Why Your Teenager Must Have a Job This Summer

Every teen needs to know what it is to look for and to have a real job.

A real job would be one where they might have to answer to a demanding boss, trade her own personal fashion tastes for an unflattering company uniform, and forgo some of the social and recreational activities that conflict with her work schedule.

In a real job, Jenna would be asked to perform routine tasks she’d see as boring, challenging, and maybe even ‘gross’ – and she’d be expected to perform each and every one to the very best of her ability or face the consequences.

Having a real job would push Jenna beyond her comfort zone, and in exchange, she’d receive a paycheck made out in her name. Those dollars wouldn’t be any different than the ones her parents give her, they would just feel different.

There is nothing that prepares a young person for the world of work (something they will be a part of for the next 50 years) like working a real job.

• Only by having a real job will they discover the power and significance of the words punctual, responsible, initiative, professional appearance, respect, and customer service.

• Only by having a real job will they learn how to work with people they don’t like to accomplish tasks they don’t want to do in a shorter period of time than they never thought they could do them.

• And only by working for a real employer will they discover that excuses, even really good ones, are unacceptable. The only thing that determines their worth to their employers is their performance.

When parents provide their kids with all the discretionary spending money they want, they remove the incentive for them to work.

Ultimately, the kid loses. The employer loses. America loses.

Read the entire article from Eric Chester's Reviving Work Ethic here.

Post by Newsletter Editor David Rupert. Image credits to be found in the accompanying gallery.