But there’s an underlying ambivalence: we celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Book of Genesis says work is punishment for Adam’s sin, and many of us count the days to the next vacation and see a contented retirement as the only reason for working.
For this weeks blog, think about the differing views on work and it's relationship to a teen's future success.
Argue whether or not teenagers should hold down a job before graduating high school. Draw support from reading, experience or observation. Also, interview someone about their first job and begin your argument by telling us about their experience with work.
Doing is work can either be a hard task or something that you enjoy doing, but everyone looks forward to the weekends. Although working can be rough, working is something natural; something that everyone needs. Without work, people would not be as excited for the weekend or even retirement. Work is not a punishment, it is a betterment for our lives. Most people do not look forward to the weekend or vacation because they get out of their job, but they get to spend time with their family and friends. We, as people, have the responsibility to the find the jobs we are talented in, and that we like.
ReplyDeleteFrom personal experience I have came upon the decision that I only like the idea of working a job the summer after you graduate. I have many reasons for my decision. My cousin who is once year older than me, works at cafeteria hospital for four hour shifts almost every day, including holidays. Remind you, she is only 17. I have a major problem with this. Other than the fact that she is getting experience for future jobs, some money for college or daily life things, and something to put on he resume for college she is not experiencing her high school years as a teenager. My cousin should be enjoying the years as living as a crazy teenager and doing things she will not get to do for the rest of her life.
I interviewed one,of my brothers, Tyler, and he agreed with me on this thought. When asking Tyler if he believed that working before you graduation was necessary he replied with similar thoughts, "No, you only have a small time where you get to goof around and be a teenager. You need to experience those years and figure out your interests and talents to find a job good for your personality." Tyler's first job was working at Benzinger Park for the summer, and this was the summer after he graduated high school. I asked him about his experience and he replied saying, "It was an awesome experience, before entering the real world you get to work with different people who have a common goal." Lastly, I asked him about his thoughts on retirement and he answered by saying, " The purpose of working is to help the world or the people in some influential way. So, when you work you should be happy your making a difference in ones life and not focusing on when you stop doing your job." Also, Tyler made it clear that, "you have forever to work, but so long to be a kid".
Everyone loves a day off, but if we really are doing our job right we wouldn't be looking forward to the weekends or retirement. We do not work on Labor Day to give these workers, who work so hard, a chance to celebrate their accomplishments with their friends and family. Working a job we are meant for and like is not a punishment, and working should not be a punishment. It is something that guides one to strengths in both body and mind and leaves making the world a better place.
Good insight. Just a rhetorical question, are high school kids who don't work leaving school with less maturity and real life experience if they invested themselves in "fun only" or are they better off? Well rested? Or even spoiled? Is that possible? I also wonder where teens get spending money if they don't work. And I also wonder if summer jobs keep teens out of trouble. But I like your blog. And since I have your Chagall project, I know what your brothers look like!
DeleteReilly,
DeleteI think you made good points in your blog. I like your comments on working for the weekends. Sometimes though when people work towards the weekend they may begin to slack off as the week progresses due to laziness and the want to be out of the work place.also, I agree with the idea that you have the rest of your life to work, but a part time job wouldn't be such a bad thing either. Good blog this weekend
Reilly,
DeleteI think your views on this were well thought out and I really enjoyed your blog however I agree with Dan that a part time job wouldn't be a bad thing.
Reilly,
DeleteAs the fun and outgoing person you are, I understand where it is very important in your life to enjoy your teenager years. I have a part time job, and I still manage to be in a sport all year long, keep up with my schooling, and have a social life. You did make some good points though.
I completely agree with your blog. Why is everyone so eager to get a job!? Have fun and enjoy high school!! You have the rest of your life to work!! I love just being a kid and messing around with my friends!! I wouldn't trade it for the world!!
DeleteReilly,
DeleteI loved your points in your blog. I totally agree that jobs make our world a better place. Although I do not have a job, I believe that jobs can advance and prepare us for the future but I do agree that the craziness of school, sports, and social life can hinder it. I enjoyed your personal insights with family and friends also. Great blog.
