johnnymk

If I were a kid nowadays, i would be mowing lawns at $20 a pop. But they are nowhere to be found. I guess this article is correct.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200...xperts_st.html

If it seems you're seeing a lot more teenagers hanging around doing nothing these days, trust your eyes.


The summer job, for decades a rite of passage to adulthood, is becoming a thing of the past, according to a study. In growing numbers, teens are passing up summer work for travel, athletics and time down the Shore.

And that fact alarms economists and labor experts, who said fewer teens are gaining valuable work experience -- like the satisfaction of earning a paycheck or the art of dealing with customers and bosses -- that would serve them, and the economy, in the future.

From the cities to the malls to the boardwalks of New Jersey, employers, youth workers and even teens cite a factor that economists did not mention: a dying work ethic among teens.

brainsmile

Summer for me was certainly not spent with idle time. I would of course goof off with friends a bit but I was working more thank kids today.

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Butch

If they're just goofing around - problem.

However, I don't see a problem with spending the Summer traveling or doing athletics. Both things provide valuable experience and an argument can definitely be made that kids SHOULD be doing those things while they're young before they get stuck working as an adult.

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Markel

My 16-year-old son mows one lady's lawn and gets $25 - my wife's parents live near the lady, and he keeps a mower (we found by the side of the road) there to use for this job. He also does a couple of neighbors (smaller lawns) for $10 or $15.

He just got a job at Eddie Bauer - less $/hour, but more (air conditioned) hours.

He's also involved with the high school band (practices start 3 weeks before school in August), volleyball (school and club), and perhaps soccer (the coach wants him to play on the varsity this fall, but my son probably will decide not to play this year).

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Napoleon54

I have seen this trend as well... though it seems to me like today's teens are dividing into two groups: the ultra ambitious honor student type who never sit still and are always doing something, and the underachiever slacker type who just kinda float around without any motivation or direction. I agree that a summer job is invaluable experience. IMHO it is extremely important for kids to get experience in the working world in order to gain a sense of how things operate. Teens who don't have a summer job or a part-time job during the school year are sorely illprepared for the life of work that awaits them after graduation. They have a lot of catching up to do when they eventually do get a job.

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Jeffbx

The moment my kids are old enough, they're getting jobs.

I know people (kids?) who are 19, 20, 21 years old and have NEVER held a job in their lives. I mostly blame the parents for not forcing the issue, but heck, by now they're adults & should be doing it on their own.

I'm not saying they're freeloaders since they are in school full time, but they should be working somewhere part time, at least during the summer. Otherwise, they're going to have a heck of a time landing a full time job once they graduate from college. I know when I'm hiring an intern, the first thing I do is sort through the resumes and throw away the ones with no work experience. Work at McDOnalds, on campus, cut lawns, whatever. Just don't do NOTHING and expect to get a good job when school is over.

johnnymk

and become Democrats

me runs for the hills

Thesifer

I didn't have a job until I turned 18 and joined the military. Left 15 days after Graduation for Boot Camp.

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Jihforce

I think this has more to do with parents than most people think.

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avlena

it has everything to do with parents. I hear a lot of parents say they don't think their kid should have to get a job, cuz school is their job, and they need a break. Some parents don't even have their kids do chores!

I do think it's sad that it's hard to find a kid willing to mow lawns over the summer, but I can't blame them for that, since I chose poorly paid work at a library to avoid hard labor when I was in HS. but, a the very least, they should work at their local fast food place.

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Jihforce

Yeah i got relatives who are in their 20s and haven't held a real job because of school. Then again, I kinda did the same thing. HAHA. But I worked in office jobs as an intern for quite some time. I think there's a fine line between working and schooling and its the parents job to help define that. I know people who get so wrapped up in making money, they kind of prioritize it over school.

zenbooty

This was more or less me growing up. Other than a paper route when I was younger, my first real job I didn't get until summer after senior year, before leaving for college. My Dad encouraged me not to work, for fear it would interfere with the grades. His feeling was that any money or experience lost as a result would be more than made up for by the increased earnings and opportunities I'd command later on with good grades at good schools. Can't say I disagree with him after things have turned out as they have.

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avlena

I believe that you should work through school. Unless you're the type of student who needs every waking minute of every day to study, a few hours working and building up those skills shouldn't hurt grades. Besides, in the summertime, what else do kids have to do?

cheapie

geesh. i can't even imagine how fun that would have been to not work during the summer. instead, i spent my time on construction sites or in cornfields detassling corn.

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avlena

Doing nothing is fun for the first few weeks - then i'd get bored, and be perfectly happy to work a few hours each day. Plus, i'd have money to have more fun!

zippyjuan

I started working in high school (unless you count a paper route- those don't go to kids anymore either) and working in retail have rarely had a real weekend off since. Did the lawn mowing and snow shovelling thing for three neighbors. I did take off one summer in college but I spent that helping my Dad build a workshop building in our back yard as big as a two car garage. I cut every board for that place with a hand saw (except for the plywood decking for the floor)- cutting all day and then nailing it up when my Dad came home. After graduation I took about a year off and traveled in Europe but worked in London for six months.

