Adam Sobel Week 2 - Should Teenagers Get Job Experience?

    This summer was the first one where I would have a lot of free time on my hands. Normally, I go to a sleep away camp, but I didn't want to go back as a CIT and went on a teen tour instead. The teen tour only lasted for 3 weeks, however, meaning I needed to figure out what I would do with the rest of my summer.

    At the end of Junior year, I thought about becoming a lifeguard and WSI for the Peter Blum YMCA. My brother had worked there the summer before and whenever he was home from college, and I figured it would be nice for us to work together. But it quickly became a bit of a scary experience once I had to sign legal forms, make tax payments, and memorize my social security number.

    While I loved working for the YMCA this summer, it definitely wasn't an easy experience. The lifeguard training was relatively easy, but actually getting used to being a lifeguard took time. It really hit me the first time I stood on duty and realized that these patrons were relying on me to keep them safe. We never had any major accidents while I worked this summer, yet it was still stressful working sometimes with so many people to watch.

    The thing about my job that I wasn't expecting was the regular maintenance that I had to deal with. Like at most jobs, I had to do a lot of cleaning and supply checks. I vacuumed the pools, scrubbed the decks, brushed the pool floor, scrubbed the pool tiles, cleaned water off the deck, checked pH and Cl levels, etc. There was always something to do while you were on a shift. While this felt a little tiring at first, I quickly got used to it and realized the importance of my hard work. While these skills may not apply to every job I'll work at, knowing that I can try to learn something new or do something I'm uncomfortable with is a good feeling and skill that I can use at future jobs.

    Another thing that I learned while working was how to deal with hostility. There were many parents who had ridiculous demands or requests, strict bosses, and uncomfortable coworkers. Being able to handle this stress is also important because you're going to experience it everywhere. You have to learn how to deal with uncomfortable workers or strict bosses because you're most likely going to deal with them everywhere you work, and tough patrons may seem scary while they're visibly upset at you, but once you calm them down and deal with the situation it is a funny story to tell to your other coworkers later.

    Overall, I think my job experience was beneficial for me as a teen. Not only did it give me something to do, it also allowed me to gain some experience for being in a workplace in the future. Seeing kids learn to swim because you taught them after they wouldn't even touch the water, talking to the friendlier patrons who would thank me for lifeguarding, and helping save a kid who was stuck at the bottom of the slide was a great feeling. Additionally, the extra cash I got certainly didn't hurt. I believe teenagers should get jobs because it allows them to try something new and deal with uncomfortable or difficult circumstances or tasks that they might have to deal with in the real world. The job doesn't have to be a 4-5 hour shift or require any certifications, but even a job like tutoring a younger person once a week or babysitting can make you more fulfilled and add more life skills to your resume that will help you in your future.