Adult children living at home (games, parent, activity, classes)
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Heh, I have an academic friend who lives off fellowships and is 41 years old and has never had a job (lives off of said fellowships). For academics like this, going to school IS a job, but he's never had a real paycheck. And his first job, starting next year, will pay him more in a year than I will make in three.
Most places around here won't hire if you are under 16 and both my kids had jobs by then. My son worked retail for 4 years and my daughter job had a new job every year. It was their choice to work, they didn't particularly like school and enjoyed doing something that didn't involve hs/hs kids/hs activities/and most importantly, hs drama! They liked talking to people who had a different perspective on life.
My daugher is 25 and still job hopping. My son is 21 and hasn't worked in over a year but has picked up the job hunt now that he is done at CC.
I started working when I was 14 at summer jobs and then worked retail starting at 16 and off and on throughout college as dictated by my needs. I also did paid internships in the summers while in college that I mainly got through family. Overall, it was a great experience for me and certainly helped build my resume for that first job. I worked because I wanted to work and have my own money, that was my motivation, but my parents never demanded that I work.
For kids today getting a job really isn't all that easy, especially in the high school years. There are few opportunities and there are a lot of people out there that are willing to take whatever is available. Add to that the pressure to pad the college transcript and kids really don't have much time to work without making some sacrifices somewhere else.
As for my kids I feel like most other posters. School comes first. After that I would treat a job like an extra-curricular activity, do it as long as it doesn't interfere with school. I also believe that I would tend to put more emphasis on extra-curriculars like sports than I would on getting a job as most people won't have the opportunity to enjoy most sports in the post school years. So, while they are in high school and even college, I would do my best to make it so that they didn't have to work, by that I plan on providing the basic necessities. If they want more than they can work. If their academic path leads them to masters and doctorate degress than it is possible they may never look for that first job until their late 20's and I would be OK with that.
For kids today getting a job really isn't all that easy, especially in the high school years. There are few opportunities and there are a lot of people out there that are willing to take whatever is available.
I have actually wondered about the availability of jobs for teens today, particularly in this economy, where businesses make do with fewer employees and adults are taking whatever they can get. I'm vaguely recalling an article in the NY Times a few years back that reported that teens were being squeezed out of summer employment opportunities for these reasons. I'll see if I can find it again...but I think it is a shame, particularly for kids who want to be able to work but can't find anything (then again, lots of adults in that boat right now, too).
I have actually wondered about the availability of jobs for teens today, particularly in this economy, where businesses make do with fewer employees and adults are taking whatever they can get. I'm vaguely recalling an article in the NY Times a few years back that reported that teens were being squeezed out of summer employment opportunities for these reasons. I'll see if I can find it again...but I think it is a shame, particularly for kids who want to be able to work but can't find anything (then again, lots of adults in that boat right now, too).
Exactly, in an economy where you have the 40 year old with 15 years of industry experience and a degree willing to take the entry level office job, it squeezes out the new college grads that either stay in school or revert to things like retail. That in turn squeezes out the teens that would normally fill those jobs.
A firend of mine manages a Super Wawa (large convenience store/deli that also has a gas station). A few years ago most of his cashiers and gas attendants were in their late teens or very early 20's and either in high school or community college. He only had a handful of unskilled older people.
Now, he has the same amount of older unskilled workers, but the age of everyone else is now in their late 20's to late 30's. He has guys pumping gas that used to write mortgages and people working the cash register with BA's in Business Management. He has plenty of teens apply, but when he has a choice between a 30 year old with no restrictions or scheduling issues and a 17 year old that has restrictions and can only work certain hours and needs certain days off, he's taking the 30 year old everytime.
All of my kids worked part-time in high school. It never interfered with either school work or sports. The rule was, no job that required weekday evenings. We also didn't require them to work, but there were certain expenses we didn't feel compelled to pay for, such as dating or stopping off at Mc Donalds on the way home from school. Cars, clothes, sports, prom, etc, we did pay the expenses for.
I never felt they didn't want to work. They all liked having their own spending money that didn't require asking us for. Since their very first work experience, not one of them has ever failed to get a job they applied for. They don't all have the same level of initiative though.
Middle, a college junior, doesn't want to work. His schedule isn't very difficult, but he wants the freedom to go away or come home on weekends. He is satisfied with the allowance we provide. But, on breaks and over the summer, he does work.
Youngest is a real go-getter. He took 17 credit hours in his honors courses at college last semester, but still took a job working 15 hours as a lifeguard at his college sports complex. That required him to be at work at 4:00 am. He was getting the same allowance as his brother, so really didn't need to work, but he has put his money aside to travel with. He made the Dean's list in spite of his responsibilities.
Different strokes for each. We didn't require work, but the work history has benefited each of them.
In this current economic climate, I do think not holding a job until after college graduation makes it just that much harder to find work.
For those who say it is hard to get a job, at my college, there are plenty of jobs reserved for students. My past three jobs have been for the university, one for dining services, one for clerical or office and one at the school's medical center. I have never had a problem with finding work within the university. The motto is early bird gets the worm.
As for my requirements, I would not hold my child to a higher standard than myself. Since I started working the week after graduating high school and have ever since, I will expect that from my child as well. I feel that once a kid hits 18, he or she needs to start contributing financially.
I have to defend Gen Y. Becoz their paltry situation and ruined outlook of a post-college life is a direct consequence of baby boomer excesses and a culture of debt which was perpetrated by the parents of today which has severely diminished employment, fueled globalization and has brought salaries to ground zero levels. It's economics. People need to stop individualizing families and look at the broader economic perspective. Gen Y will have to compensate for your failures over the next 3 or 4 decades, that's the sad truth.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Good one, Antlered Chamataka!!!
Oh, wait, you weren't joking? My bad...
It's still funny, though. My kids all had jobs at 14, and have worked their way up, through the military, through college, and now have careers, doing what they love. Of course, they didn't sit around whining and pointing fingers and blaming other people - they got off their buts and worked for what they wanted. They learned this refrain at my knee - "Who told you life was fair?" And - they don't put up with the whiners who blame their mommies and daddies for their own irresponsibility, short-sightedness, and "bad luck". My "Gen Y'ers" know that you make your own luck.
Jobs on campus where we live, usually go to students on work study, or on student visas. The economy has changed things...which does not mean that students should not work, doing internships, volunteer work, and other things that while may not bring in money, will add to a resume for future employment.
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