My Dad Told Me to “Get a Job”

I remember my first job like it was yesterday. I was a part-time clerk and delivery driver at Brookville Drug Store. It was across the street from my school. I walked to work until I could drive and then I drove the two blocks to get there. Of course I had worked before that — mowing lawns, weekends in a kitchen (paid under the table) and getting an allowance from my parents — but this was my first “real job.” I got a check and I paid taxes and something called FICA. I made $3.05 per hour and a few months later, I got a raise to $3.35. Not that I did a great job, but the raise came from the Federal Minimum Wage increase. The pharmacists Mr. Hilbish and Mr. Maxey acted like they were the ones to give me a raise, but I knew better. Even at 16, I read the newspaper religiously.

I loved that job and the people that worked there. I learned to speak with and get along with adults. I learned customer service skills and how to make change for a 20-dollar bill. I learned how to add tax in my head, before punching it into the register. I learned responsibility, because they let me drive the delivery car — a 1974 powder blue Ford Maverick with no A/C. I almost never got a tip from delivering prescriptions, but I smiled anyway. (Politeness and a very enthusiastic “thank you ma’am/sir” actually worked to get tips on subsequent deliveries). 

I learned how to work and how to work hard. I didn’t expect to be rewarded without putting in the work. The lessons I learned working a few hours a week at that little independent pharmacy stay with me today.

I point all of this out because in 1984, 66% of young Americans between 16-19 participated in the job market. In 2023, that number is less than 35%. That means the valuable lessons that are taught at work — and not in school — are now lost for millions of teens. And when they do finally join the workforce, they are in most cases woefully unprepared. 

The reasons why teens don’t get jobs are many and varied; school is more complicated, there are more pressures to play sports and do extra-curricular activities, and fewer teens have drivers licenses, dropping to 40% in 2021. The age-old tradition of parent’s paying an allowance for household chores is also on the decline.

A part-time job for a teenager is a right of passage and a sign of independence. If you’ve got a teen in the house, I’d highly encourage you to tell them “get a job.” They might be upset now, but I can guarantee they’ll thank you later. And employers will also thank you later.