Kids and Jobs: What Age Is Too Young?

By Suzy Peterson

At what age do most kids start looking for jobs? A common age that kids start thinking about acquiring extra spending money and getting a job is probably around the 15 to 16 year old age. What then, do you do if you have an exceptional teen that is highly motivated and younger than that? If you are looking for jobs for 13 year olds or 14 year olds, most companies wont hire someone so young. This leaves that age group out in the cold when it comes to earning extra money.

This may not necessarily be a bad thing though because it forces someone that young to come up with some of his or her own money making ideas. This is how the entrepreneurial spirit is born and a 13 year old who is able to come up with some ideas on his own to make money will gain confidence that will last him the rest of his life.

When a child is forced to be creative, sometimes some great things can result. If a young teen is not eligible for any jobs with real employers, they can sometimes use it to their advantage and find alternative ways. This will ignite an entrepreneurial spirit that they might be able to cultivate and benefit from later in life.

When kids grow to an age where they are interested in starting to make money, it is best to supply them with fun money making ideas. This is because at a young age you want kids to learn how to work and be responsible but not have it be a negative experience. Kids need to have fun and learn at the same time. That is why most parents start their kids out with a lemonade stand or something along those lines. As kids grow into teens, they often have car washes to raise money for a certain cause and they have fun doing that. It is important for kids and teens to have fun while they are young and learn values at the same time.

Teens that are old enough to get real jobs have hopefully started early this year, as jobs are scarce now. Anyone who has a lot of connections or went out and made some connections will have the upper hand when it comes to getting hired. Unfortunately, there will probably not be enough jobs to go around and so hopefully those that dont get one will find a constructive way to spend their time. - 30224

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