Reilly,
DeleteYou made some good points on work and I agree with most of them. I disagree on your support on teens needing to experience high school as a teen. Not everyone has jobs like your cousin, most teens can have a job and experience their teen years because their job is part-time and they only work twelve or fourteen hours a week.
There is an old adage once said by Confucius that goes like this, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." I think this idea holds true to work. If you wake up everyday and attend a job that you love to do, then life isn't as hard. If you wake up everyday and hate your job, life isn't as fun. In order to obtain the job that you like the most, it is important to work hard in the early years of life. So that, this goal can be achieved.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not teens should hold down a job while in high school or in the summer after there graduation is always a topic of debate. People always say, "You should enjoy your teenage years. They are the best years of your life. Why waste them working p, when you have the rest of your life to do that?" Some of these ideas do hold true, but personally I think that individuals who do not obtain prior work experience before they head out to begin their lives as adults are falling behind to those that do. In addition, a job, whether that may be part-time or a normal seven hour shift, helps each individual to build character, increases there level of experience, as well as gives them money to pay for college.
After and interview with my dad About his first job experience I have come to the realization that the work he did as a kid carried throughout his life and is present today. His first job was a grass cutter for multiple houses. There was one house that he said was always the most important yard to cut correctly. It was a family who was rather wealthy and they had the best lawn on the street. Every three days he would go there to cut the grass, making sure the every line he cut was perfectly straight or he would not get paid for his work. He told me that that taught him a valuable lesson he continually I stills in me today. He says, "be a job big or small do it right or not at all." When I find myself not wanting to do something or not wanting to go to work on those hot summer nights when all my friends are out playing pick up basketball I say this line over in my head to help me to power through.
As previously stated, teens or any individual for that matter, who does not take pride in working does not care for their own well being. Working is what pays the bills, or pays for that huge college loan that you had to take out because mommy and daddy aren't able to pay for college like some people's parents can. From my own personal experiences with holding a job I'll be the first to admit, sometimes it sucks. But, the satisfaction comes at the end of the week or the end of two weeks when that fat stack of cash comes in and you know you worked hard to get that paper.
Some people think that it is not necessary for a teenage kid to work a job. Why isn't it though? They learn to manage their time, gained valuable experience in the realm of complying with other people on the job, and in the end have money to use on a teenagers basic necessities. Without proper work experience, individuals will go into their first job blind because they lack the experience it takes to perform. All in all, it is an important asset to have job and work experience under your belt before you enter into the real world of work.
Dan,
DeleteI really enjoyed your blog and I agree with all of it. I think the quote to start it off was a great idea. I think that the story about your dad was the strongest part of your blog. Great job
Dan,
DeleteYour blog started off very strong. Every teenager should have some level of job experience before they enter to real world, whether it be a few hours here and there or a consistent part time job. This was a great point in your blog that I believe made a solid argument.
I am a firm believer in working in high school. If you choose not to work in high school I feel that you are setting yourself up to fail. Working in high school can help you to figure out what you want to do with your life. It also can show you what you do not want to do with your life. With no job then you have no money save up for college. My mom always told me, "You don't want to start your new life in debt." With no money saved up there is no way to make it out of college with less than $100,000. Working in high school instills in you hard work and working for me has shown me that I need to further my education because I do not want to have a job for 40 years where I do manual labor.
ReplyDeleteI got a job in the spring of freshman year and I am very happy with my decision and have a job now. I do not work while I am in sports seasons but I know how important it is to start saving for college. I do not feel slighted at all or feel that I am missing out on the experiences that teenagers have while growing up. I think that in high school you can find a job that allows you to still have a life and run around doing crazy things with your friends. It has taught me hard work and that the harder you work the more opportunities that you will have. It taught me to manage my team to meet my deadlines for work while balancing shook work. For me it wasn't much different than being in a sports season, I spent the same amount of time at work as I would while I was in a sports season. The only difference was that I was getting paid and could start putting money away for college.
I chose to interview my mom, Kim Cashmer about the views on working in high school. She felt that it teaches kids responsibility and that they need to start saving money for college. She said that students should only work part time or get a full time job in the summer only if they can still have the freedom to do the things that they want to do.
