Yes

by Matthew Fulton

Created on: July 21, 2010   Last Updated: July 22, 2010

Working a part time job is something that teenagers should all be encouraged to do as soon as they are of legal working age. The benefits of working as a teenager are vast and parents should help motivate their children to find gainful employment. The main benefits of part-time employment as a teenager are gaining valuable time management skills, learning the true value of money, and developing basic job and life skills that will help them throughout their career.

A part-time job (or several if your child is very motivated) is a great way to learn time management, especially while in school. From a teen's first day on the job, they will be forced to learn how to be on time for work, how to complete their homework assignments and study for tests while they are not working, and how to balance their social life, sleep, and all other important aspects of their life accordingly. This will, of course, be critical later in a teen's life. Take college for instance. They will have to be able to handle the demands of class, studying for class, writing essays and lab reports, going to meetings for any organizations they are in, spend time with their friends, and occasionally squeeze time in for some dinner and laundry. It is easy to see why time management is a crucial skill here. Then take marriage. Odds are they will be working full time and their spouse will be working full time. This means that between 40 and 70 hours of both of their lives are already consumed a week by work. They will also have to a lot time to go grocery shopping, prepare meals, clean the house, and a plethora of other tasks. Then to have a happy marriage they will occasionally have to have some time to spend together, be it going out on the town or spending nights in together. Understandably, this can be a serious challenge for anyone who lacks the basic time management skills that a part time job would provide.

A teen who works is also much more likely to understand the real value of money and how to properly manage it. Seeing as most employers start their part-time laborers on about $7.75 an hour in this day and age, it would be foolhardy for a teen to go into a job thinking that they would have piles of cash floating around. Teens who work learn that they cannot always have that brand new car, a closet full of new designer clothes, or nights out on the town every night. They will have to learn to save up for expenses like car payments, prom tickets, and the myriad of other things that high school students want to spend money on.

The job and life skills that a part-time job teaches are crucial in any field. Being a part-time employee will mean working as a low-level worker who will be forced to accept the instructions of supervisors and managers as well as working with customers. Performing these functions in a respectful manner is a skill that almost all jobs require. As a part-time employee, they will likely be tasked with very hard work, teaching the value of a good work ethic. This skill will be invaluable in all aspects of life, from school, to work, to family life.

For these reasons, a teen should work part-time. As you can see, not only will it give them some extra pocket money but will also allow them the opportunity to gain valuable skills that will stay with them for their entire life.

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