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If there is one regret I have about my life so far, it is that my parents didn't allow me to work "menial" jobs in high school and threatened to cutoff financial support if I did so in college.
I wanted to work at a supermarket, or a moving company hauling heavy packages, or at a scrap yard operating equipment, anything. They told me that if they permitted me to work those kinds of jobs, they were afraid that I would want to quit school and enter the workforce full time without a degree. I think they just wanted power over me.
I think I got really lucky, because I was able to get several internships related to my field of study in the federal government in DC and in information-intensive companies in the private sector during the summer terms.
I feel like I missed out on an important part of life. Now that I got accepted into a top graduate program in information analytics and qualified for an assistantship producing research and analysis products, I'm wondering if I really missed out after all.
If it makes a difference, my parents were first generation immigrants who never went to college, they started a small business decades ago and overtime the company produced 7 figure income.
If there is one regret I have about my life so far, it is that my parents didn't allow me to work "menial" jobs in high school and threatened to cutoff financial support if I did so in college.
I wanted to work at a supermarket, or a moving company hauling heavy packages, or at a scrap yard operating equipment, anything. They told me that if they permitted me to work those kinds of jobs, they were afraid that I would want to quit school and enter the workforce full time without a degree. I think they just wanted power over me.
I think I got really lucky, because I was able to get several internships related to my field of study in the federal government in DC and in information-intensive companies in the private sector during the summer terms.
I feel like I missed out on an important part of life. Now that I got accepted into a top graduate program in information analytics and qualified for an assistantship producing research and analysis products, I'm wondering if I really missed out after all.
If it makes a difference, my parents were first generation immigrants who never went to college, they started a small business decades ago and overtime the company produced 7 figure income.
Well, if you needed those starter jobs to develop strength of character and work ethics then, yes, you missed out. If your parents have already these great traits instilled in you then, no, you're lucky.
Okay, I'm going to be really blunt here and say you missed out big time. I don't mean to discount the academic accomplishments you've made so far, but in reality that is all it is-- academics. Not WORK experience.
I'm going to also point out in this economy, people who don't have the actual work and skills experience are being passed up for those who do. Sure in a way, your degrees secure you with greater potential to get a job, but the truth is you aren't going to get paid what your education is worth. People are going to post-grad education just to quality for the entry level positions. That doesn't sound like a great deal to me.
There is much to be said working menial jobs as a teenager. You learn what it means to manage your own microeconomy and what it means to sacrifice your time and energy. It's also experience that you can expand upon with successive jobs, and after a while you can eliminate from your resume what you don't like because you've got enough experience.
My parents tried the same thing with me, too. Except I fought relentlessly to know what it was like to get a job and I'm glad I did. I wasn't allowed to use any of the money, but being forced to make good time management habits FAST, along with prioritizing my time with what was needed at home and with friends instilled a huge sense of work ethic. Today, my work ethic has caused former employers to tell me they wished I wasn't leaving (some even got mad!). I would not have learned my sense of work ethic if I hadn't worked in high school or through college. I'd even had two jobs at a time for years. I look back and I choose not to negatively compare my experience with those of my peers who didn't work, or worked more. I gained what I have because of the choices I made, and I think I did myself a huge service my being insightful with what I'd need. Even if my parents couldn't see it sometimes. I think parents always want to believe everything they do is always for the best of their child(ren), but in reality sometimes they do things out of fear or protection even if it ends badly.
I should add, I'm also a first-generation child of immigrants and I think it's an immigrant thing to not want your kids to work much during school. They are used to witnessing people completely forgo school for work, so it's hard for them to think that paradigm is different in the US.
Maybe your parents were correct....possibly you would have decided against going to college because you were happy with working the high school job. Possibly you would have hooked up with a significant other at one of those jobs and decided that going away to school wasn't for you because your significant other wasn't going away.
You are an adult now and can work if you choose. Since you live far away from your parents, don't tell them you are working if they will cut off support. Make up a reason for not being home those days...such as class or study or internship or meeting up with friends/networking.
I doubt your career will suffer because you didn't work at a supermarkt when you were 17.
If there is one regret I have about my life so far, it is that my parents didn't allow me to work "menial" jobs in high school and threatened to cutoff financial support if I did so in college.
I wanted to work at a supermarket, or a moving company hauling heavy packages, or at a scrap yard operating equipment, anything. They told me that if they permitted me to work those kinds of jobs, they were afraid that I would want to quit school and enter the workforce full time without a degree. I think they just wanted power over me.
I think I got really lucky, because I was able to get several internships related to my field of study in the federal government in DC and in information-intensive companies in the private sector during the summer terms.
I feel like I missed out on an important part of life. Now that I got accepted into a top graduate program in information analytics and qualified for an assistantship producing research and analysis products, I'm wondering if I really missed out after all.
If it makes a difference, my parents were first generation immigrants who never went to college, they started a small business decades ago and overtime the company produced 7 figure income.
You didn't miss much. I had to work these jobs out of necessity while they are great tools in learning work ethics and establishing independence, if you don't have to don't. Besides you landed internships that's work.
Okay, I'm going to be really blunt here and say you missed out big time. I don't mean to discount the academic accomplishments you've made so far, but in reality that is all it is-- academics. Not WORK experience.
I'm going to also point out in this economy, people who don't have the actual work and skills experience are being passed up for those who do. Sure in a way, your degrees secure you with greater potential to get a job, but the truth is you aren't going to get paid what your education is worth. People are going to post-grad education just to quality for the entry level positions. That doesn't sound like a great deal to me.
There is much to be said working menial jobs as a teenager. You learn what it means to manage your own microeconomy and what it means to sacrifice your time and energy. It's also experience that you can expand upon with successive jobs, and after a while you can eliminate from your resume what you don't like because you've got enough experience.
My parents tried the same thing with me, too. Except I fought relentlessly to know what it was like to get a job and I'm glad I did. I wasn't allowed to use any of the money, but being forced to make good time management habits FAST, along with prioritizing my time with what was needed at home and with friends instilled a huge sense of work ethic. Today, my work ethic has caused former employers to tell me they wished I wasn't leaving (some even got mad!). I would not have learned my sense of work ethic if I hadn't worked in high school or through college. I'd even had two jobs at a time for years. I look back and I choose not to negatively compare my experience with those of my peers who didn't work, or worked more. I gained what I have because of the choices I made, and I think I did myself a huge service my being insightful with what I'd need. Even if my parents couldn't see it sometimes. I think parents always want to believe everything they do is always for the best of their child(ren), but in reality sometimes they do things out of fear or protection even if it ends badly.
I disagree although I'm more like you and probably would have relentlessly asserted my independence by getting a job. Still he/she didn't miss much.
I would say meeting a significant other would be the only potential uptick, if you did meet your significant other at one of these jobs that is a pay off worth more than an internship. But if you dont then its a colosal waste of time. It would boil down to how attractive you are anyways to the opposite sex, if you didnt have good luck with women in high school then the menial work place is probalby not going to be much different, in that case your going to NEED the status and money to gain happyness in this life.
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