I am with Napoleon on there being two basic groups. And both are driven or not driven by what their parents expect of them.

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johnnymk

I did all sorts of jobs during high school, hung around with my friends, built custom model cars and still got good grades.

And I went to a college that had co-op jobs so that I could afford going there. My parents had no money at all. I had no other options available to me.

I have a hard time believing that high school today is tough.

chrissy

Got a workers permit when I was 15. I worked through the school year (mostly weekends 5AM-2PM until I was 17) and all the summer. My parents couldn't afford my gas and insurance, I bought a lot of my clothes and extras. Paid a phone bill monthly (Marissa is weird and local is just that, in town only so calling friends in neighboring towns went on my phone bill).

You would think I would be better at budgeting.

uncledaddy

ROFLMAO....funny!

uncledaddy

I grew as an Air Force brat and the AF had a summer hire program that I worked in from the age of 15. Got my first job at 12 though (lied on the application). I stress the necessity of summer work to my 13 year old, not just for the experience alone, but for learning the value of a dollar when you earn it yourself.

Daedalus

I suspect most of the unemployed teens who don't want jobs are getting money from their parents, so I would agree parents are a big factor. Hanging out at the mall costs something, even if you just see a movie and have lunch.

I remember a comedienned a few years ago who referred to herself as "part of that generation whose parents worked really hard so that we wouldn't have to. And guess what? We don't!"

zenbooty

In my case I had older brothers who took jobs and were distracted from their schoolwork by them, in my Dad's opinion, anyway.

My folks didn't have tons of money, and had already been putting two older brothers to school. In my case, I was enrolled in about 4 or 5 honors classes each year of HS, and by the time of graduation I had earned 16 hours of college credit from acing AP tests. Anyway, that all earned me a 4 year full tuition scholarship at a nice private school my folks and I could have never afforded otherwise. I also earned a small scholarship from my Aunt's company that went toward books and living expenses. After my first year of college I started working in phone support on campus, about 20 hours a week during the school year and then full time over the summer. I was pretty much paying my own way from that point on.

I don't. I just think high schools have substituted breadth of knowledge for depth. Instead of preparing them for a life of work they are preparing them for even more schooling at the college level.

utcpal

I helped out my parents (in their shop) during summer and also weekends..
So didnt had to go anywhere else to work..
But doing nothing is really boring..

Mommypooh

I didn't have to work, my mom wanted me to focus on my grades and I did just that. Now tha tis not to say I didn't work my butt off at home. I had to babysit a lot, I also had to help clean the house, mow the lawn. I didn't earn an allowence for this but if I wanted to go to the skating rink on Firday with my friends my mom would give me the money to do so. I rarely had all that much down time cause I was a working part of the home. If I didn't do it, It didn't get done. I know how to work my butt off without having held a real job. I was never late once I did start working at almost 19. I showed up on time, I worked way more than I had to. I learned to do everything I could while I worked. When I worked retail as a cashier I also could run every other department to cover breaks and actually be useful unlike everyone else.

I don't think you have to work out of the home while in school just to gain experience. Heck you can make a lot more money as a girl if you are babysitting a lot. I did that as well. I baby sat until I was almost 20. I was the best paid for it cause of my age too. i was more responsible.

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johnnymk

I am curious. What kind of science and math courses are mandatory today in high school?

oblongmelon

I babysat for all the neighbors from the time I was 11 years old till I got a job working as a Page at a Library when I was 16..I worked their all through high school, but also volunteered at the local hospital as a candy stripe girl (that's where I worked on weekends)...When I left home to go to Elmira College-And St. Joes Nursing School, I worked as a nurses aid at the hospital on weekends..this was on top of all my class work load which was ALOT..and after doing clinicals in the mornings..I paid for myself to go to school -my parents ran out of money by the time It was my turn to go to college!...

avlena

true, there are some people who can't work because they're too busy helpin out at home. Though, I doubt this is the case with most teens today.

Also, while you do gain a sense of responsibility from helping out at home and babysitting, it is very difficult to put this on your resume when you're looking for a job out of school. Even having a job as a page at a library looks better then nothing.

InfiniteNothing

Well, if you want to get into a decent school you'll probably want to take Calc AB or BC. There's also a multitude of science options for depth. AP (ie 2nd year) chemistry, bio, physics, etc. I'd say school gets harder and more competitive with time.

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Napoleon54

The requirements vary from state to state. In NY I believe a high school diploma requires 2 years of science (usually Earth Science and Biology) and 3 years of math (through trigonometry, but no calc).

Correction: it's three years of each, add Chemistry to what I said previously.