Benefits of Summer Jobs for Teens
Are you wondering if your teen should get a job for the summer? Maybe you are a teen and you aren’t sure you want to get into the job world just yet. You might want or need to work, but you aren’t sure if there’s really any benefit to it other than making some money.
Actually, there are some significant benefits for teens who work summer jobs. It’s not just making money – it’s learning to manage it, cultivating a healthy attitude toward wage-earning, learning responsibility, and other benefits. Here are some of the benefits of summer jobs for teens.
1. Learning Where it Comes From
Having a summer job (or any job!) can be very eye-opening. Being on the other side of the counter/cash register/window/etc. can really help teens gain empathy and understanding of just what goes into a job. You may develop a whole new viewpoint about the person who delivers your pizza, or about the people who work behind a register on Christmas Eve so consumers can do last-minute shopping.
2. Money Management
While teens do not typically have expenses such as a mortgage, groceries, and home maintenance and repairs, they do have things they want or need to spend money on. When you earn money yourself, you tend to appreciate it more, and teens may develop a sense of just how money works. If you spend it on one thing, you can’t spend it on another, and once it’s spent it’s gone. This is a basic concept that even some adults have never learned!
3. Keeping Out of Trouble
Not all teens get into trouble if they don’t have a job. But sources point out that teens who hold summer jobs are less likely to get into trouble or engage in risky activities and behaviors.
4. Skill Set
Developing a marketable set of skills is important for future success. Holding a job in the summer is something a teen can add to his or her resume, and it’s experience he or she can cite on job applications.
5. Time Management
Managing one’s time is like managing one’s money – it does not always come naturally. And mismanagement of time and/or money can wreak havoc in a person’s life. Holding a summer job may help teens learn this important life skill – they will need to juggle time with friends and time spent at their job.
6. Sense of Accomplishment
Holding a job in the summer helps a teen feel more confident. It gives him or her a sense of accomplishment and confidence that he or she can carry along to the next opportunity.