Your Son/Daughter's Job Search Adventures Sum 2016

Parent Cafe
1

I’ll start.

Oldest son will be 22 in August. He is taking two classes this summer to finish his BS degree. If he passes Business Calc he will be admitted to grad school this fall (so he is accepted conditionally). He just moved off campus and he has a job doing mentoring/leadership or something another for at risk students that doesn’t pay much but he wanted it for the experience. He wants to be a teacher at a CC. He also has some tutoring thing lined up and, since I work at a CC, he will be able to adjunct where I work once he gets his grad degree which will really set him up towards achieving his goal.

Youngest son will be 19 in December. He is going out of town for 3 weeks in a few days with his mom. He has floated one application, wait, correction he has asked about a job he hasn’t even filled out an application. I, ever the dedicated parent, pointed out to him that he can’t wait until half way through the summer to start looking for employment and he laughed. Clearly, I am doing something wrong with the second one.

Anybody else have teens looking or … not looking for summer work? How is it going?

2

It gets better.

I told him I’d help him with a resume if he listed his EC’s.

He just gave me his list. He actually listed Biz Kids which is something he did when he was in elementary school. He really isn’t taking this seriously. I think he should look into comedy.

3

Lot of summer work through cities at parks, muni golf courses, etc. Private golf courses too. Umpiring, tutoring are other ideas.

My son is both working at a golf course( gets him out of bed very early) and umpiring. I wanted him to tutor but he decided that wasn’t for him.

He just finished his freshman year.

4

We are a month into summer already and summer jobs in our area are scarce. My DD knows that what she makes this summer is her spending money next year in school. We don’t send her any money (except for $20 here and there). So, she’s motivated to save up so she doesn’t have to work much during the school year (6 - 8 hours / week). She’s dog, house and kid sitting this summer and should make around $2000 doing it. (She still has some savings left too.) I’m pleased with that… plus it leaves lots of time to catch up on Game of Thrones. LOL! Not much for a resume, but she’s taking baby steps.

Does you son have to work? It can be hard to motivate them when they don’t have incentive.

5

They just started summer down here. I recall a thread here on CC a few years ago that said you need to start looking for summer jobs well before summer starts. That is good advice. I think anything helps especially if the child is a FR or SOPH. I think it is fine to not have to do serious work until after college. So, I totally agree with the “if you earn it you spend it” routine. It is spending money for them. Pocket change. Gas money. Etc.

No, my 18 YO doesn’t have to work this summer. His incentive is zero. That explains the stare, the smirk, the chuckle and then the walk away routine that I am getting. He defuses me with humor. He needs money for haircuts, apparently this has to happen nearly twice a month, and gas for his car. He could mow grass and what not but the logic of that is lost on him. His “excuse” is that he is going out of town which is valid, to an extent.

What I really want him to do is read.

I gave him to Kill a Mockingbird, a book he should’ve read years ago, and told him if he doesn’t read it by the end of the summer I will not pay for his school or anything else. We will see :-).

6

When I was a kid, and you needed pocket money, you’d go door to door and ask if anyone needed their yard mowed or car washed. The going rate was $5 a lawn. I don’t remember what we got for washing cars. If someone gave you $10 a yard, that was considered a seriously good client. Some yards are bigger than others. The work took about an hour or so. I do recall some people paid $20 for bigger, tougher yards but $5 was acceptable.

7

Oldest has a professional job. YAY him!

Middle son wanted to stay in the city where he goes to school this summer. Since the apartment we pay for has a 12 month lease (still cheaper than on campus housing) he has a place to live. He got 2 jobs. One working for the minor league baseball team and another working at a sandwich shop. Since he wants to work in sports after he graduates the baseball job is a good long term job for him.

Youngest is coaching a travel lacrosse team and working for a test prep company.

8

17 year old daughter has an internship at a power company. Paid, but not much. But it should be a great experience.

14 year old son might be talked into bucking hay a few times this summer. That’s really hard work, and he’s not exactly a hard worker. But he does like money. So we will see.

9

My rising hs senior was supposed to work at the research firm my husband works at but that most likely won’t happen due to their work load changing. She is on the look out but this late in the game, and living where most jobs go to adults and college kids first, she is also hoping an internship pops up.
She did get offered a volunteer position to be a TA at a coding summer camp for disadvantaged elementary and middle school kids. She will also do some local volunteering to not sit around the house all summer.

10

My younger boy is working at a camp. The rising college sophomore started looking in January and landed a spot in a Wall Street internship for rising seniors. It is 2 months long and pays great plus a nice chunk of change for living expenses but he is living at home. Even gave him transit checks for the bus. No complaints here.

11

I’m starting to understand now. He is the youngest. He knows, as a parent, I’m tired. That is why he looks at me like I have three heads when I use the word “job.” He makes a funny face as if he’s trying to process what the word means. He then smirks, I get the chuckle, the finger point like I’ve said something smart, and then he strolls away as if he owns this house.

If his older brother did that there’d be a federal investigation, charges, a jury, a perp walk, you get the idea, but again this one is the youngest. He is cagey. He has done the math and realizes politically I don’t have enough energy left to figure out what he’s doing and he’ll end up doing what his brother did or whatever he wants, whatever happens first, and that will be that.

