Should My Teen Get A Job?
by Lisa Medoff
Dear Dr. Medoff,
I would like my 16-year-old daughter to get a part-time job, but since the economy is so bad, the few jobs that are available for teens are so menial. She feels that she would be wasting her time and she wouldn’t be making that much money anyway. Is this worth arguing about? From, K.E.
Dear K.E.,
While it is true that you need to pick your battles very carefully during adolescence, this one seems to merit further discussion. You say that you would like your daughter to get a job, which tells me that her getting a job is important to you for some reason; perhaps you have memories of what a part-time job did for you in high school, or you feel that your daughter needs to provide for herself when it comes to the material goods that she wants. It doesn’t matter what your reason is, or for that matter, what the topic is – if you feel that something is important, you need to discuss it with your teenager and be prepared to stand firm if you really believe you are doing the right thing for your child.
Part-time jobs can be very beneficial for teenagers, as long as the job does not take up more than 20 hours per week. Working more hours per week than that can have negative effects on your child’s school performance and mental health, so make sure that teens don’t overdo it. Give her some extra help in terms of managing her time to fit in both her job and homework, especially when she first begins working. You also want to make sure that you talk to her regularly about the people that she is working with and what she is doing at her job so that you can make sure that she is learning the lessons that you want her to learn.
Teenagers of all socioeconomic statuses can really benefit from having a part-time job. If your child simply does not have time during the school year due to heavy course loads combined with extracurricular activities, make sure that she is working for at least part of the summer. Don’t buy into the idea that a certain type of job is beneath your child. She does not have to do an internship at a prestigious company in order to learn valuable lessons; in fact, she may learn more from working at what she considers a “menial” job than anywhere else. Here are some ways that teens benefit from part-time jobs, no matter what those jobs look like:
- The first and most obvious benefit is that teens can earn money to spend on what they want. They learn the value of money, as well as the important skill of making wise choices by equating how many hours they would have to work in order to purchase what they want.
- Working gives teenagers an appreciation for what they have and for what many people have to go through in order to just survive. It can also give them more of an understanding of what their parents do to support them.
- If your child is not happy with the type of work she is qualified to do right now, it can be a great motivator to stay in school in order to get a better job.
- Working helps prevent the creation of an entitled, spoiled child who thinks that he is too good to do certain tasks and that he deserves anything he wishes to have.
- Part-time jobs help teens learn skills that they will need later, both in school and in the workplace. They can learn how to communicate effectively, how to work with people that come from another background than they do, how to deal with authority figures and rules that seem unfair, how to manage time effectively, and to take responsibility for their actions. Make sure where she is working is not dangerous or exploitive, and does not expose her to people who influence her in a harmful way. Otherwise, she will survive any challenge and learn a lot from the experience.
- Working teaches your child not to give up just because she doesn’t get what she wants the first time. If she doesn’t get a job or a promotion that she applies for, help her figure out what skills she has and brainstorm some options for the future.
- Getting a part-time job will not put your child at a disadvantage when it comes to extracurricular activities on her college application. She will probably have something very interesting to write about her job in her application essay, whether it is a positive or negative experience.
Lisa Medoff, Ph.D holds a B.A. in psychology, a master's degree in school counseling, and a Ph.D. in child and adolescent development. Although she’s worked with all types of children, for the past eight years, she has worked with students with special needs, such as ADHD, learning disabilities, depression and anxiety. She has taught courses in psychology and child/adolescent development at Stanford University, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University, and DeAnza College. She currently works as a resilience consultant for the non-profit Cleo Eulau Center, helping teachers at a low-performing elementary school understand issues of connectedness, special needs, and cultural sensitivity in order to build resilience in their students.
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