Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-31-2009, 03:40 AM
 
576 posts, read 991,014 times
Reputation: 549

Advertisements

I have raised three daughters thus far. The older two were required to work when they were teens. Fervent believer in teens working, to learn a work ethic, responsibility, financial and otherwise.

Yes I know there are a plethora of ways for teens to learn to be responsible citizens. But having to "work" and be responsible to an employer is a good one to factor in, if you can do it.

What is going to happen to this generation of teens, who can't find work ...... anywhere.

This is where they learn, when you are told to show up at a certain time, that's what you do, you show up on time, or early even. When you are told to do some mundane task that you think is beneath you, you do it, the boss signs your paycheck. This is where you learn, that little beach trip you wanted to take with your buddies for the weekend, sorry, gotta work, work comes first. This is where you learn that with responsibility and hard work, come the spoils of having the things you want.

But you have a whole generation of teens, who can't find work, and this economy has been in the tank now for a few years, and not looking to make any staggering improvements anytime soon.

What will happen to their work ethic?

My 3rd daughter (soon to turn 17) has looked for work since she was almost 16, and looked under every nook and cranny. You name it, the typical places that used to employ teens, the movie theater, the McDonalds, the grocery store, etc. etc. Nothing. And she "WANTS" to work, cuz ole mom and dad don't just dole out the bucks willy nilly.

Presently she works and helps to clean her aged g'mother's home weekly for a sum of $8. She helps with her sister's dog, taking the dog out daily for walks, for $10 weekly. That's her job. That pays for her fuel for the car that we fund (an ole jalopy that we bought her). We pay for her car insurance, but her sisters were required, when they got a car, to pay for their own car insurance. And she would be too, if SHE COULD FIND A JOB.

Just some food for thought. What will happen to the next generation's work force? You have a whole segment of society that should be learning the work ethic and responsibility thereof, at this point in their lives, and they aren't.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-31-2009, 04:17 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,896,107 times
Reputation: 13161
There are certainly other things she could work at that aren't conventional "punch a clock" jobs. She could clean houses and babysit. She could get certified and work as a life guard. She could start her own petsitting business and take care of people's pets while they are away. All of those teach a work ethic and child and pet care have a much higher level of responsibility than ringing a register.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 05:09 AM
 
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,891,477 times
Reputation: 9885
My son is 15 and has been creating his own jobs. For example, he petsits, he cuts grass, it's almost fall so he'll be bagging leaves, etc. He has a really good reputation in our neighborhood so people call him all the time to perform odd jobs. He's now started a little tutoring business on the side. Believe it or not, he's doing pretty well. He doesn't place ads, either. He has a good reputation and the neighbors like him so usually gets work through word of mouth.

These are tough times, no doubt about it, but my son doesn't really realize that (and his dad and I don't go on endlessly about it). He just accepts that he has to be more creative. Overall, it's been a pretty good experience for him. Good luck.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 05:54 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,537,811 times
Reputation: 17829
Perhaps they should do what others are doing when work is scarce: Wait it out and improve in other ways like taking extra courses, going to the gym, doing something they consider fun like traveling or camping.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 06:59 AM
 
6,764 posts, read 22,030,318 times
Reputation: 4772
I know your teens want money but they can always volunteer. You have to show up, work, and be responsible when you volunteer.

They can tutor younger kids, or find a volunteer job at a hospital or nursing home.

The problem is, so many adults (including myself) want jobs that the kids are not being hired. They don't want the hassles of teenage drama or whatever.

But if your daughters hang in there, they will get something.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Birmingham
754 posts, read 1,918,515 times
Reputation: 935
Prior to obtaining a work permit at age 14 for after school jobs, I picked pecans, watched children, cleaned garages, cleaned houses, found some factories that needed odd one time only jobs like putting screws on bolts etc. I think I may have to revert back to these methods if I continue to be unemployed.

Something will come along for her until then, I appreciate the fact that you and your husband recognize her difficulties and adjusted your rules to accomodate her situation.

