According to a couple of different reports I've seen this week teens in the workforce has dropped from 55% 30 years ago to about 35% now. Their reasoning was because of educational reasons, to boost their chances of getting into college. I really don't know what that means. Do the people that look at college Applications look down on people that work while going to school?

Anyway, I was just wondering why the drop? Is it harder for them to get jobs for some reason? My 15-year-old has no trouble finding work in my neighborhood , so I doubt that's it.

Oh, I am not really interested in any "kids these days" responses . Sounds to me like the parents have some accountability here.

Aust Ag said:

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According to a couple of different reports I've seen this week teens in the workforce has dropped from 55% 20 years ago to about 35% now. Their reasoning was because of educational reasons, to boost their chances of getting into college. I really don't know what that means. Do the people that look at college Applications look down on people that work while going to school?

Anyway, I was just wondering why the drop? Is it harder for them to get jobs for some reason? My 15-year-old has no trouble finding work in my neighborhood , so I doubt that's it.

Oh, I am not really interested in any "kids these days" responses . Sounds to me like the parents have some accountability here.

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I read that as more teens taking SAT classes/test prep/academic tutoring to improve their grades than some prejudice on the part of colleges against teenage workers.

My ex-gf insists that her teenage kids don't have to work during school because she wants them to get the 'full high school experience' and the real world will be here soon enough.

Sprayed mesquite
Worked cattle
Hauled hay
Worked the production line/floor of an old push buggy feed mill where you had to shovel cotton seed hulls from a dump trailer
Delivered perscriptions for a pharmacy

Basically all the crap I knew I didn't want to do the rest of my life which drove me to get a good education. Taught me a lot about work ethic too because the people you typically work for in those types of roles won't put up with *****

tamutaylor12 said:

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Aust Ag said:

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Ha, I DID work alongside dropouts and grunts during the summer of HS and A&M and all it did was push me to follow through on getting my degree and not ending up like those guys. BIG motivator.

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Same. Between football and crap jobs in hs like being a dishwasher I learned a lot of work ethic and motivation. I also learned to treat service industry folks right.

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That's why I think the HS job angle is a bit overplayed. Those things are all basically things innate with being a good person.

I can tell you I learned a hell of a lot more about all of those things just by being around my folks who acted right around me than spending significant amounts of time weekly around slackers and drugees in the name of making $90 a week.

I worked in a fab shop and PLC panel shop but only during the summer. Those summers though made me appreciate my time off. I am glad I did it though. As an engineer I can draw upon those experiences.

Anyone who says they want their kids to get the full high school probably didn't go to college. So for them high school was their social peak.

To me the full HS experience includes learning personal responsibility which employment does offer. Getting on a schedule. Deadlines or requirements that have real world implications. Whereas in this day and age the teachers pass out extensions like they're a necessity of life.

I work at a school with socioeconomic demographics a little below the state average.

My contributions - most students aren't thinking about what they need to do to get into college, other than getting passing grades. The teenagers taking SAT/other college prep classes is probably limited to less than 5% statewide. At affluent high schools it seems like everybody is taking those, but there are at least 5 poor schools for every affluent one.

Also, some of my worst students (combo of academic and behavior) have been able to get jobs. The biggest reason my students can't get jobs if they want one is they don't have transportation.

Most teenagers choose not to work, and their parents think that is acceptable.

ColinAggie said:

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To me the full HS experience includes learning personal responsibility which employment does offer. Getting on a schedule. Deadlines or requirements that have real world implications. Whereas in this day and age the teachers pass out extensions like they're a necessity of life.

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see I took that as being social and going to parties. Basically just "having fun" or however the kids say it today.

I did that too.

My parents had a rule that I either had to do sports or get a job. I chose sports. I'll make my kids choose the same way.

In the summer I was a community pool life guard, but that wasn't much in the way of life lessons apart from a job with friends and spending money. I learned far more from the summer I spent volunteering with habitat for humanity digging fence post holes, framing, and roofing. Theres something valuable about doing hard work with your hands and feeling like you earned the value of your day. With habitat that wasn't pay, but rather to appreciate idle time.

From the time I was finishing 8th grade to now I've had a job except 9 months. I think it helped greatly to my career success.

Good stories here, but back to the top.....why don't kids work now like they used to?

Aust Ag said:

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Good stories here, but back to the top.....why don't kids work now like they used to?