I know that while working at anything having a day off is motivation to work harder towards that point. I think it gives people drive to work their hardest. If someone is working hard than they should be rewarded in some way and giving them a day off for hard work is a great incentive and I know that we all do look forward to the weekend with school. I do the same for my job and work harder towards the end of the week so that I do not have to work on the weekend.
Makenzie,
DeleteAlthough we had similar points in our blogs, I do not think I agree with your statement, "if you choose not to work in high school I feel that you are setting yourself up to fail". I think making it through life is going to be more difficult, but many people make it through life fine without working a day in their life. You did make some very good points though. Good job.
Good blog but under no circumstances do I think not having a job sets you up to fail. By attending a good high school, and having good parents who guide you along the way you can be very successful. A part time job while in high school does not in anyway play a major factor in your later success.
DeleteI agree with Frankie's comment! Even though having a job is a very good idea and defenitly helps down the road, I just have different views.
DeleteI think that kids who do not work AT ALL in high school are at a definite disadvantage to those who do. YOu cannot underestimate the power of experience, even with a part time job. I think future employers look for workers with experience.
DeleteI used to believe that having a job as a teenager was pointless. My dad always says, "You have the rest of your life to work. Be a kid". I used to agree with him entirely, especially when my mom told me I had to get a job. My first job was waitressing at the Corner Restaurant. Emily worked there and told me I would like it so I gave it a try and hated it. The people were amazing, but the stressful environment just was not for me. I quit that job without consulting with my parents. My mom was constantly nagging me and telling me that I needed a job, and I could not figure out why. I kept telling her that I did not need a job. That I just wanted to be a teenager and hang out with my friends, and not have to worry about a schedule to work around. I felt like I was on a limited timeline of my high school years, and I did not want them to end. I wanted to do so many things before I graduated, and I thought having a job would limit that. I applied to work at Hoss's as a salad bar worker. I felt that I was going to the interview against my will. It has been eight months since I started working there, and I truly believe it has taught me lessons I will carry with me forever. This job has taught me to put others first no matter the mood you are in. I am also more willing to help my parents around the house. I thought when I started the job it would completely end my social life, but that is not the case. My managers are more than flexible about working with my schedule. My paychecks are directly deposited to my savings account so I am good with saving my money.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was the biggest influence on telling me to get job so I interviewed her. Her first job was a lifeguard at her local pool. She had a different family life with really no support system. She said that no one told her to get the job. She wanted money to spend because no one was handing her money to go and spend on things she wanted for herself. All the times she was nagging me, I realized she was actually preparing me for the rest of my life. Although I do not need a job to support my family's income, having a job is teaching me responsibility. I do wish I had all of my teenage years to be a reckless kid doing whatever, I truly appreciate that I have someone there to prepare me for what is still yet to come.
Morgan,
DeleteI really like how you bring up that your mom was trying to help you, not make your life miserable. Sometimes as teenagers we are very short-sighted and do not see the big picture. Getting a job doesn't ruin high school, but makes us more grateful for the time we have left. Great blog!
Morgan,
DeleteI really enjoyed your blog. I loved your story on the influence your mom had on you. Getting a job prepares us for the real world. Good work.
Good job Morgan. Jobs teach life lessons like you said.
DeleteMorgan,
DeleteI remember when you were at my house upset because you were going to an interview against your will. I think interviewing your mom was a great choice! Good job!
Morgan,
DeleteI really like your blog this week! I love how personal it is and your perspective of working. It's crazy to see how working has changed your outlook on life, but I agree with you completely. Good work!
Morgan, I liked how you put your personal feelings into the blog & I can agree with WHAG your saying!
