Masuk Free Press

If you’ve ever been to a dreaded family gathering, hung out with your friends, or have just met new people in general (I hope we all have), you may have been asked at one point or another, “Do you have a job?”
If your answer has been “not yet” repeatedly in the past and you don’t want it to be anymore, then I have just the thing for you.
           “What are Summer jobs?”, you may ask. Dog walking, babysitting and lifeguarding are all classic go-tos for somewhat responsible high school students at the start of summer “vacation”, but this topic goes deeper than one might think.
              We have most of our lives to work on and off, long term or through hustling, so why do young adults feel the need to spend what is supposed to be their summer break – or any break, really – working?
For many, the need is for one thing: money. With a large portion of people our age getting their licenses, becoming more aware of products via social media, and just overall having more freedom than ever before, we find ourselves wanting a constant stream of income to support our lifestyles.
          “Since I’m getting my license soon, I need money for gas, and also to save a little bit of money for college,” said junior Allie Troiano.
        College specifically causes a lot of rising freshmen to try to earn some extra cash to hold onto for fun or maybe even to help pay for it in general. Any way you put it, we all eventually find ourselves needing the root of all evil: money.
            This isn’t very different from how adults live their lives, except most of us have a stable cushion keeping us monetarily stable, and we actually want to work. Though it’s not quite the same as a “real” job that most Americans have, summer work can be a great place to start for kids with no experience.
         ”It gives them a chance to learn communication, how to be on time, having a boss and can prepare them for real-world careers and eventually going to college,” said junior Giavonna Headley, a babysitter. “It’s good for me because I like interacting with the kids and doing  activities with them.”
             Today, teenagers have many jobs to choose from apart from the aforementioned basics.  There are tons of under-the-counter jobs that you can do for family and friends, but there are also an absurd number of retail, fast food, and entry-level ones that you can get relatively easily. You can always find something to do for someone else that you can charge them for, remember that. The rewards for entering the job market can be so beneficial, especially for younger people. In towns like Monroe, though, finding a summer job can become difficult when you’re competing against other high schoolers and returning college students, so here it can be harder to find work. This isn’t just an issue for our small town, either, there is a national shortage of teenage hiring right now. It’s interesting to look at the statistics, however, as despite about 33.8% of U.S having jobs over the summer, there is still a narrow hiring selection because of a limited increase of jobs in industries that can actually hire teens. Keep in mind, though, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
There is an increasing national demand for lifeguards, and there will likely be many roles in service and hospitality, according to an expert on American economics.
         “At first, I wanted a job for my own money, but I never had the motivation. Then a teacher I know recommended me to her friend, who owns a seasonal store, ” said senior Klaudia Jaworska. “When it closed down, I wanted another job because it was great to finally have the freedom to do whatever I wanted and get whatever I wanted through my own hard work.  I buy presents for my parents. Once you feel that amount of independence, you can never go back.”
          Not only can you prove your responsibility to people around you, but you can also set yourself up for success in the future. It also gives some people who get bored over the summer something productive to do. On top of that, people who graduate from college with prior working experience are twice as likely to be hired three months after graduating compared to those who don’t.
There are, of course, downsides to working over the summer, though, and they’re not small.
        “It’s a commitment, so if you want to have a break or do something else other than work, you can’t keep calling out of work,” said Headley.
         It should also be mentioned that there seems to be a strong culture around summer jobs. They appear in so much of the media that we consume that it almost seems like a natural step in life that all teenagers have to take, and while shows like Stranger Things aren’t realistic, having some of its characters work as lifeguards in an ice cream shop over the summer is. If you don’t work a summer job, you can feel isolated from those around you who do, and if you work a summer job, your options for fun become limited. This is the conundrum of summer life.
         Most importantly, there are many rules and regulations around teenagers working in general that are good to know. Those under the age of 18 have to get a work permit for official work, and there are very specific jobs they are not allowed to have. These jobs are pretty niche, but they include serving alcoholic beverages and other activities that take away from other activities deemed “illegal” for those under 18 and 21. Unfortunately, if you’re not an adult, you need to apply for working papers because you can’t get a lot of formal jobs without them. These requirements are annoying and sometimes restrictive, but can serve as an introduction to the responsibility and difficulty that comes with working.
       Jobs that require this paperwork are often more formal, like at Monroe Parks and Rec or a position at Dunkin. Whether or not formal or informal jobs are better is debatable. On the one hand, informal jobs can be a good starting point; helping clean up someone’s yard or organize a room is pretty light work that still pays. For those who want an official job for one reason or another, though, a stable and “regular” one could be better. They match the feeling and real-world experience that those interested are looking for.
       Overall, summer jobs can be very beneficial for teenagers who want some experience before they graduate, to make money, or to just have something to do for a few months. Though it can come with a few negative points, they are a great way to prove your responsibility and help you mature outside of school, not to mention, like many other things in your high school years, it could positively affect your future after college. So, take a chance and go get a JOB.