12

DD 20 found an internship in one of her school’s labs - part time, doesn’t pay much but a great resume builder, as it somewhat relates to her major. She’s staying at school and has an apartment (12-month lease) off campus. She started looking for jobs in March and landed this one at the end of April. Her school isn’t out until June 11, so I agree that summer jobs need to generally be looked for well in advance.

DS 17 is going to be out of town for 6 weeks this summer, so he’s mowing lawns, doing landscaping, and (probably) baling hay when he is in town. No regular job, though. He does have a few regular clients from last year that he is working for until he leaves town. BTW, he’s started his common app essay and the topic is baling hay, so maybe some work experiences can have unexpected benefits.

13

PS - I didn’t want you to think that my kid is starting the common app by himself - it’s a requirement in his composition class at school :slight_smile:

14

We live in a big city and there are jobs of all kinds. My daughter volunteered in a museum and that changed to a summer job when she turned 15. The good thing about this job is that the museum wants you to come back every summer so she does not have to keep looking for summer jobs.

My son has a job in a local University. Again a similar deal that they want him back every summer.
My other daughter is looking to “steal” my son’s jobs since this is his last summer there.
But as I said we are lucky because of location.

15

Thanks for those sharing and comparing so far. It seems many of the replies so far are from parents with kids nearly the same age as my kids which is really cool. I think it is great if a young person starts low as long as there is potential to leverage that acorn into something huge later. And it doesn’t have to be something huge. I get that many young people would rather do what they like even if it doesn’t pay well. I get it. I support that. I see the trend. Follow your heart but be smart about it. There are limits to that saying. It is a tough thing to balance, for sure.

But thanks for the replies so far!

16

“I’m starting to understand now. He is the youngest. He knows, as a parent, I’m tired.”

This. Plus some wisdom that comes with seeing how things have turned out for the older (now college graduates) siblings and their friends equals “It is not possible for me to nag you into a successful life.”

Oldest always had part time jobs as soon as he was old enough to work. Good, not stellar grades through high school and college. Graduated on time. Is employed, self supporting and married.

Second always had stellar grades, and never had part time jobs through high school or college. Though he did grant funded work and research outside of the country every summer during college he didn’t earn money. He griped constantly about his lack of spending money for years, but didn’t want a part time job. Was hired by a large company before he graduated college. Is employed, self supporting, and now thinking about going back to grad school.

Third waltzed into a summer job through a friend who referred her three years ago, and has returned to that job every summer since. Awesome job (in terms of teenager priorities) at a major concert venue. So, no early morning hours and she gets paid to see every concert all summer. She’s learning some interesting life skills - crowd control, when to call for extra help, the psychology of using words for calming a situation versus escalating a situation, recognizing drug and alcohol emergencies… Not the job I would have picked for her, but who knows how this will play out?

In the end I am tired. I’ve had teenagers working (and not working) for 10 summers now. I’ve seen enough friends pull strings to get their kids wonderful summer internships, and I’ve seen some kids blow it, and some kids run with it.

I’ve seen friends’s kids lounge (jobless) at the beach all summer, every summer through college and end up with great jobs in finance.

I’ve seen kids have to tell their parents ( who just moved heaven and earth to get the kid a great paid summer internship), “Um, I don’t want you to be suprised, but I didn’t know that there was going to be a drug screening, and I’m probably not going to pass it because I was at a party on Saturday and…”

I’ve seen kids who got terrible grades in high school but always had a summer job become very successful young adults because they have excellent people skills and an enviable work ethic.

There is no one answer. I feel like I have seen it all, and it all seems to work out somehow in the end.

17

"Does you son have to work? "

What is the message you send? That the only result of “work” is a paycheck??? Work- especially for teens and young adults teaches so much more than how to pad your pocketbook. And whether to they “need” to work or not - is an expectation that parents of teens set themselves. Your guidance makes “work” optional or necessary.

D2 who just finished freshman year returned to her job of last summer - working in a popular, trendy, casual Mediterranean restaurant taking orders, serving, etc. The tip jar overflows at this place and she is making twice as much as any minimum wage job so even if she only gets 2-3 days a week, it’s worth it.

18

@GoNoles85 - you’re funny!
my S is doing maintenance for the local utility company. not too fun, but decent pay for the summer.
my D is working full time at a local day camp. she’s loving the first week of training so far and comes home tired and happy.
my S (14) has been reffing soccer games but those will be drying up soon.

19

we are fortunate that our kids get lifeguarding jobs all summer once they turn 15. great job as they continue at their colleges a few shifts a week for spending money.

20

DS20 is heading back to NYC to work at a construction firm. Wants to stay in the city so he can train with his football team in the evenings and work the internship during the day. He is majoring in civil engineering so this will be a great job to expose him to the industry. Surprised at the pay though…$10 bucks less an hour than his friend is earning in TX. He will barely break even but we told him its about the experience.

DD18 just graduated from HS last week. No job yet…even though she has had a lot of time to look and apply. The challenge is her schedule. Wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday so this week is out. Orientation for 3 days the week after next. Visit very sick grandma end of June for a 4 day weekend. (Might be the last time she sees her.) and then a week in July for a youth conference through the church that she has not been able to attend due to her high school summer activities so we said yes for this last chance. She moves into her dorm on 8/15. That leaves about 6 weeks of free time. Getting a “real” job will be tough with that schedule so she is looking for babysitting/tutoring/odd jobs. I told her that these pay better anyway. Hopefully something works out. She knows that this is her spending money.