Increasingly, high school and college students have never held paying jobs. This circumstance is more so in Naperville than the national average because students here are encouraged to study hard and engage in activities that will give them strong resumes.
But the people skills they would have gained slinging burgers or serving stressed customers in retail stores are also valuable for coping in the professional and personal worlds.
Both my girls worked in high school. Their meager allowances never funded the lifestyles that seem standard in our privileged community, so they both got jobs in retail at their favorite stores. They got store discounts and spending money.
They also worked during college. Amanda belonged to the synchronized skating team (not on our dollar), so in addition to summer jobs, she worked at the ice rink on campus – free ice time! Caryn ran an after-school program at a local church. She gained valuable experience and got references that eventually opened up employment opportunities at not-for-profits.
Business skills at the entry level are best learned on the job. Besides dealing with stressed customers, they had to work with fellow employees with baggage and employers with issues. And even as teens, they related well to adults at all levels. They had to.
The lack of life skills is being addressed by some colleges. Gap years are being encouraged. Cornell University has a program where entering freshmen stay in their communities (not necessarily at home) for their freshmen year. They have to take classes at the local college or community college, maintain an acceptable GPA and have a JOB. If the requirements are met, they enter as sophomores.
It’s been said that “part of the world’s problems with education is that common sense cannot be taught.”
Great schools can only do so much. And “where money comes from” is best answered the hard way.
