Blog #6- The younger you work, the better

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Everyone needs to get a job at some point in their life, but when is the right time? Getting a job as a teenager has pros and cons, but overall a positive impact. Learning new traits and skills as a teenager is good because they will continue in adult life.

    Starting with the pros of getting a job as a teenager, it helps them develop responsibility. Responsibility is a great value to have and will be used in school, work, and in relationships. Having a job teaches responsibility by showing up to work on time, doing the job correctly, finding a way to work, and managing a school/work balance. Another pro of having a job as a teen is a greater sense of self. When people start working, they learn how to do things for themselves and know their worth. Also, teens who work a reasonable amount of hours a week do better in school than teens who don’t. This fact was new to me, but working teaches responsibility, which is applied to school too. In addition, jobs teach teenagers about personal finance and money management. They may not be good at managing their money but are more aware of the cost of things when they work for the money. Lastly, having a job as a teen makes it easier to transition into adulthood. 

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In contrast, there are also cons to having a job as a teenager. First, there can be too much stress added to a teen’s life. Teenagers are young and have a busy life with school, extracurricular activities, etc. Too much stress can lead to anxiety, physical illness, and withdrawal. Another con is being exposed to situations a teen is not ready for. Teens don’t need to be exposed to the adult world so fast. Opposite of doing better in school by working reasonable hours, a teenager does worse in school if they work too much. Working too much goes along with being stressed and not having enough time or energy for school. Lastly, teens can get in trouble for spending money on things like alcohol and cigarettes. There are many pros and cons. Which answer is better? 

    I think the pros outweigh the cons because working in your teens teaches you many important life lessons. It is easier to learn new skills the younger we are, so the younger someone gets a job, the easier it will be to learn. Someone who starts working at 16 will be more responsible than someone who starts working at 18 or 19. I think working 15 hours a week as a teen is manageable and will help in the future.