Helping Teens Land Their First Job | Ep. 192

Karlie (00:00)
My teen wants a job. How do I help them prepare without taking over? So today we’re going to talk about jobs, preparing for jobs, maybe even some suggestions for some first jobs for teens.

But as we say, I’m going to say “first job” maybe a few times in this podcast, but really what we mean is just teen jobs before they’re getting to the point where this is a career choice. These are jobs that are helping them practice and gain skills.

And when it comes to that, let’s talk about kind of a perspective shift: a first job isn’t just about money. Yes, a lot of times that is what is motivating them to get a job, but it’s also about identity. It’s about responsibility. It’s about them gaining confidence.

This is an important skill that teens need because they’re not just going to pick up on these things on their own. A lot of times, they need a job to push them.

Caleb (00:38)
Big part.

Karlie (00:55)
And so to start, let’s talk about maybe some things that they would learn at a job.

I think the first one is they’re going to learn how to talk to adults that aren’t in their home or at their school. So they’re going to have to interact with adults in a different situation.

Caleb (01:03)
Yeah.

Tobin (01:10)
And not always the nicest ones.

Caleb (01:12)
Yeah, some weirdos sometimes. I’m sorry—that might be me, but I don’t know.

I guess this piggybacks off a question of what was your first job that you had? Mine was Chick-fil-A, and there was one time where there’s this supply closet in Chick-fil-A. It’s where all the sauces and napkins are and things like that.

Karlie (01:14)
Well, and with that, solving problems—

Caleb (01:39)
And I’m in there, and then one of my coworkers comes in and he starts showing me knife scars that he has. Not like self-harm—it was just weird things. He’s like, “Check this out.”

I’m like, “What are we doing?”

It wasn’t self-harm or anything like that. He was just showing off. I’m like, okay…

Karlie (01:59)
Like he was getting knifed by other people? Oh wow.

Caleb (02:07)
That is what I think of whenever I’m like, you’re learning how to interact with just a wide range of personalities and types.

It’s helpful. Yes, you come away with some crazy stories, but you learn how to interact with different types of people, which is so helpful in college and in life.

Whenever you start a career, there are going to be people that you don’t like. There are going to be people who have personalities that are different than you. How do you interact with those people?

I also think it helps them learn how to manage their own money because it’s their money now. How are you going to spend it, right?

Instead of getting an allowance or having money given to you by parents, it’s like, okay, this is my money—how can I learn to manage it?

And when your teen gets a job, maybe there are some guardrails that you can remove too. If you’ve been giving allowance or helping with payments, now that it’s theirs, let them learn how to manage it.

Tobin (02:43)
Mm. Yeah.

Karlie (03:01)
And I think it also teaches them how to show up even when they don’t want to or don’t feel like it.

You made a commitment, and you better show up.

My first job outside of babysitting was working in the Cardinal Store—the little spirit store. I served, made smoothies, served breakfast, stocked uniforms—but I worked before school, and I am not a morning person.

That was a whole thing where I had better make sure, especially when I was the one driving, that I’ve got to get up, I’ve got to get ready, and I’ve got to get out the door so that I can be at my job at—I think it started at like 6:30 AM or something like that.

There were a lot of mornings where it would have been really nice to sleep in, but I knew, no, I’ve got to get up and do this.

Tobin (03:51)
How old were you when you had that job?

Karlie (03:57)
Probably like 15 turning 16. And then I had that all through high school. I didn’t work every day—it was a few mornings and then a couple afternoons.

Tobin (04:07)
Okay. My first job was—I had two first jobs at the same time that I could walk to.

I was 14, and I worked at a snow cone stand, and I was paid in cash by this sweet old lady. I’m pretty sure I did not ever claim that on taxes, so I’m sure the IRS will come after me at some point.

I was also—this is a very old statement and it’s going to date me quite a bit—I was a sacker at Winn-Dixie down the street from my house.

Karlie (04:31)
Winn-Dixie.

Caleb (04:33)
What?

Tobin (04:33)
Because they were the only place in town that was actually hiring 14-year-olds. I just really wanted to have money and have a job, and I had to be able to walk there.

This was before self-checkouts. We had little 14-year-old idiots like me putting things in a sack.

I would help little old ladies with their sacks to their cars and get little quarters every once in a while.

My first real job, though, was Chick-fil-A. I worked there from like 15 to 18.

Honestly, I loved everything about it. They kind of set the tone for me.

When I was a freshman in college, my mom wouldn’t let me work because she wanted me to focus on school, and I hated it. I wanted to have a job. I wanted to be busy.

She gave me money and everything—I wasn’t broke—but I wanted to work.

So I’ve always kind of had that drive for wanting to do work, which I’m thankful for.

Karlie (05:42)
Well, that’s one of the things I love about jobs—and we’ll talk about it a little bit—that there is a balance that has to happen there, especially if students are in school.

But work builds this agency of “I can take care of myself.” It builds confidence.

A teenager goes, now I’ve got my own money. I can buy those shoes if I want to. I can take a girl on a date if I want to. I can pay for my gas.

That is a big thing that you want them learning when they’re in your home rather than learning in college or the real world for the very first time.

There are studies from the Brookings Institution that show teens who work moderate hours develop stronger work habits and independence later in life.

However, if they’re working too many hours, if they’re not getting enough sleep, that can harm academics. It can make life really difficult.

Maybe they’re super involved in sports, and then they’re also trying to work, and then they’re trying to study at night.

You know your teenager best. Maybe it’s seasonal. Maybe they need a job only during the summer or only during a less busy sports season.

Help them develop these skills in a way that’s helpful because, at the end of the day, they’re kids.

We don’t want them working so hard that they can’t have fun with friends or go to sporting events or be involved in activities because they feel tied down to a job.

You’ve got your whole life to do that.