I don't know what the labor laws are, but agree that a job early on in retail (restaurant, grocery store, ...) can teach great life lessons about getting along with others, empathy, etc.

Also, I don't know where you live, but in my (suburban VA) neighborhood, there's a newsletter with a listing of young people willing to do lawn work, pet care, babysitting, etc. I personally would be delighted to find a reliable teen to put in several hours a week helping out with whatever--yard stuff, snow, random household tasks.

Best thing I ever did was work as a grocery store check out clerk in high school. What a horrible job. Definitely gave me the motivation to find a better job later. Also, I am always kind to cashiers!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers can't get a job anymore. Illegal immigrants take them all.

Dumb statement. Please educate yourself.

Another liberal truth-hater.

Nope. Someone who knows lots of teens with jobs. Maybe it's just your teen who can't find employment.

Op and son, ignore and rise above the jerks on this thread - good lesson that I picked up working as a waitress before law school!
Anyway, I see teens around here working as lifeguards, behind the counter at ice cream/fryo places, and as table bussers (at Rio Grande, for example). I also see teens working at American Plant on River Road. As a teen and in college, I was always a lifeguard, camp counselor or waitress and those jobs earned me spending cash, gas money, money that I used to travel in between college and law school, AND taught me some good skills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

A job "understanding" the ignorant scum who work fast food or WalMart will give him all the knowledge he needs... if he plans to work fast food or WalMart later in life. If he plans to get an education and work in an office, exposure to ignorant scum will do him no good at all.

+100 spot on

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

A job "understanding" the ignorant scum who work fast food or WalMart will give him all the knowledge he needs... if he plans to work fast food or WalMart later in life. If he plans to get an education and work in an office, exposure to ignorant scum will do him no good at all.

You think all people who work in food service or retail are "ignorant scum", and the fact that they work this type of job is sufficient cause for you to deem them "scum"? Interesting. I think that knowing where someone works (as long as the job is legal and ethical) doesn't give us sufficient information to judge them as scum. I reserve that term for criminals, creeps, and people who attempt to harm others. All we know for sure about a given fast food or Walmart employee is that they've chosen to work an honest, if low-paying and poorly regarded, job. That doesn't say scum to me as long as it's a person of good character.

I certainly hope the lessons my child learns from her childhood experiences are very different from the ones you seem to have learned, because I would be extremely disappointed in her as a person if she were so judgmental and arrogant as to hold the views you do about people who work in the service industry.

Furthermore, these types of jobs teach many transferable skills which will be useful in a variety of jobs a teen could aspire to have, and they look good on an entry-level resume for a college student or high school grad entering the workforce, especially if it eventually led to a management level position at the store or restaurant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

A job "understanding" the ignorant scum who work fast food or WalMart will give him all the knowledge he needs... if he plans to work fast food or WalMart later in life. If he plans to get an education and work in an office, exposure to ignorant scum will do him no good at all.

I would say some of the best management techniques I ever learned were working at a fast food restaurant. First and foremost, don't be a jerk. Many of the people at my law firm could benefit from that lesson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers can't get a job anymore. Illegal immigrants take them all.

Dumb statement. Please educate yourself.

Another liberal truth-hater.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

A job "understanding" the ignorant scum who work fast food or WalMart will give him all the knowledge he needs... if he plans to work fast food or WalMart later in life. If he plans to get an education and work in an office, exposure to ignorant scum will do him no good at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

By understanding of humanity I hope you mean pity. I feel pity for all the adults working in food service and walmart etc but I don't feel anything else for them except that they should have made better life choices. Maybe if their parents had been there to encourage them onto bigger and better things instead of teaching them to be McWorkers for someone else bottom line.

Please tell me what your parents did to raise you. I want to make sure I don't make those mistakes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

By understanding of humanity I hope you mean pity. I feel pity for all the adults working in food service and walmart etc but I don't feel anything else for them except that they should have made better life choices. Maybe if their parents had been there to encourage them onto bigger and better things instead of teaching them to be McWorkers for someone else bottom line.

That's disgusting. I feel respect for anyone working an honest day's work as a productive member of society. I would feel bad for anyone who wanted a different/better paying job and felt trapped in those types of jobs, because I know that's a difficult position to be in. But I certainly don't feel the pity or disgust you seem to. Maybe that is the right sort of job for the person's situation, and besides, anyone who works in the private sector and doesn't own or manage their own business could be said to be "working for someone else's bottom line".

My 15 yo is a soccer ref. he is also a camp counselor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

By understanding of humanity I hope you mean pity. I feel pity for all the adults working in food service and walmart etc but I don't feel anything else for them except that they should have made better life choices. Maybe if their parents had been there to encourage them onto bigger and better things instead of teaching them to be McWorkers for someone else bottom line.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.

I'm sure he will. A great reason people should work at many different jobs is to have some understanding of humanity from all walks of life. There's no reason people need to segregate. At some point, you should learn how to deal with people who are different than you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was in H.S. I was designing webpages for $100 an hour while my friends were working part time at Starbucks. Then they went on to college and worked at Starbucks to get by. And now they have a degree and still work at Starbucks. While I meanwhile have a wonderful job and a great life in DC because I had 10 years of RELEVANT experience and they graduated with food service experience.

I feel bad for you if you think ANY serious job will look at a college graduates resume and see McDonalds for 4 years and think "oh that is nice, they probably are a good worker and reliable and learned good job skills."

For an entry-level position, I would call the recent grad who worked at McDonalds or Starbucks before I called the one who had "owned his own business" since high school, and never worked for someone else. Obviously, a candidate who had done both would be ideal, but like PPs have said, working for a boss is a signal that this individual can show up on time, dressed appropriately, and follow instructions. These are qualities that I want in an entry-level employee. The person who owned his own business for six years probably thinks he is entitled to be my boss.

News flash, the one who owned their own business doesn't want your entry level job. Go ahead and hire those McGraduates.