DeleteJobs are how our country, families, and businesses survive. Without it, the world would be a boring place and no one would feel fulfilled. Jobs are an essential part of developing responsibility and self-reliability. Unfortunately, the world sees having a job as a nuisance. The main reason for this is unhappiness in career paths. Work should be a reward, not a punishment.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading this blog, I felt a little guilty for having only worked as a babysitter. But, I believe through this experience, I have learned responsibility and life skills just as those people who work at restaurants or other places. The person I chose to interview was my dad. He is a firm believer in having a job in high school. His first job was being a bus boy at the Country Club during high school. When asking him what he got out of his job he said, "I learned how to be professional. I learned how to service people and not just serve them. There is a difference." He further explained this "service and serve" idea by saying that serving someone is going through the motions. Servicing someone is going out of your way to make sure the customer is happy and taken care of. He believes that from this he learned good work ethics that carried into college and his professional life. With the money my father made during high school, he bought himself a car. He earned his car and had to take on more responsibility. He had to pay for his own gas, keep tabs on oil changes, and make sure he took his car for inspection. He stated, "When I bought my car I had a feeling of accomplishment and freedom and also that I was becoming dependent in myself. I never would have had this feeling without my job. All those hours had finally paid off." When addressing the topic of teenage work he stated, "Work in high school is absolutely necessary. Too many teenagers believe that they are entitled to the things they have." I coincide with this belief. Teenagers get lazy and spoiled when everything comes to them without putting in the work. Jobs teach that things do not come for free. In saying all of this, there is a time for work and a time for play. Are the teenage years the time for play? When asking my dad this he responded by saying, "The teenage years begin at age 13. You can only get a job around 16 years old, and by this time you should be thinking about the real world." Just because someone has a job does not mean that all their fun is taken away. There are still many hours in the day to hang out with friends and family. Also, by working a teen can see how the world works and can also help choose career paths.
So, why do people look forward to retirement and days off? It is always nice to have a day off every once in awhile, but work should not be a punishment. When I asked my dad what he thought about this he said, "I don't wish my life away. Work is rewarding and should not be laborious, as it consumes a large portion of your life. Retirement is a nice goal, but we should all live in the moment." I could not agree more with this statement. Jobs give satisfaction to all and instill values that carry on all through life. It is important for every teenager to be hard-working because that is what drives success. As Galatians 6:7-9 reads, "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
Kara,
DeleteYour blog was pretty interesting. One thing that people are always saying and you mentioned in your blog is the fact that kids feel entitled to things. This may be the case some of the time, but definately not as much as people think. I think that kids realize that they are going to have to pay for things at some point in their lives. That is a good Bible verse at the end!
Let kids be kids, and let teenagers be teenagers. I strongly believe teenagers should not enter the workforce until their summer after graduation, right before they leave for college. I believe this for several reasons. During the school year, students should focus on their school work, and be involved in extra circular activities such as sports and band. Most students work during high school in order to pay for the college they eventually want to attend. Having to work long hours after school, on top of having hours worth of homework can cause students to fall behind on their school work, making a job counterproductive. Many people argue that a job will teach teenagers what it means to be responsible, or how to work hard. I believe, however, being part of a sports team does this and more. After just finishing a five month long basketball season I know that this is very true. Playing sports also allows students to create memories with their friends, memories in which they will share with their kids and cherish forever. Students who have jobs are by no means more mature than those who don't. You mature by growing up and making mistakes. How are you suppose to make those mistakes if you spend all of your time working? Being a teenager is all about doing dumb stuff with friends, and learning from the stupid things you have done. This leads to being more mature, not washing dishes for some restaurant. A personal experience I have with this is my brother Danny, who graduated last year. Danny probably spent more time than the average person doing dumb stuff, getting in trouble, and then learning from his mistakes. He learned countless life lessons from all these things, lessons he would not have learned if he worked. He committed no major crimes or anything seriously harmful, but did have his fair share of trips down to Mr. Hanes's office. Only after high school did he get a job, and if you were to ask him now he would agree in saying students should not have jobs while in high school. I interviewed my Dad about this topic. My Dad's first job was working as a paper boy when he was twelve years old. He has had some sort of job ever since, and has been working for the past thirty-nine years. I asked my Dad whether or not he thought this job played a major role in shaping the rest of his like, and he answered "no." He also said, "that having a job did not create any more sense of maturity or responsibility than what I was already getting from school and sports alone." When your twenty-one be, twenty-one. When your thirty-five, be thirty-five. When your seventeen, be seventeen. Teenagers should not try and get ahead of themselves, but rather have fun and enjoy life.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFrank,
DeleteUpon reading your argument, I like it more than mine, but I do think that people can maintain grades, work, and play sports because that is what I have done all through high school. I enjoy working, and I do not think that I am rushing my life. I do understand where you are coming from, and I enjoyed reading your blog. You have a pretty strong argument.