I am already working on my children ages 4 and 7 getting afterschool jobs. Everytime I take them to my local grocers I tell them, "you know they will be working here in about 10 years." ha ha
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 08:11 AM
 
Location: Right where I want to be.
4,507 posts, read 9,038,208 times
Reputation: 3360
Quote:
Originally Posted by bande1102 View Post
My son is 15 and has been creating his own jobs. For example, he petsits, he cuts grass, it's almost fall so he'll be bagging leaves, etc. He has a really good reputation in our neighborhood so people call him all the time to perform odd jobs. He's now started a little tutoring business on the side. Believe it or not, he's doing pretty well. He doesn't place ads, either. He has a good reputation and the neighbors like him so usually gets work through word of mouth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GypsySoul22 View Post
I know your teens want money but they can always volunteer. You have to show up, work, and be responsible when you volunteer.

They can tutor younger kids, or find a volunteer job at a hospital or nursing home.
Our kids do both of these things, have for years since they were too young to work 'for real'. I'd expect a teen mowing lawns could do quite well now....people may be cutting back on their regular, more expensive, professional services and be more willing to give the kid down the block a chance.

I also think it's a bit dramatic to suggest that an entire generation of teens can't find work. I see teens employed at all of the traditional places, grocery stores, fast food, etc. Maybe the jobs are harder to get right now, but a whole generation isn't out of luck.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Camberville
15,830 posts, read 21,343,774 times
Reputation: 28113
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk View Post
There are certainly other things she could work at that aren't conventional "punch a clock" jobs. She could clean houses and babysit. She could get certified and work as a life guard. She could start her own petsitting business and take care of people's pets while they are away. All of those teach a work ethic and child and pet care have a much higher level of responsibility than ringing a register.
This is good in theory but how many people are really going out as much anymore? I babysat in my neighborhood for 7 years (since I was 13)- almost weekly in high school and most summers since college. I'd just sent out my yearly "I'm home!" fliers to get business. Despite having a large client base and certifications, people aren't going out enough to sustain that kind of business. I was the neighborhood pet sitter as well- business has dropped off in the past few years. Yesterday when I called former clients to serve as references for an on-campus daycare job I'm trying to get, they all apologized saying that they hadn't found other babysitters but that they just couldn't afford to go out. Could they have been lying? Sure. But I didn't exactly prompt them on the matter either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 08:48 AM
 
26,585 posts, read 61,896,107 times
Reputation: 13161
I guess it depends on the neighborhood. A lot of my neighbors are continuing their weekly
"date nights." But instead of a $100 dinner at a nice restaurant and then a movie (five hours of babysitting) they are going to an inexpensive local theater production or free concert in the park and getting ice cream (three hours of babysitting). But they are still going out.

People are still going out of town and needing pet care. Maybe they aren't taking exotic trips, but they are still going to visit relatives or taking shorter vacations, and they still need someone to care for Spot and Kitty. There are also family emergencies and funerals taht people need to leave town to attend to. Advertising "You might not need me now, but hold on to my flyer, I can take care of your children/pets/home on short notice" might land some jobs.

It might not be enough to make a living on, but at least around me a reliable teenager can still make as much if not more as they would ringing a register by babysitting and pet sitting as a p/t job.

The teen in the original post has a car, so perhaps she should use that as a marketing tool--she can drive herself to and from jobs (that's big with a lot of parents) and she can put out flyers in neighborhoods other than her own, including targeting the most upscale neighborhoods in the area where people might still ahve some disposable income.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-31-2009, 12:53 PM
 
1,111 posts, read 4,631,742 times
Reputation: 803
I agree with most of the posters here. There are some "old-fashioned" jobs, as I'd like to call them, that your daughter can get involved in besides fast food or the grocery stores. If your daughter is a good (or decent) student, tutoring is a good way to fill up a couple of hours a day.

When I was around 13-14, I was not old enough to work legally so would do what I could to earn money. I did local deliverys for a fast food place that my friend's parents owned (local meaning walking distance) - made about $4/hr plus tips. I worked for a few hours on a Sunday at a neighborhood newsstand helping the owner tie up old newspapers and sorting out the new magazines for the newsstands. Then, every winter, me and a friend would walk around the neighborhoods offering to shovel snow for $10. Amazing how many people are willing to pay $10 for someone to shovel their snow so they didn't have to.

They may not all work depending on where your from, but if applying to all the stores in the mall is not working, try to see whats around the neighborhood that she can't do.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:26 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top