Reasons why Teens should get Jobs
Few teenagers realize the value of a part-time job. While some teens take on part-time positions, many others choose to spend their free time starting bands, playing sports or shopping at the mall.
No one will deny a social life is important, but in sacrificing just a few hours a week to a local business, teens can learn valuable skills necessary to life-long success.
It's no secret that technology has changed communication - especially for today's teens who believe themselves to be texting masters. Texting, however, doesn't mean much on a resume. Teens working in a professional environment will learn to communicate beyond the power of their iOS auto-correct.
Beyond reinforcing writing skills, teens that work with adults have to adapt their behavior to fit the work environment. Simply learning to talk with others and understanding how to fit into different social situations are valuable skills that, while necessary in the adult world, can't be taught in the classroom.
Those life lessons learned on the job are valuable. For teens looking to enter post-secondary education, colleges are especially interested in students who are mature and self-aware. Any student with good references from a high school job immediately shows certain characteristics: time management, responsibility, dedication.
With higher numbers of college applicants, teens should be looking for any extra push on their application.
For teens, though, the final lesson might be the most important. A part-time job is really vital in the process of creating independence from parents.
Part-time jobs, while probably not paying much, do provide extra cash at the end of the pay period. For the first time, many teens experience the freedom of financial independence.
Financial independence means no longer relying on mom's approval about which jeans to buy or how many lattes are allowed each week. In many families, it also means paying for some of that monumental texting bill and learning the power of money.
Teens need to learn how to earn and how to use their own money, and beginning with the earnings from a part-time job is a safe way to experiment with money management.
A part-time job is the catalyst for growth and independence. Teens learn not only how to be responsible earners and spenders, but how to interact professionally, which will only benefit them in the long run.
Sacrificing ten hours of free time a week seems like a pretty small price to pay for the value a part-time job provides for teens.