Frank,
DeleteThis is a very strong argument. Although many teens work for themselves, that's not always the case. Many people work during high school to support their families or to save up their college funds which they have to pay 100% of. Your personal interviews really concluded your central argument. I agree that people should act their own ages, but sometimes people just want a little extra cash. Great blog!!
Frank,
DeleteI enjoyed the part about Hopper getting in trouble and doing dumb things that he learned his lesson from. I think that important life lessons are learned from being a kid and getting trouble! Great Blog!
I disagree because teens build much more responsibility during a high school job.
DeleteFrank,
DeleteThe point you made about learning from mistakes was a great point, but I do disagree with your statement about students who work not maturing as mush as those who don't work. How else are you going to learn to manage your time between work and life, or how to manage your money if there is not a job to creat a need for time management or income to balance. Not having a job and goofing around is fun but what will you know about work and the responsibilities that go along with it when you get an internship in college? Nothing.
I like your blog because it made me think more about the topic. I agree and disagree with you. I agree that those with jobs are not necessarily more mature and than high school is more than just work. We are expected to do our best in school, do hours of homework every night, be involved in sports and clubs, get enough sleep, help out at home, have a social life, and be on time for school the next morning. There is plenty of time management involved in there. Students will learn to mature with all that responsibility. Talking with Fr. Ross the other day, he said they though he was suicidial his junior year of high school because of how stressful it can be. In a way, that is really unfortunate.
DeleteI do think we need to plan for the future and not just live in the moment. Also, I do not agree that lessons are learned through mistakes. If this were true, why do people make the same mistakes multiple times? Mistakes do not necessarily help people mature. Your personal stories helped make your point and overall your blog was one of the best in my opinion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteUpon interviewing a fifteen year old neighbor of mine, I have concluded that work creates meaning in people's lives. Ever since he could reach the windows of a car he was outside washing them for people. He created his own car washing business so that he could save money for a four wheeler. People would drop their cars off at his house and he would wash, shine, and wax them. This was a fun way to earn money for him. It taught him how to manage money, wash cars, and gave him good practice with his social skills. Along with that, he was able to make many friends and acquaintances that are still around today. Although jobs are not for everybody, a job can be a great way for people to gain a purpose in their lives, acquire social skills that they would otherwise live without, and earn money to sustain themselves.
ReplyDeleteMany times people do not like to work, but they do not realize that work is a very important part of life. Without it, nobody would be alive. People are judged by their ability to do work all of the time. In order to make their products as efficiently as possible, businesses want people who are good at doing work. If someone is not smart, many times their work ethic can earn them a position at a company because often a good work ethic is not something that someone can learn. Future employers will look at a person's past to determine whether or not they should hire them. Work can be translated into the rest of your life. People who lack the motivation to mow their yards are probably not going to create much of a life for themselves. I think that if people get jobs when they are teenagers it can help them for the rest of their lives. When teenagers see what work can do for them, they are more likely to strive to get good jobs, and most people know that in order to get a good job they need to stay in school, keep drugs out of their lives, and stay out of jail. There is a satisfaction that comes from doing good work that can not be achieved by doing anything else.
Although jobs are not for everybody, a job can be a great way for people to gain a purpose in their lives, acquire social skills that they would otherwise live without, and earn money to sustain themselves. Maintaining a job at a young age can open one's eyes to the opportunities that lie in their ability to do work. In this day in age, work is something that is seen as a burden, but it is actually the reason people are alive. Most human being have a little light somewhere down inside them that fights to stay alive. The only way for that light to stay lit is to work for the necessities of life.
Zac,
DeleteI agree with your opinion when you stated that although jobs are not for everybody, they HAVE to be for everybody, Besides living off of welfare, how is someone going to survive in the real world without a steady income? I liked when you talked about gaining purpose, social skills, and money. Great blog.
Zach,
DeleteI really like your blog this week, you make so many good points. I like how you brought up how being smart has nothing to do with it, it's motivation and work ethic. More people need to know this and acknowledge this fact, someone can be the smartest person in the world, but if they are not driven or a hard worker it does not matter in the least.
Working a job in high school can be a very burdensome task. Many times, students can rarely find time because of musicals, school work, sports, band, and any other activities that may be in their daily agenda. So, should high schoolers join the workforce?
