Community Chat

[MezzieStarr]

Yes.  We have what they call Co-Op.  It's for the Junior and Senior class.  You get a job and are allowed to work 20 - 25 hours a week and must keep a "C" average.

You only go to school half the day.  Either morning or afternoon classes.  The other half of the day you go to your job.  Been that way here for generations.  Boyfriend is a teacher and most of his students have a part time job.

The teenagers here work the local restaurants, grocery stores, McDonald's, etc.

[Lipstickdiva]

The high school age kids of our friends have jobs with the exception of one.  They work both during the school year and during the summer.

They are also involved in school activities so they have to have a job where the hours are more flexible, allowing their school schedule and activities.  

[PurpleBunny]

Half my daughters friends work, half don't. 

[muttmom]

Just as in the past, some do and some don't.

It's been a long time since kids delivered newspapers around here on bikes.  The papers that are still delivered are done about 4 or 5 AM by car.

[Marienkaefer2]

This is an interesting question.

In my area, I think it is a mixed bag.

I live in a fairly rural area.  Our little town is fairly touristy, and does most of its business in the summer.

We have a bowling alley and some restaurants and motels, some small stores.

I tutor in the high school, so I talk to a lot of high school kids.  A few have jobs..restaurant jobs.

Those who have cars drive to the nearest bigger city (about 30 minutes away) to work in the mall stores, etc.

However, I don't hear too many talk about jobs.  They talk about sports, homecoming, prom, music, parties, clothes,video games, etc.  But never about jobs.

[blackhole99]

I live in a rural area and there are very few jobs for teens, unless you want to catch chickens. The highschool requires a work program as credit for graduation and it's really hard for the kids to find someone to hire them for 6 weeks. My friend owns a greenhouse operation and when my son was in highschool she let him work there as a favor to me.

[Marienkaefer2]

I'll say this:

In my family, we were required to have some sort of employment as teenagers.

My parents never gave us any spending money.  We didn't get allowances.  Helping out around the house was just expected as being part of the family.

So, we had extra motivation to work.  If we wanted to go to the movies, out to eat with friends, buy things for ourselves, like "records," or books, or little gifts for friends, etc., we had to pay for it ourselves as teenagers.

It would never have occurred to me to ask my parents for money to go out with my friends. 

[Kachina624]

Both of my grandsons have after school and summer jobs and have had since they were old enough to work. 

We used to get summer workers in my office who were from a program for disadvantaged youth.  They were more trouble than they were worth because I had to assign a regular employee to keep track of them.  They'd sneak off and sleep, talk on the phone, hide to avoid work assignments, etc. 

[Nomore]

I don't see many teenagers hanging out around here, not like it was 5-10 yrs ago. I see lots working after school, waiting at bus stops wearing their uniforms, walking down the hill to work. Our minimum wage is higher than federal so it's worthwhile to work. 

Both of my kids worked when they became 16.  Just like my husband and I did. They both worked at the movie theater through college. In fact, my daughter still works there because she likes it, a lot of her friends still work there, even after they've all got other jobs. 

My son has done well, too, in his career, but still keeps in contact with his old theater friends who all live here (my son lives in another state). 

Maybe not hearing about teens working might say they are busy working.

[AuntG]

Sure they do. We grabbed some cod baskets at A&W on our way home and HS kids were working there.  Nice kids too.