Post by BeagleMama on Nov 23, 2014 16:33:45 GMT -5
Yes, I got a job when I turned 16 and could drive. Worked at the Jewish Community Center's after school program (really close to my high school) during the school year (maybe 15 hours a week?), then in the summer worked full time as a camp counselor/taught swimming/lifeguarded at the same place.
I did, but I really had no choice. We were very poor. I used my paycheck to provide for my necessities (clothes, school expenses, fun money) and helped my mom out with some of the household expenses. I worked about 30 hours a week through high school. My friends all also worked, but some worked fewer hours.
Of DD(16)s friends, about 60% don't work and the rest do, but very few hours. Like 10-12 per week. DD "works" for me. She does chores and other odd jobs for us and we will, in turn, pay for her car/car insurance/some gas. She is not a kid who can manage working and keeping up with school work.
Yes, year round. Skate guard in the winter, and fast food off season; about 20hrs a week during school (plus kick line, musicals and stage crew). In college, I had 2 jobs with about 30-35hrs/wk along with credit overloads my senior year; don't recommend that.
No. My parents wouldn't allow it because they wanted me to focus solely on studying.
Pretty much the same for me, although I babysat regularly. I never had a "real" job, though. I also did volunteer work, but obviously that was not for pay.
Post by dreamcrisp1 on Nov 23, 2014 18:42:20 GMT -5
Yes, I've been working since I was 16. I worked full time through 2 years of university and 2 jobs during the summers. I'm working 2 jobs right now and a full time student for my post graduate.
Yep, I worked part time at a deli near home, and babysat for neighbours (including a few week-long stints when both parents were away on trips). Part time work was several evenings a week, plus Saturday all day. Babysitting was outside of those hours.
I also participated in quite a few school extracurricular stuff - choir, math club, service organization, etc.
Two jobs in the summer, another year round, while in a million extra curriculars. I had to do it (my parents would give me nothing and I was saving to be able to escape to college and needed start up costs). I look back and I hate that I was forced into that position, and will make sure my kids don't work during the school year.
Yes. Started off as a hostess who never got enough hours. babysat on the side.
When I was 17, I moved in with a then-distant cousin to help him start up his law firm in exchange for a free room. I needed to get out of my hometown. I worked as a barista/waitress for cash.
That experience beefed up my resume so I was able to transition into tax prep. By my senior year I was working 36 hours a week.
I wasn't allowed to, which I hated and meant I had no savings when I went to college, so I totally don't recommend that. lol
A friend of mine worked in high school at a local restaurant that had a Wednesday night special (the big church night in the area). She was allowed to work Wednesdays then Friday-Sunday as long as her grades stayed up. I always thought that was a good balance.
Similar to lilibet's friend, I could work one night during the week and then weekends as long as my grades were good. I also thought that was a good balance. I will follow similar protocol for my son.
Yes. I started working when I was 15. At one point in high school, I had three jobs at the same time: concession at Edwards movies, hostess \ cashier at a sports bar, and hostess \ taco girl at Acapulco restaurant. I don't remember how I managed it.
Yes, at a golf course (in the pro shop), so spring through fall with a few weeks before the holidays for merchandise sales. I had a short babysitting gig, too.
My high school wasn't demanding. I held a job, played sports, did drama club, yearbook, etc because academics were a joke. I can understand why people at serious high schools wouldn't work.
I went to a good school and worked while taking 3 AP classes my senior year. I was a class officer and in several extracurriculars. No sports thanks to knee surgery and my spectacular lack of coordination. I was only working 2 hours a day, typically, though, unless I babysat at night or on the weekends.
If you're not in sports, especially, or an extracurricular that has an equally demanding schedule, I can't see why you can't at least work a few days a week. (However, I was in high school nearly 15 years ago at this point. Part-time jobs might be harder to come by now than they were then, or at least that's what we've heard from a lot of college students who are home for the summer.)
