High School Is The Place For The “First Job”
High school is an important time for young people in so many ways. Not only are they testing out their limits with independence, but they are growing, maturing and learning on so many different levels it’s hard to keep up. It’s even harder to keep up with their moods and desires for the future!
No matter their level of intelligence, hope or dreams, there are certain things that all students should master or attempt while they are still in the confines, comforts and security of the public high school.
Let’s talk about my “non-negotiables” for high school students!
Things Every High School Kid Should Do
When my own children turned 16, that birthday was very significant. It was the day that I took them to the local bank to get their own checking account and, especially, a debit card. It was the start of their independent credit journey, and something we celebrated with them. Every year, I tell my juniors that story, and encourage them to work with their parents to take these important small steps towards their ultimate independence. What other things were required for my own children that I encourage in my students?
Community Service
Unfortunately, I’ve worked in environments of extreme poverty, where students struggled for food, heat in the apartment, and clean clothes. Even those kids, however, benefit from serving others. It is important that all teenagers, regardless of their socio-economic situation, learn the many lessons and gain the incredible benefits of serving others.
Intern/Externship
During her sophomore year in high school, LeeLee volunteered at the public library. It matched their desire to serve others with her intense love of reading and books. Through that internship, LeeLee learned many of the same lessons of a paid job, but had the opportunity to serve their neighborhood. Intern/Externships are phenomenal ideas for students who want to investigate career paths, or serve their communities.
Paid Work
Every high school kid should have a part-time job at some point. Whether it was babysitting, teaching swim lessons, or working CTSO events, all of my kids had some form of income outside of the home. Not only does this instill important qualities in a high school teenager, but it just might be the first time somebody controls their life who doesn’t love them. It’s a very important step that no one should skip.
Why are more kids working?
I started work when I was 15 years old, working part-time as a legal secretary for a fantastic lawyer who was semi-retired. Mr. Barbato and I worked together until I got my teaching license and graduated college, at which time he fully retired. Amazing guy.
However, I was more of an anomaly at that point in the early 1980’s—none of my friends worked. Today, however, research shows more teenagers are working than ever before, and the reasons aren’t always positive.
Supporting their families
Unfortunately, I know that a good number of my students are currently working to assist their families through rough times. More and more of my students are being called on by their families to contribute—whether it is through working and turning over all or some of their paycheck, or assuming responsibility for younger siblings, today’s teenagers often have adult-sized responsibilities.
Saving for a big purchase or college expenses
I fell into my first job with Mr. Barbato, but I very quickly decided to save money for my first car. It was extremely motivating for me to have a goal that I was saving for. I still remember the thrill of buying my first new car while Pop looked on with pride. Many of my students are either financing big purchases, or supporting themselves through college. Even if they aren’t paying tuition, they might be responsible for their own personal spending while in college—which is what my own kids had to do as well.
They want to move out
This is my favorite reason, because I think it is usually just a pipe dream for students. Many of my students dream of independence after high school graduation, only to find it impossible to support themselves on their part-time job, particularly if they are pursuing higher education. When students tell me this is their savings goal, I try to encourage them to make different short-term goals, so they will have some success.
Why Should They Be Working?
The various benefits of part-time employment during high school can’t be overstated. Here are just a few of the invaluable things having a job will teach them:
To learn important skills
Referring back to my forty-year old experience, I learned incredible things in the years I worked with Mr. Barbato. Not only did he help me apply all of the skills I was studying in school—formatting documents, shorthand, organization and filing skills—but he taught me a ton about law that I still use today. Typing up wills for him, for example, has given me incredible insight into wealth and asset management that I still use today.
To learn more about potential careers
When I graduated from college, Mr. Barbato offered to pay for law school for me to take his practice over. Probably a very poor decision for me, I stayed my course and became a teacher. I did learn so much about all types of positions within the legal community. I don’t want my kids to stay part-time employees forever, but that initial job will give them exposure to many other opportunities no matter what industry they start in.
To learn employability skills
While I think we beat punctuality into our students by having an obscenely early start time, it does help them be successful in the world of work. Other employability skills, like organization, time management and following directions, are reinforced no matter what position they take in high school. All of these employability skills will be transferable throughout their professional life.
What Do They All Have In Common?
It doesn’t matter what industry your high schooler starts in—whether it is an internship in the library, working the register at a fast food restaurant or washing cars—there will be natural extensions to their employment that will benefit them in other aspects of their lives.
Lead to growth and maturity
Having someone supervise your work can be a very difficult thing for high schoolers. Most of them have been loved—maybe over-loved and coddled—throughout their lives, and may not have ever had anyone give them critical feedback. Working for someone else, who is concerned not with their self-esteem but with their own bottom line, can be extremely important and sometimes liberating for students. They will be judged only on their own merits. This leads to an explosion of independence and maturity that is unmatched in the school environment.
Build self-confidence
Along those same lines, the continued successful employment they have will build their self-confidence. As they create their own, adult, independent persona in the workplace, they will see their self-confidence grow as well. I’ve seen students who are very quiet and reserved in class come alive while doing their internship in the Student Store. It is great to see them find personal success through a job well done.
Expand their knowledge base
All of my students work in the Student Store during their junior year, and I encourage them to list this unpaid employment on their resume when they look for a job. Through this simple internship, they learn skills in handling cash and credit transactions, stocking and restocking as well as problem-solving skills on a daily basis. These are things they do not get over the course of a “normal” high school experience, and they all transfer to the workplace.
Gain soft skills
Research shows that current employers are more concerned with soft skills than hard skills in their new hires. The soft skills that students gain through paid or unpaid employment should not be understated, as they will be what sets them apart from other applicants. Just working for thirty minutes a day in the Student Store gives my juniors immeasurable skills, particularly in customer service, that their peers on campus can’t even imagine.
How Can You Help Them?
Okay, Pat, I’m sold! How do I help them?
Create a professional network
Encourage your students to start to build a professional network using guest speakers or motivational speakers they meet in your classroom. Networking is the single most valuable thing they can learn that will help them professionally in the future.
Get them involved in CTSOs
Here is my plug for the week for DECA and FBLA. The competitive events aspect of their organizations is the single greatest way for students to practice their soft skills in a safe environment.
Capitalize on existing contacts
Help students recognize the professional contacts they might already have within and outside of school. For example, ask students what professions their relatives have, and if any are small business owners. When students realize that the adults in their life can contribute to their knowledge and research on different professions, they start to imagine that they can be successful, too.
They are still kids, you know…
I’ve got to step in as we finish this discussion for a plea to just let kids be kids for a little while longer.
While I firmly believe in setting them up for success, it hurts my heart when my students talk about “working all weekend” or “closing at midnight last night”. Let’s make sure that while they are being EXPOSED to employment and internship opportunities, we are not overworking our kids unnecessarily.
There needs to be balance in their lives, just as in our lives, too.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!!
Wow, thank you for reading about a student’s first job!
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