When it comes to finding a summer job, it used to be a rite of passage for many teenagers. But now, more and more teens are opting not to work.
Caleb Shore just finished his junior year of high school. His first day of summer, he plans to catch up on his favorite shows and just relax on the couch.
“Once you are finally done with that and it's summer you can finally take a break and not have to worry about that and not devote every second of everyday to studying,” said Caleb.
Caleb doesn’t plan on sitting on the couch for the next two months. Unlike a growing number of teens, he hopes to get a summer job, despite his mom Alyson’s hesitation.
“He would be out to dinner with me and his dad and he’d say 'can I please get a job, I want to help pay for my trip.' And I was like 'no you can’t you have too much going on right now,' so it’s kind of funny because most people are like go get a job and I’m like no let’s just wait,” said Alyson.
In the last 40 years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, teen employment in the summer time months is down nearly 30 percent.
Alyson says summer school, internships, club sports and any activity that set you apart on a resume' are getting in the way of teens taking on summer jobs.
Someone who understands the everyday pressure students face is school counselor Amy Gonzalez.
“There is so much pressure for colleges that students are needing to find a meaningful internship or doing a meaningful experience other than jobs that will look good on a resume,” said Gonzalez.
But she also believes a summer job offers skills that can’t be learned in the classroom.
“I think in the long run that will really foster the development of a really strong academic kid,” said Gonzalez.
However, no matter what, Alyson says, academics will always come first in her family.
“Him getting into the college he wants and getting scholarship money is worth way more in the long run then him working a minimum wage job right now,” said Alyson.
