It's important to work while in college

[Anonymous]

I worked all through college and a lot of my friends did too, but some didn't. I don't find that much of a difference in success for those who did and did not work in college, based on my circle of friends.

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of 2 college students. They both work summer jobs and have since high school. This has varied from summer camp counseling to Capitol Hill internships. Neither currently works during the school year. One goes to a SLAC where the on campus jobs are all taken by financial aid recipients, and there are very few student job in the small college town (happens to be a place with a not great economy so there are plenty of locals desperate for the work).

Almost all their friends have worked at least part of the summer, and many have on campus jobs. Are there really that many kids who aren't doing some kind of work during their college years? I just don't see that at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's important for kids-when able- to work, period. It amazes me whenever I go to a fast food type restaurant or something of the like in this area and there aren't any teens working in it. Where do all the teens work in Fairfax County?
Do they or their parents think they're too good for minimum wage jobs?

They don't hire teens anymore. No more paper routes either. Or clerks at the drug store. Safeway will still hire a few for bagging and cart herding.

Exactly. My teen was told he couldn't be hired most places until he turns 18. Much different from my youth, when I started working summer jobs at age 14.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's important for kids-when able- to work, period. It amazes me whenever I go to a fast food type restaurant or something of the like in this area and there aren't any teens working in it. Where do all the teens work in Fairfax County?
Do they or their parents think they're too good for minimum wage jobs?

They don't hire teens anymore. No more paper routes either. Or clerks at the drug store. Safeway will still hire a few for bagging and cart herding.

Exactly. My teen was told he couldn't be hired most places until he turns 18. Much different from my youth, when I started working summer jobs at age 14.

This is just not true. My kids have worked since they were sixteen. They love working and saving (and spending!) money, and it has helped a lot with their self confidence. You just aren't looking in the right places. Try locally owned restaurants and shops, pools, country clubs, Fairfax County parks. Even at our Starbucks I see friends' high schoolers working on the weekends.

[Anonymous]

In the DC area the undocumented workers do all those jobs now. I haven't seen a middle class kid working fast-food or lawns since the early 90s.

[Anonymous]

The economy is crappy. Companies would rather hire someone who is going to be able to work full time/any shift over a high school kid who has school obligations for fast food (have you read about the scheduling software that service industry jobs have now, where they give people last minute shifts?). People who are working in those sorts of service jobs need employment to pay the bills more than your special snowflake needs a job to learn responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The economy is crappy. Companies would rather hire someone who is going to be able to work full time/any shift over a high school kid who has school obligations for fast food (have you read about the scheduling software that service industry jobs have now, where they give people last minute shifts?). People who are working in those sorts of service jobs need employment to pay the bills more than your special snowflake needs a job to learn responsibility.

This is hilarious. Did it ever dawn on you that parents want their children to work in part to avoid giving them the impression they are special snowflakes? Honestly, as parents you can't win!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the parent of 2 college students. They both work summer jobs and have since high school. This has varied from summer camp counseling to Capitol Hill internships. Neither currently works during the school year. One goes to a SLAC where the on campus jobs are all taken by financial aid recipients, and there are very few student job in the small college town (happens to be a place with a not great economy so there are plenty of locals desperate for the work).

Almost all their friends have worked at least part of the summer, and many have on campus jobs. Are there really that many kids who aren't doing some kind of work during their college years? I just don't see that at all.

Agreed. Every single one of my kids' friends (kids are rising college soph and rising high school junior) works during the summer at the very least - so e during the school year. Are they working at McDonald's or BK? No, but lifeguardjng, nannying, retail, hosts/servers/bussers, absolutely. I'm just not seeing these countless unemployed kids that some do.

[Anonymous]

This is hilarious. Did it ever dawn on you that parents want their children to work in part to avoid giving them the impression they are special snowflakes? Honestly, as parents you can't win!

Sorry that was a bit harsh. I just meant that people seem to think current kids are lazy/entitled/too good for minimum wage work because they aren't working at McDonalds, and essentially, the main reason that teens are not doing these jobs is that the economy has changed and sadly, it's not teens with a part time job who take a lot of those service jobs, it's people who really need work. If you want your teens to work, seasonal work like lifeguarding might be more of an option, as well as waitressing/serving, babysitting, or tutoring.