ReplyDeleteI conducted my personal interview with my brother Luke. His first job experience was working as a lifeguard at the community pool in Ridgway. He shared his employment with George Urmann during the entirety of his first year. He worked 4 hours a day every weekday, and 8 hours a day on the weekends. He had a lot of free time every Monday through Friday. Luke had no experience going into his first year, but he learned a lot. Over the course of 5 years, he worked for four different managers and taught the newcomers, as well as the managers on many different occasions. He had a job, but still managed to go to sports and music lessons.
Personally, I think that high schoolers should have jobs during these young years of their lives. In my mind, the only controversy is how intense and burdensome these opportunities should be. Jobs should hold certain restrictions. Kids shouldn't be working 40 hour weeks while they already have full time priorities at school. The jobs should have simple rules such as three or less hours every school night, school work and God come first, and if you are failing classes, you need to be suspended from the force until that grade raises up.
What students are looking for is experience and money. They don't want to enter the workforce right after high school with no clue what to expect. Jobs help pupils create time management skills. Learning to budget time and how to use it well is something that kids don't learn until later in life, but working while they are young could prepare them for that time. Like I mentioned before, these jobs should only be part time. In an experiment conducted by a college in Portland, they found that students who work more than 15 to 20 hours a week see a huge decrease in academic performance. Teens shouldn't exceed the recommended hours of work per week, and definitely shouldn't be studying or catching a quick snooze while on the clock.
Money is the greatest reason for student employment. Teens want to break free of their parents control. They want to have cash so they can buy whatever they want, save for college, or maybe they just want to get out of town for awhile.
Students should definitely have jobs in high school, but the restrictions change the game. Limited hours, good school work, family, extra curricular activities, and God can really take a toll on time management. Being employed gets teens experience, gives them a small income, and can even keep them out of trouble. Im my eyes, it is very smart to hold a job as a high schooler.
Work is a good, but a hard aspect of life. As I interviewed my dad, Joe Gier, he tells me his job experience was cool and exciting. He got his first job in grade school at a local supermarket. It deepened his understand of the real world around him and advanced him for his future life and jobs. Jobs can also help you realize what you want to do in the future. It can help you search out the workforce and experience the true workforce you will be apart of later. Teenagers should hold down a job before graduating high school. Although I do not have a job, I think having a job brings many advancements and opportunities for the future. Jobs can prepare you for the real world and can help with time management as a high schooler. Time management is key in college. A job in high school also allows you to experience the work force before you go into college to become something major in a work force. On the opposite note, jobs give you money. This money you obtain can help you with many things. Future college plans, hobbies, and things you enjoy can be made possible by the money gained by holding down a job. We do not work on Labor Day because we give the workers a chance to celebrate their accomplishments within the workforce. Although as said before jobs can advance and prepare so much for the future and real world, school, social life, and sports can get in the way. These things can make having a job difficult, but it can be possible. As we get older and have a permanent job, we will realize the job in our life will keep us alive. Working a job is something that strives to show our great characteristics and abilities that make our world greater each and everyday.
ReplyDeleteAllie,
DeleteI think you should get a job this summer, I think summer is a great time to get a job. Your last sentence is great! Good job!
Every teen should have to get a job. Having a job teaches many concepts such as responsibility, time management, and financial concepts. When you have a job you actually have to worry about things. You can't be late to work. That teaches discipline. Depending on what you do if might be hard work or it may be something easy like being a waitress. But in the same you may not like it but I bet if anyone asks their parents, they don't like there jobs entirely. Having a job allows teens to learn to work for what they want instead of mommy and daddy handing over money. If you want a vehicle when you receive your license then you have to work to afford it just like all teens will in their future. Instead of having your parents buy you a $20,000 car. How does that teach you anything? Besides that your parents have money. It will also prepare you for college and a way to pay off student loans. You will have already been taught certain jobs so you can find one in college easier to work around your schedule.
ReplyDeleteI interviewed my brother who agrees with me. He has been taught many lessons because our dads makes us buy everything with money we have worked for over the summer. He says it sucks having to buy your own car but in the long run it has taught him life lessons.
