8
S P I R I T O F W O M E N S U M M E R 2 016 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m
F I N A N C I A L F I T N E S S
SHUTTERSTOCK
"You have to know your child and their time management
skills, but to have time to study, and do sports and clubs
and have a social life and a part-time job is often hard to
balance," she says, adding that she recommends volunteer
work during the school year rather than employment if
money isn't an issue. In the summer, working at a paying
job in a field related to the teen's interests is a great idea,
says Schindler.
When a teen does work for pay, it's important that he or
she has the opportunity to develop skills of responsibility,
leadership and problem-solving, the kinds of "college- and
career-ready skills" that schools and employers are looking
for these days, says Jones.
A MATTER OF TIME
During the school year, it's best to keep weekly working
hours for teens to a minimum if possible. In fact, a study
conducted by Jerald G. Bachman, research scientist at the
University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, found
that teens who had the highest rate of completing college
worked less than 15 hours a week during their school
year while in high school.
In addition, the study found, those who put aside
their earnings for college or other long-term expenses
rather than using the funds as spending money were
able to avoid what Bachman refers to as "premature
affluence"—spending habits that they might not be able
to maintain as college students or when they first join the
full-time work force as adults.
•
T
he question of whether teens should work—
and how much—is a hot debate topic among
researchers and guidance counselors alike.
One thing that most agree on, however, is
that there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
For some teens, of course, family financial concerns make
the income from a part-time job during the school year a
necessity. But for others, the answer may depend on how
well the teen can balance different aspects of his life and
what the job has to offer beyond pay.
FINDING A BALANCE
"Jobs can teach teens about responsibility and handling
money, but for the time they take away from schoolwork
and extracurricular activities, it's often not worth the tradeoff,"
says Juliet Wehr Jones, president and chief executive officer
of Seattle-based Career Key, a service that helps youth and
adults find the right career match for long-term success.
Mazra Schindler, a high school guidance counselor at a
competitive high school in New York City, says she doesn't
see many kids with jobs until their senior year, when students
often try to get work related to their interests.
have a job
By Stephanie
Thompson
h
Should your teen
?
"For the time [jobs] take away from
schoolwork and extracurricular activities,
it's often not worth the tradeoff."
~ Juliet Wehr Jones, Career Key