Did your parents make you get a job at a young age?

[Pintuition]

No, but I did do babysitting and got an internship when I was 16 or so anyway. I was more interested in an internship (even though unpaid) to build out my resume than a service job at the time. As a person with a physical disability I wasn't suited for the kind of work typically available to teenagers that involve standing at a cash register or running around. I think they recognized that and didn't force the issue. In the end, I don't think it hurt me any. I was able to go to high school, then college, then get my masters degree and full time work anyway.

 

[Lady Timpani]

My parents didn't want me to get a part time job because they wanted all my focus on school.

Same, the rule for me was always to focus on school first, everything else later. They weren't against a job per se, but they always said if my grades were affected I would have to drop the job, so I never got one. I tried to get one the summer after I graduated high school, but I didn't really know how and where to apply online, so I only applied like three places and never heard back from anywhere lol. I got a job on campus my sophomore year of college, and every summer after that I worked somewhere else.

For any younger folks looking for a job, I'd try just Googling stuff and looking on websites like SnagAJob. In my personal experience work experience has never been super necessary, although of course there are some stores that want experienced people. If you go to college it's also worth looking into finding a job on campus, especially if you live there so you don't have to worry about transportation.

 

[tjo]

17 right now and 18 this month. My parents have never asked me to work, and all of my classmates do not have jobs. But that's because we're all fairly better off than the average family I suppose. Nonetheless I've started taking art commissions in my free times and my parents were really surprised that I was able to make some cash in my free time. I think it was for the best us kids didn't have jobs, we don't exactly live in a safe country

 

[TheSillyPuppy]

My first job was delivering newspapers in my neighbourhood over a summer around junior high school because my friend who normally covered the route went out of country. During high school, my parents wanted me to focus on school, so I didn't work, though I did volunteer at the local museum for one to two hours per week.

If your post-secondary plans involve going to college or university, I would highly recommend finding a program where internships are scheduled into the program itself. Personally, I found alternating between study and work semesters refreshing, gave me a better sense of what I wanted to do career-wise down the road, and reminded me what the real world outside of the classroom/academia setting really is like, though covid really puts a dent in job opportunities overall, unfortunately.

 

[JellyBeans]

they didn't, but once I started sixth form I decided I wanted to make my own money and I managed to get a job about a week before I turned 17. once I got it my mum's only rules were to only work one weekend day + one after school shift max so that I didn't get overwhelmed balancing shool. due to covid I actually only ended up working there for about 5 months since it's a food shop, but I'm still technically employed there so hopefully I can go back over the summer if things go to plan. I'm definitely glad I did branch out and I'm hoping to also have some kind of job throughout uni, although I think my parents would prefer me to focus on schoolwork

 

[ting1984]

No. I'm on the autism spectrum, so I don't think I would have been able to make it in retail or food service. I don't see how having that experience would have helped me prepare for a professional office job. At least I was able to succeed without that. I have a lot of appreciation for people who work those kinds of jobs, because I imagine they are really not very enjoyable.

Another autism spectrum person here. I've always dodged retail and food service jobs because I know I could never multi-task that much in real time. I stay in fields where I can be more methodical and academic.

 

[Airysuit]

Yep! My parents both came from pretty poor families and always really valued hard work. By the time they had all us 4 kids, they owned a company and gotten pretty comfortable. However, they never really let us get spoiled or gave us lots of stuff or allowance. They made us get work for 3 hours a week in a grocery store or delivering newspapers when we were 13.

When we wanted something expensive they were really generous tho. They said if we could save up half the amount, the would pay the other half. But ONLY if we actually saved it, and not before. That way they were fair and made us appreciate work and money, but it was also sweet and generous

 

[nightglow]

My parents often yelled at me for not having a job, for not having my own car, but wouldn't let me drive out of town for a job... and They would get mad that a job wouldn't hire someone under the age of 18. We lived in a small town about 1 mile long that only had a dollar general that was hiring. Anything else was a failing business which soon closed up or it was a mom and pop restaurant who didn't hire people.
Long story short, I didn't work until I as a legal adult years later.
Needless to day, job interviews now give me a ton of anxiety about whether I will be accepted for a job or not. Or when I do have a job, whether my employer is mad at me or hates me.

