The teenage years are a magical time when kids turn into adults. It’s a time free from drama, hormonal outbursts, messy rooms, and shouting matches.
Oh, wait.
But hey – at least you make them get jobs, right? It would certainly help keep peace at home if they’re not there… but is it in their best interest for them to work?
Here’s 5 Fast Facts to help you decide:
- 😮 That’s a Whole Lotta Teens – In July of this year, 55.3% percent of teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 were employed. (The remaining 44.7%, we hear, were busy trying to jump start their YouTube careers.)
- 💰 Why Work? - Well, money, for starters. Even teenagers need the green stuff to make their worlds go round. And some just aren’t satisfied with the Mom & Dad salary plan otherwise known as “an allowance”. But there’s other benefits to teenagers working; including learning responsibility, gaining self confidence, developing skill sets, and time management. Plus, money.
- 👶 How Young is Too Young? Like, if a girl is too old for Leonardo DiCaprio - does that make her too young to get a job? The national minimum age to be eligible to work is 14, and there are regulations in place for kids up to age 18 that limit the amount of hours they can work, and what kinds of jobs they can do.
- 💸 The Road to Riches - This right here may be the winning argument to get kids working in their teens – according to the U.S. Department of Labor, for every year a person works in their teens, their income goes up by 14-16% in their 20s. That’s a lotta green reasons to start working young.
- 📚 Why NOT Work? Working could definitely put a cramp on a teenager’s ability to study and complete school work, which could lead to lower grades. There’s also the additional stress of having a boss and responsibilities that are probably a tad more tedious than just emptying the dishwasher every night. Sometimes, kids just need to be kids - developmentally speaking, sports are a great way for teens who can’t, or don’t want to work gain team building skills, discipline, and responsibility.
🔥Bottom line: Pardon us if we sound a little… boomerish when we say this, but it’s time for the kids of Gen Z to get off the YouTubes and into the real world. It will likely help them in the long run – financially and otherwise.
Guess what? The President can't help provide your kids opportunities to work in your area...but YOUR local & state government reps can! So here’s three small things you can do that make a BIG impact:
