (huge thanks to my sister!), and Errol’s Internet Service, I knew what I like and didn’t like. This is what I came up with:

Likes	Dislikes
Working in IT	Being on my feet all-day
Air Conditioning	Micromanaged
Flexibility	Being told when I could work and when I couldn’t
Having good relationships with my coworkers and supervisors	Working weekends
Learning new skills	Not learning anything
Moving up in my career	No acknowledgment of good work
Being respected and thought of as a leader	Disrespected

I told my teens that they need to work to know this as well. It will help them know if they want to go to college, start their own business, and/or whatever they want to do.

My mother made me go to college before I was ready to, and did not allow me to become an Interior Designer. I do not want to do this to my teens. This will help them also know what they want to do in their lives.

Understand How to Manage Money

I wrote a post about how important it is to teach teens about money. If they make their own money, teens will be more apt to learn about personal finance. My son is ecstatic to be making $10.00 an hour. We have discussed the importance of having a budget and saving towards money goals. This will help him understand those concepts even more.

Stop Being So Entitled

I want to be honest on this blog, so I will tell you that both of my teens are extremely entitled. They don’t think about how hard I worked for the lifestyle that they are used to. It’s something that I’ve read in a few parenting books; it sometimes happens mainly in single-parent households. I felt so guilty that they did not have a father (their father has never really been in their lives) that I overcompensated. This is one of the reasons I became extremely ambitious and worked hard to get where I am. I knew how hard it was for both of my kids to not have a father that I worked hard to get to where I am in my career. However, there are pros and cons to everything. The negative part of this is that my kids have become entitled and think that they will start their adult lives at the same level as their mother. This is why having a job is essential. It will help them understand that you do not just get a job and can work from home, make six figures, and live in one of the best areas in the country.

When I was growing up, my parents did not take us shopping much and barely bought any snacks. If we did shop, we shopped at Zayre (similar to Walmart). I saved for my first car because I knew my parents weren’t going to get me one. When I was 17, I saved $2,500 to buy a 1986 Honda Accord that I got at an auction. It had a bad transmission, one of the headlights did not work and couldn’t be fixed, and the driver’s window couldn’t roll down. I was jealous of a few of my friends who got new cars when they turned 16-17. However, at 40, I am glad that my parents did not just get me a new car, and I had to work hard to get one.

Taught Me Work Ethic

I learned how to work even though it wasn’t my ideal job. It taught me that I was not the only one at my job, and I had to think about how me failing to show up at work or slacking would affect my team members. It’s something that I tell my teens. It doesn’t matter what kind of job you end up having as an adult. Even if you are working solo, you still have to make sure that you work as hard as you can, think about your clients, and make sure that you produce high-quality work. Also, you work even when you don’t want to. This is something that I wish to both of my teens to learn. You can’t just say, “I’m stressed out, so I just won’t do anything today” or “I was tired.” This is especially important when they start having little people who depend on them.