Teenagers should have at least some job experience before they move on to adulthood. Jobs allow teenagers to be in a different environment and work with groups of people. Working gives teenagers a better sense of respect and appreciation. Working prepares teens for the future, budgeting time, scheduling, being responsible, and just keeping a job. After high school or college, life is all working. Many jobs teenagers have give them training for future jobs, people skills, or a basic idea of what to expect in their life. All teens work for mainly one reason, earning money. Earning is a key word in that sentence, earning money, actually working for it, helps teenagers have a better appreciation for things in life. No one even takes a second thought when spending someone else's money, but when it is your own hard earned money, things are different. I know for myself it is much harder to spend money when I know how hard I had to work to get it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do feel like working a job is very important, the job should not interfere with school or activities that go along with being a teenager. I do not mean crazy parties, but simply sports, band, or musicals, just normal activities students are involved in. I work in the summers, because during the school year my parents tell me that school is my full time job, and it is. I am using the word "work" for myself as a very loose term. I work very little, I babysit twin boys and a baby girl maybe once a week during the summer. I feel as though this blog, coming from myself, might seem hypocritical, but I do believe in teenagers working. I agree more with solely summer jobs than I do full year work, because school should be a main focus for these teens so that they can have the best possible education.
My older sister, Abbey, worked quite a few jobs during her teenage years. I remember her frequently coming home from work frustrated and even more stressed out. Her first job was working at Pinecrest Manor serving residents dinner and clearing their trays when they were finished. She worked this job for probably six months about two hours or more every night, and in my interview with her she said she quit because they would not let her participate in sports. "It builds character," she told me. At the time she hated the job, and looking back on it she still is not found of her time there, but now as a physical therapist, she had the opportunity to work in a nursing home and see more of the process than she would have otherwise. Over the summer she worked as a physical therapist in a nursing home in Erie. She may not have realized it at the time but her hours spent with the patients would end up helping her later on.
The point you made about appreciating money was the strongest point of your argument! This is so true and so important for people to realize. If people think twice before spending money, they will spend it more effectively and not have as great financial troubles. Think of those who win the lottery and then go bankrupt, they clearly do not know the value of money. So does our value of money go down as we have more of it? Also, the personal story of you sister strengthened that argument and wrapped everything up nicely!
DeleteWork is, or will be, a part of most American's lives, it is what this country was founded on. The whole reason people left their homes and traveled to the new world was so they could work for themselves instead of being controlled. America is founded on work, so it makes sense that work is greatly influential in our culture. In regards to a teen, work is definitely beneficial for creating a better future.
ReplyDeleteWork is beneficial to a teen for a number of reasons, one being that it helps teens to learn to manage their time. In college and later on in life, time is not always available, and working a job while playing sports, studying, completing schoolwork, and or participating in extracurricular activities helps teens to be prepared when there is no free time available. Another beneficial impact of work is that teens have to start to think about what to do with their earnings, something they will have to do the rest of their lives. Another benefit of work is that teens can generate some income. Not all teens have money, or parents that can give them money, and many things that teens enjoy doing require money. Working provides teens with money to do the things they want to do. So not only does working help to prepare teens for the future, but it also gives teens money go do things they enjoy while they are still young.
When teens should get a job is really up to the teen and the environment he or she is living in. For me, I would have to say that working before graduation is the way to go. For others it might be after graduation. In my case, my parents do not want to spend all their money on things I wanted, so I began working to have money for what I wanted to do or buy things I wanted to have. Other teens might not have to work because their family would get them whatever they wanted. Another thing work has done for me is that it has taught me to manage my time, I have to find time to get my schoolwork done between sports practice five days a week and usually ten to fifteen hours of work. This will be a huge help when I am in college as I will be used to managing my time.
I chose to interviewed mother about her job during high school. My mother worked at the Elks Club in Ridgway, busing tables. She worked part time, so she had free time that teenagers want and she had a small income from her job to use while she had free time. She thinks that teens should have at least a part-time job before graduating high school because they can pay for things like their phones and driving, and it helps them to understand what the real world will be like. She also thinks it makes teens appreciate what they have because they worked for their possessions and earned them.
