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I'm a junior but I've never had a paying job, I've done volunteer work, but of course the levels of commitment and responsibilities are different. It's not because I'm lazy or undedicated, I just usually have things too weirdly scheduled to have a job, plus my parents don't want me working. Pretty bad?

By Zephyrmaster (Zephyrmaster) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:28 am: Edit

Well... I never had a job until this year as a senior, and it's not even a "real" job in my opinion.

Bad in what way? Bad for college admissions? Probably not, if you have other good areas. Bad as a person? No, because you have reasons, your schedule, and the fact that your parents don't even want you to work.

By Chatterjoy87 (Chatterjoy87) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 02:15 am: Edit

Both, some people said that people without jobs are looked down upon as being spoiled, and I also want some insight before I go into the 'real' world. I should probably apply for something at Little Caesar's later. Thanks zephyrmaster!

By Fallenangel85 (Fallenangel85) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 12:44 pm: Edit

heh...ive had one real job....I was a seasonal worker at lane bryant during the holidays this past winter...AND...I hated it. Because I had no experience they made me a greeter. And I started to annoy my self because everytime some one would come in you would have to repeat the same line over and over again "Hi! welcome to lane bryant..today all of our elemental strech blouses on the rounder in the front are 60% off...all accessories are by one get one half off...all of our cacique lingerie is half off...and with our real women dollars promotion, for every $25 you spend with us today your gonna get a $5 dollar gift cheque to spend next time you come in. My name is Mia if you have any questions, or need a dressing room, or anything else just let me know...**inhales deeply**

By Astro85 (Astro85) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:45 pm: Edit

I'm too lazy to look for one. Let's just say I intended to have a job at the beginning of last summer.

And I now intend to have my first job THIS summer.

By Justinmeche (Justinmeche) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:54 pm: Edit

Why wouldn't parents want they kids to work? When I worked my parents didn't have to worry about giving me an allowance. It is also felt good to me to know that I earned the money and it was mine to do with as I wished.

I was a dishwasher in a restaurant for the last two years of high school (I worked 16 hour weekends during the school year and about 30 hours/week during the summer). Terrible job. It is enough to want to make a person get a college education so they aren't stuck doing that kind of work for the rest of their life. Getting $6/hr for long hours in your feet in a hot noisy environment is not the way to go. One guy always seemed to be on the edge of flipping out. But it was still better than working in fast-food.

By Fallenangel85 (Fallenangel85) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 02:24 pm: Edit

because some kids are lucky enough to haveparents that can provide nesscitys AND extras and/or they believe that education is most important and want their child to be most focused on it. my brother is living proof of how that last part can go terribly wrong. he got a part time job when he was 16 slingin sandwiches for subway....honest work and he loves it...so much that now a year later hes dropped out and is working 40+hours a week..illeagal, yeh but every thing over 35 hours is paid under the table so he gets away with it...thats the power of the almighty dollar 4 ya.

By Alita (Alita) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 03:58 pm: Edit

I work 15 hrs a week, soon to be 22-25, in a restaurant near my house. I think it is one of the best decisions I've ever made-not only do I earn money and learn how to balance/save it, I also get experience in a job environment. Work is sooo different from school. Unlike school, there are no deadlines, but if you mess up one day, you can get fired. Plus, for those people that have always been the smartest person in the bunch, work is an eye opener-for most of the jobs teenagers have, brains alone wont get you very far.

By Justinmeche (Justinmeche) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 04:18 pm: Edit

Money is very enticing. Some of the waitresses at the restaurant where I worked had been in college but dropped out because they were making a lot of money from their tips. Now they hate their job, have too many kids, smoke too much, and struggle to keep afloat. I would never be a waiter at that restaurant because you rely on the generosity of the customer when tipping, and many customers are rude in that regard. I tip 20%, which my aunt thinks is way too much. But those waitresses make less than $3/hr base pay. The tips are their income.

By Magoo (Magoo) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 04:50 pm: Edit

60% off strech blouses!!!

no im kidding, yeah i've never really had a real job...like the poster, its cuz of volunteering work and school, my parents didn't want me getting a job when i was younger (i turned 16 as junior), until recently, i think that i'll work at the movies this summer... i NEVER GOT THAT FRICKEN INTERNSHIP!!!

i don't think that it is a huge deciding factor in admissions unless you have circumstances that rely on you having a job.

By Anticatalyst (Anticatalyst) on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 09:12 pm: Edit

I've never had a real job either, and judging by the way my life works, I still won't have as a rising junior. And if my current situation holds true, even when I get a job it will be as a camp counselor, which hardly counts since it's less yay-let's-fold-blouses-and-adjust-sale-racks-after-school then yay-let's-babysit-nine-year-olds-24/7-but-we-also-get-a-beach.

I don't know. I'd say, only bad if you're deliberately avoiding work. If you're lazing off when you could be working, then...yeech, get moving, please. But if your parents don't want you to, or you can't because of your arrangements, or you need need need to study all the time, then...no. Not too bad, I wouldn't say.

By Glowingamy (Glowingamy) on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 10:12 pm: Edit

My parents don't want me to either because they don't want me to be seen working at some store with "riffraff". Their opinions are outdated
I'm volunteering this summer though at the library ~10 hours a day!

By Magoo (Magoo) on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 10:54 pm: Edit

HA your parents say riffraff!! there isn't a place around like a store or an office that you can do paper clipping work?

By Chatterjoy87 (Chatterjoy87) on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 11:23 pm: Edit

My parents don't really want me to work because they figure that taking fast food jobs detracts from school and family obligations and doesn't help me acquire skills for a profession or something (although I agree that a strong work ethic is important and something hard to come by without real world experience). They even express disatisfaction when I volunteer: "Why don't you volunteer around the house more? Like clean up your room?" (My roommate in college will probably get fed up with me, I probably should put things away more often).

Anybody have really unique jobs? Like feeding circus animals or something?

By Valene (Valene) on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 - 12:01 pm: Edit

I didn't have a job until the summer after I graduated. My parents didn't want me to get a job because of school, but during college, they expected me to pull my own weight a little. Working a part-time job is really good for you, I think. First of all, you make your own money. That can be really satisfying if you're a fairly independant person. Second, you learn what it's like in the work force. Sure, working at McDonald's or somewhere may not seem like good preparation, but you learn how to deal with people, how to work your work schedule into your life, and, most importantly, how badly you need to get a college education so you can get a better job!
It's very valuable to learn how to deal with money, but you can quickly learn just how petty people in retail (if that's where you're working) are. They go crazy if you don't greet every single customer, or if you don't try and persuade them to buy gift cards, and you are forced to try and "upsale" certain products. You quickly learn that the world revolves around profit, and it can be quite discouraging. There is an upside, however. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to make good friends out of your co-workers. I've met some really cool people by working, and I'm, for the most part, proud of the jobs I have had.
Not every high schooler can handle having a job and going to school, but my best-friend worked a part-time job every summer since 9th grade. Sometimes she would work during the school year, too. Don't feel bad if you choose not to do this, because most kids don't. Enjoy having a busy school schedule to worry about and NOT having to work. You'll long for those days when you actually depend on your own money, meaning you work or don't eat.