Yeah I mean I took plenty of AP classes in high school, too and did tons of extracurriculars - including two seasons of sports - and still managed to hold a job while also doing ballet class 2x a week.
So on some levels I sort of roll my eyes at the responses of "school was my job" or "I didn't have time." But in all seriousness, my high school was EASY. I took AP classes and had no problem doing very well in high school - but I barely had any home work. I was able to do my home work in half an hour at home or int he 20 minute homeroom or at lunch during the day. Which means the academics were easy.
I do get people like niq that went to high schools that probably had hours upon hours of homework. I know plenty of kids now that have four hours of home work a night, which makes it impossible to hold down a job, play sports, and excel in school. I also know that it is much harder to find a part time job now a days - it is part of the scheduling and they want people that are more available than high schoolers.
I had at least 3-4 hours of homework a night in high school. DH says his high school was the same way. We both thought college was generally less demanding than high school, and we went to a highly ranked university.
Post by vanillacourage on Nov 23, 2014 22:29:31 GMT -5
Yes. Started working at Panera when I was 14 or 15. Did that for a year or two, then washed/detailed cars, then waited tables when I turned 18.
My parents bought me a car but their expectation was that I pay for gas, insurance and maintenance. Plus they never really did the allowance thing, so I wanted my own money.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Nov 24, 2014 1:07:35 GMT -5
my soph year of hs i worked in an upscale seafood market after school and on the weekends. summers once i moved to CA involved working at a child care center. i didn't work during the school year in CA (logistical issues not bc my parents didn't want me to or i didn't want to).
eta: i babysat through hs as well. my dad's church also had a preschool and my mom had NO problems 'pimping' me out to parents as an excellent babysitter. i also babysat for some doctors at a local hospital when there was a conflict w/ the au pair, etc. in the late 80's i was making $10-15/hr babysitting !
Post by Velvetshady on Nov 24, 2014 9:28:21 GMT -5
I started babysitting on a regular basis when I was 14, started working ~10 hours a week in an AMEX Travel office at 15, and at a Pizza Hut Delivery (in store, not delivering) ~20 hours a week at 17. I also managed a sports team and participated in drama. I learned early on that I'm far more productive when I have a tight schedule with lots to do. I didn't work during school my first year in college (at my parents insistence--so I could focus on classes) and it was my worst year grades-wise. After that year, I worked 20-30 hours a week depending on my class schedule, worked on a weekly newspaper (~10-20 hours a week), and was in a business fraternity (~10-25 hours a week).
Yes. Started working 15-20 hours per week near the beginning of grade 10. From then on out, I always worked part time during school and full time hours during holidays/summer vacation.
I started working at an optometrist's office a few days a week after school when I was 15. I would walk there after school and work from 3-5:30 or something like that.
I was also a very popular and in-demand babysitter which kept me very busy from ages 12-22.
In college, I continued both of these jobs and added more on top (waitressing, law office, accounting firm, etc.)
Yes, but only after I turned 16 and could drive myself. I did hostessing and then waitressing and it was limited to Saturdays, Sunday's and holidays only during the school year. Minimum of full time come summer if not more in some years where I also took on full time life guarding and filled in with waitressing and occasionally doing temp admin work at my mom's company.
Before that I worked pretty close to full time in the summers courtesy of my mother getting me a temp admin job at her company. She'd bring me to work with her. I fully appreciate that I learned staff asst level work early on which gave me a huge leg up when I got my first real job after college. I already had all the basic office etiquette down which was such a benefit.
Yes. Started when I was 14 at my mom's work, got my first 'real' part time job when I was 15. At the time, it was great because I had money when my friends didn't. However, now that I'm 34, I'm regretting that decision as I've already been working for 20 years and likely have another 25-30 ahead of me.
I worked periodically. A summer or two and sometimes during the school year. I had no pressure to work so I would quit a job if it got in the way of something else I wanted to so. I quit a job senior year because it was basketball season. I didn't play, I just wanted to attend the games and ride the spirit bus. I still can't believe my mom was ok with that.