 

[Alienfish]

No, which I kinda wish they'd be harder the right way about it cause I sure got "spoiled", which wasn't really a good thing.

And yeah job interviews and writing letters no one reads also stink.

 

[dizzy bone]

When I was in high school my parents made me help out at their restaurant once a week after school and during breaks. I didn’t start my first real job until after I graduated college.

 

[mistakenolive]

Not sure if I'd say she made me, but mom definitely encouraged me to get my very first job as a newspaper deliverer at 12 (one of the only jobs that allow that age) more as a responsibility and get me out of the house thing. I'm glad she did, but also glad there wasn't a mountain of pressure to do it either. I only did it for about a year, then didn't work until my first official job at 16 at a candy shop.

I think that's a good age to get a "toe dip" into what it's like having a job. Being trusted with (an age appropriate) responsibility is crucial to a kid gaining autonomy and independence.

 

[Romaki]

No, my parents sucked at the whole parenting thing in an attempt to be kind/cool/whatever parents.

 

[visibleghost]

no i got my first job at 19 after graduating high school. i was sick all throughout high school and it wasn't really the time to get a job and if my parents had demanded i got a job during that time i would be......... um. annoyed.

i never had any summer jobs either but for a while that was because i wasn't really allowed to go outside without supervision and for the other years i was just not interested. i think getting a job early can be great and it's nice to get more money but i've never been a huge spender so i didn't have a need for a job as a teenager really either.

 

[Hanami]

Not sure about my parents making me get a job at a young age, but they did bring up how they started working at a young age and they talked about how their friends' children, around the same age as me, helped out at their parents' businesses. I took this as strong encouragement, but regardless I wanted to make my own money and start building my resume anyway.

I got my first job when I was 15 at a summer day camp for young children. It was 20 hrs/week and it was mainly clerical work, doing errands for my supervisor, and participating in workshops. After this job, they expected me to get a part-time job throughout the school year or at least in the summer, though.

 

[EmeraldJourney]

I was just wondering if anyone’s parents made them get jobs at a young age to develop discipline, or for other reasons. I believe age fourteen is the the earliest age a minor can work.

I didn’t have a job until eighteen because I wanted to work later shifts, and I didn’t want to work while being in school.

Did your parents let you work if you wanted a job for money? Did you want to work or did your parents urge you to work? How was your first job experience like if you had worked as a fourteen year old?

It seemed like people around that age that I’ve worked with didn’t even want to work. They were just on their phone, playing around with their friends that were also there, or walking around. I’d think their parents either forced them to get jobs or they just wanted the money but didn’t want to work. I know this is something you should expect from working in a fast food place, but sometimes you have to work there until you find something better. Some income is better than no income while waiting for a better job.

I used to work fast food, and my experience was anything but pleasant.

My dad got me a job at 16 working for a chinese takeaway, it was extra money in highschool and it was cash in hand. I wanted to keep working there and once I got my license do deliveries, but this is a pretty dangerous run down town and I eventually went to university doing a branch of computer science. I now own a business working in IT and Technology solutions, it's brand new and only a recent endeavour but things look very promising.

 

[warrior_kitty]

no they were those pepole who throw newspapers when they were a kid in the 80's but who reads news paper now
EDIT i got my first job in 2019 as a teacher for 5th grade but now i do 1st grade

 

[Seastar]

No and as of right now I still don't have a job. Getting a job will be hard for me, anyway and I'm dreading that day.

 

[a potato]

I think I was 13 or 14 for my first job, but it was just a paper route once a week. It was a nice way to get money!

 

[Mairmalade]

I started learning about the importance of making, saving, and investing money when I was young because of my dad's influence. Though it was less about being forced to get a job/work and more about me wanting to do it so I could start saving.

I started helping with organizing/selling things at yard sales (baked goods) when I was around eight, babysitting when I was 13, and working a 'standard' job at a water park when I was 15-16.

 

[Holla]

I was a teen so I guess you could call that young. I wasn’t really made to get a job though it was encouraged. I no longer got an allowance as a teen so if I wanted to buy something (aside from things I needed) I couldn’t unless I had a job or I was given birthday/Christmas money.

My first few jobs were just part time paid under the table but they still count I suppose.