Students should get a job before they graduate, it might take away some free time, but a part-time job will not completely take over a teen's life. It is highly likely that you are going to have to work at some point in your life, so why not get the experience sooner than later. You can also explore many different types of work because you do not have to have a four year degree for each new job as a teen. It's better to find out what holding a job is like when you are a teen and you life does not depend on having a job than to get a job later on and spend your college years figuring out what you enjoy doing, changing your major, and acquiring more debt to pay as a result.
Well, as many of you know, I work at Pfaff’s Market and I have since the end of my junior year. Close to working there for a year, the small grocery store has taught me lessons I could never learn in the classroom. I constantly think of a certain old man wearing a veteran’s hat who came up to the register on my first day. He had a charge account, and my boss told me his name, I looked up the card and charged him for his groceries. After the man left, my boss told me he never speaks when he comes in, smiles, or tells you his name. From that point on I made it my point every time I saw him, to make him talk and smile. One day in August, he came in, this little old man with his veteran’s hat on asked me where the toothpaste was. I found it for him and gave it to him; part of my goal was complete, I got him to talk. Then he asked me to help him get the yogurt down, I put a few yogurts in his cart, and then he came up to the register. After I rang up all his items, he said, “My name is George –“, but I cut him off saying, “I know who you are,” grabbing his card to charge his groceries onto his account. When he was leaving I said, “Have a nice day, George!” and he responded “You too, little girl,” with a big smile on his face. That was the last day I saw George. In November his bill got paid off and he has not been in since. I am afraid George passed away. I learned one of the most valuable lessons from George; being kind, smiling, and being a genuine person is what life is about, because I got that old man with the veteran’s hat on to talk and smile, the two things my boss told me he never did.
ReplyDeleteI have met some pretty interesting people in my days working there, people who are always pleasant or always grumpy, and people who want to ask you about your day or people who do not want to talk at all. Yes, sometimes I come home from work, smelling like meat, and all I want to do is go shower and go to bed, instead of doing my homework. A job teaches you to manage your time accordingly, similarly to what we will all need to do in college.
I asked my dad about his first job. His neighbor offered him the job at AirCo Carbon cleaning one of the planes the company owned. My dad told me it was a low plane so when he cleaned the plane, on a creeper, soap and water would run down his arms. My dad also said the job taught him to do it right, it would help the mechanic find leaks. I do think high school students should hold some sort of job for a period of time before they head off to college.
My family has always badgered me about getting a job. Of course, I always wanted a job but instead got caught up in other activities in my life. It would be beneficial to get work experience, start saving money for college, and learn a few life skills along the way. At one point, I did apply for a job, but never heard back from the company. I talked to my Grandma, who is about to turn 86, about her first job and the experience that she got from it. When she was fourteen and about to enter high school, my grandma told her mother she wanted to drop out of high school and go to work. Being that this was the mid-1940s, my grandma's mother was ecstatic to hear her daughter wanted to go to work. My grandma's family was pretty poor. For example, they had one bike that was suppose to be shared by my grandma and her nine siblings. My grandma's first job was cleaning somebody's house everyday. She would do everything she could to make this person's house neater and cleaner and would get paid for it. It was not her favorite job, but it was far from the worst she had. She had that job for about a year and then moved on. She did not officially retire from working until she was 84. Clearly, she learn a lot from working and it is part of who she is. She certainly would not be the same person today if she had not worked all those years.
ReplyDeleteMy grandma was the type of person who believed everybody should have a job. She knew that people could learn and benefit from having a job and that ultimately the people with jobs would get further in life than those who did not. Then there is the opposite view that jobs are not so important. For one thing, not all jobs are very beneficial and may just cause more problems in the long run. Students who are three sport athletes who also take AP courses, probably do not have time for a job. If they were to add a job to that load, they will either sacrifice good grades or an unhealthy amount of sleep. It would be hard to benefit from a job at that point. Of course, there are people who have free time but are too lazy to get a job, but this is a small percentage that should not be the stereotype.
Teenagers who have the ability to fit a job into their schedule certainly should as there is a variety of benefits, such as money and experience. Those who do not have a job, will not really be more ahead in life than those who do not. Those without jobs, will be putting their time into other activities. As long as the teenagers do not become lazy and keep doing something, it will prepare them for the future.