In today’s society, a teenagers independence increases as they get older. It begins when they go to high school and join clubs and sports teams. Then before you know it, they earn their drivers license, allowing them to go anywhere at any time. And to top off the teenage years, kids enjoy such freedoms as being able to see R rated films and vote. But where do kids get the money to go to the movies, games, or restaurants?

Throughout history, some teens have worked jobs to pay for these expenses. While there are critics of teen jobs, there are overwhelming benefits. These benefits include teenagers learning how to effectively deal with money, a necessary life skill, and the development of a strong work ethic and will to succeed (earn a raise, be promoted).

In order to avoid future financial ruin, teens need to learn early on how to deal with their own money. They cannot sufficiently do this if they constantly rely on their parents for cash. So, when teens receive their paycheck from their employer, they are forced to decide how to most effectively use it. Should they save it or spend it? Should they buy the Xbox or the ski pass? Being forced to make these decisions early and often provides good practice for later in life, when mismanaging money can have very serious consequences.

One other way to stay out of the doghouse later in life is to develop a strong work ethic. A strong work ethic is essential to furthering ones interests in his or her career and personal life. By constantly striving to meet the managers and customers demands, teens inevitably develop the necessary work ethic.

Critics of teen jobs mainly point to the assumption that working a job takes away from one’s schoolwork, which should take precedence. However, not only can a teen budget their time effectively to meet both demands, but as I have explained jobs provide valuable skills that school simply cannot teach.

For decades, if not centuries, teenagers have worked jobs for a variety of reasons. Because those jobs teach such valuable life skills as money management and work ethic, they should not be frowned upon, but instead encouraged.