Having a job can teach teens to be self-reliant and independent. It can also teach confidence, time management and responsibility. Teens should be encouraged to develop new skills and challenge themselves to make the most of the free time that they have.

If teens search for jobs during the school year, opportunities may be available while finding a summer job is sometimes difficult.

“During the summer before this school year, I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center and went into each and every store picking up applications. Some would say I was desperate for a job, and when I first got applications to fill out, I counted over twenty of them,” said junior Samantha Keomalu. “Over the months, I interviewed with a bunch of places like Jeans Warehouse, Abercrombie, Jamba Juice and even Consolidated Theatres. For all of these places I was a great candidate to fill the positions, except for one downfall – my age – because I was only fifteen and a half at the time. Two days before my sixteenth birthday, Loco Boutique offered me a job, and I later applied at Victoria’s Secret and got the position.”

Having a job can be beneficial in developing confidence and skills that are useful for future jobs. Colleges are interested in students who are active and involved in the community and know how to manage their time wisely by balancing schoolwork and extracurricular activities.

“When I was offered a position at a dental office, I thought it would be good experience because I wanted to be a dental hygienist and be surrounded by the environment and get a head start on my career,” said senior Leila Tseu. “My tasks include calling and confirming patients’ appointments, sterilizing instruments, doing x-rays for patients, scheduling appointments while also assisting the doctor.”

On the job, it is important to develop positive relationships with the boss and coworkers for future references and recommendations. It is also important for individuals to have positive attitudes and amiable personalities to make customers feel comfortable and satisfied with the service and products.

“It is very important to have a good relationship with your boss and coworkers because everyone must communicate to work together efficiently in the office,” said Tseu. ” It is good to communicate well because it keeps everyone on the same page and informed about what’s going on with each patient. That way, if someone was out of office, you can pick up where they left off.”

“From my jobs I’ve learned how to communicate better with others, especially those that don’t speak English. Loco Boutique’s customers are primarily Japanese, and because I’ve worked here, I am able to pick up a few key phrases that customers are saying, which allows me to help them,” said Keomalu. “Having two jobs has also taught me different ways to communicate and sell things, which is great since I want to go into something that involves both selling and business marketing.”

Having a summer job will teach teens to appreciate other jobs and what it takes to earn money. It can help teens realize that it takes hard work, resilience and good relationships among coworkers and customers. Although working may be tedious at times,  it can also be an enjoyable experience.

“The thing I enjoy most about working is the experience of meeting and interacting with different people. I get to meet people from all over the world and my managers and advisors have taught me so much that will help me in the future,” said Keomalu. “Aside from experiences and new skills from these jobs, there are other benefits, such as employee discounts that I love to take advantage of every now and then.”

Having a job allows teens to develop real world skills and become independent, self-reliant individuals. Although the it may be difficult for teens  to obtain jobs during the summer, they are worthwhile, valuable experiences.

“From having a job, I learned that communication is one of the most important skills to have and how to deal with people with different personalities,” said Tseu. “Although some patients do not respect you, it is important to open up to them, be warm and cater to their needs to get them to open up to you.”

Keomalu said, “I chose to work two jobs because I know college is really expensive, and I just feel that since I am the youngest of all my siblings, my parents have already gone through putting my siblings through schooling. It isn’t fair that they have to pay so much. My goal in having a job is to save for college and relieve that burden I’ve put on my parents for paying so much for me to attend a private school.”