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Minimum wage
Protecting snowflakes

IMO higher minimum wage makes it a non-viable option. Since it's so high where I'm at, when I need an entry level position filled I have no trouble getting college educated grads (with literally zero skills, which is amazingly commonplace) to fill them. Or at the worst, current college students. It would be idiotic of me to hire a high school kid for those spots. Plus, a lot of these college grads end up being better quality employees who I can train to keep long term with more responsibilities and significant increases into more "living wage" levels of pay. It's a win-win for both sides. Unlike high school kids who are never going to move beyond temporary employees, and not worth the cost to train.

I think the "because they're lazy and entitled" talking point is exaggerated though, as I've found college grads to be lazy at pretty much the same rate. But if I choose between the two groups, I take the early to mid twenties applicants over the high school kids every time, for the same cost.

Plus, they're less flaky and more dependable (not always I've found). I had one high school kid back about 5 years ago before MW skyrocketed, who had to quit on me suddenly because her parents made her since she was failing calculus. That was when I made the decision they weren't worth it.

It would be a different story if minimum wage would be where it should be though...

Sports officials can make bank these days. Especially doing any weekend tournaments.

WoMD - where are you located?

I teach in Irving, Texas and I have students who can't pass Algebra, can't regularly show up to class, and can't talk appropriately to a teacher who can easily get service industry jobs. I honestly think all of my students (two thirds of them were taking Algebra for the second time) could get a job somewhere if they wanted/needed to. Transportation is probably an issue for some, and others fear being caught and deported because of immigration status. Job availability is not an issue.

It would be tough for them to get an office job, but frankly very few of them know that office jobs exist because they'v never seen them.

The kids here in Austin can get a job if they want one. Same jobs that were available 20 years ago when I was a kid here. Biggest difference I see is that the parents find more of the lifestyle than before. I worked because I wanted to be able to go do stuff with my friends. The kids I see now get that same money handed to them by their parents.

gvine07 said:

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WoMD - where are you located?

I teach in Irving, Texas and I have students who can't pass Algebra, can't regularly show up to class, and can't talk appropriately to a teacher who can easily get service industry jobs. I honestly think all of my students (two thirds of them were taking Algebra for the second time) could get a job somewhere if they wanted/needed to. Transportation is probably an issue for some, and others fear being caught and deported because of immigration status. Job availability is not an issue.

It would be tough for them to get an office job, but frankly very few of them know that office jobs exist because they'v never seen them.

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San Francisco. Min wage goes up to $14 in one week.

Yeah, I could see the 14/15 minimum wage being tough for HS kids.

Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

I'm a millennial...

JP76 said:

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Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

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Humans didn't magically change from when I was in hs less that 20 years ago to now. They expect to be given things because they have always been given things. What caused parents to change their philosophy on kids working I will never know. I went to an upper middle class hs that included some very well off families. It was considered normal even for those kids to work, especially in the summer.

JP76 said:

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Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

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Using that point no one under the age of 30 would be employed.

tamutaylor12 said:

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JP76 said:

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Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

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Humans didn't magically change from when I was in hs less that 20 years ago to now. They expect to be given things because they have always been given things. What caused parents to change their philosophy on kids working I will never know. I went to an upper middle class hs that included some very well off families. It was considered normal even for those kids to work, especially in the summer.

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You underestimate the power of the internet and the effect it has had on society. Before 1997 not many folks were exposed to the web. The main issue is this generation was brought up rewarded with instant gratification. Who is to blame ? And why did parents allow this to happen ? I attribute some of the cause to baby boomers who grew up struggling when young. All of the wants they were denied in the 50's and 60's when only one parent was working are now being given to the next generation with more disposable income created from both parents working

ColinAggie said:

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I'm a millennial...

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I didn't say all millennials
From the job descriptions you gave, I'm going to assume you were raised in or near the country?

WoMD said:

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JP76 said:

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Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

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Using that point no one under the age of 30 would be employed.

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Have you looked at the statistics of the younger workforce?
And how many still live at home ?

Gonzales/Shiner area.

JP76 said:

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Because millennial entitlement expects everything to be given to them instead of having to work for it
That's what you create when you give participation trophies to everyone.

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Agree that there seems to be a generational drop-off in teens working. Way back when, I worked because I wanted the money to do/buy what I wanted and working was the only way to get it.

In my limited observation, I suggest many teens today are making an equally rational decision based on their circumstances. Why work at a part-time job when your parents just hand you practically everything you want? Would you do peon work if you didn't absolutely have to? I don't think they're necessarily lazy, it's just that there's nothing they lack that they want bad enough to work for.

I think this situation says more about today's parenting than it does about the kids. Parents who give their kids everything aren't preparing them for adulthood in which nothing will be just handed to them. I'm not saying force teens to take a job, or to say no to everything they ask for if they don't work, but at least find an alternative way to teach the important lesson that you get out of life what you put into it. <shrug>