Some Bob Jones students spent their summers hanging out, visiting colleges, and going on vacations. Others spend their time working.

What value does a summer job have?

Beth Koblinger of The Wall Street Journal thinks students should work during the summer. “The most obvious [reason] is the sense of autonomy that comes with a paycheck. Work also offers a child a chance to interact with grown-ups who don’t necessarily adore him or her like a parent does.”

Finding summer jobs isn’t as easy as it might seem. There are only so many places hiring high school students, and there are a lot of teenagers in our area competing for the same jobs. Students can find summer jobs through sites like Snag-a-Job, Indeed, and Monster. There are also job postings on Craigslist. Finding jobs through word-of-mouth is also popular. After all, at least one person in every friend group is going to see the “help wanted” poster at McDonalds. 

Some jobs may be better for teens than others, especially the less glamorous ones. Time’s Melanie Howard thinks teens should have “grubby jobs.” She stated, “A minimum-wage job also teaches humility. It can be a good thing for a child who has been told he’s special since birth to learn that he’s not too special to clean a fryer.”

Some students work in lawncare or childcare. Personally, I worked in lawncare this summer, and it was a demanding job. It made me appreciate air conditioning and people who worked outside all the time for a living.

Other students worked at local restaurants. Sam Barnes, a senior, worked at Brueggers Bagels, and found advantages and disadvantages to working in fast food: “The best part was that my hours were early and didn’t take up my whole day and that I got a free meal every day. The worst part is it’s super hot near the oven and that the smell of bagels got kind of old.”

Some students interned this summer. Internships can be paid or unpaid, so it is important to find out that detail beforehand. The experience of interning may be more valuable than a paycheck. Senior Parker Snyder interned at Adtran, a telecommunications company. “The best part is I got to shadow an electrical engineer. Overall, I think it helped me have better work skills.”

Working during the summer teaches real life skills and money management. It’s better than sitting home and playing video games or watching Netflix all day. And when school gets back, it can be a welcome relief if a job was difficult and demanding. A summer job is time well spent.