Summer Jobs- 5 valuable takeaways that can be so important to Teens.

Many years have gone by since my days of working a summer job during my teenage years.  Two of my teenagers are now experiencing some of the benefits of working a summer job. It got me thinking of some of the great things summer jobs provide to teenagers while out of school.

There are lessons that I learned during my days of working a summer job that have helped me throughout life and made me stronger and prepared in my professional life my hope is that my children will learn the same and have the same experience from working a summer job. Here is a quick list.

1)  People skills- working a summer job taught me how to work with people in a way that can not be taught in any school, when you  work day in and day out during the summer months with customers, co-workers and management you learn so much when it comes to service, communication and being a good listener these things are so much better when they are taught hands on like in a summer job situation.  

2)  Responsibility- Learning to be timely, know what was expected of you when you show up for work and also knowing your schedule but also working the days you are scheduled to work.  Very important things that working can teach and are not taught in any book.

3)  Professionalism- You may say well it is only a summer job, but many summer jobs you are required to have a sense of professionalism.   Many summer jobs may require a uniform, looking clean and neat. Also professionalism by not taking phone calls from friends or making personal phone calls while working.  Now it would be no texting or looking at your phone while working the phone is locked up until you are done with work.   This is a great lesson that can be learned in being professional while working.  

4)  Money Management-  Well the best part of working a summer job is getting paid.  It can teach you budgeting, setting goals and also money management.  Many times it is the 1st time you open a savings and checking account and will have some spending money.  This can be the best teacher in money management that a teenager can ever have. It also teaches financial responsibility something that is a can be a great lesson from a summer job because it can be so hard to teach in a school setting.  Parents can use this as a great teaching tool and guide their teenager.   Also a great time to introduce how taxes work and how to read a pay stub.  Such an important lesson also will be after the summer job and teaching them the importance of filing their Income Tax Returns.  These are items that you as a parent can use as teachable moments and also create a more independence as your teen goes into adulthood.

5)  Resume -  Summer jobs especially when you are doing something skilled like office assistant or life guarding can be used as a good solid resume item.  This will be a great thing for future jobs after high school or college that can lead you to a more skillful job situation. This was very helpful to me because one of the jobs I had made a great resume item because it was working in an office and I had some great skills in which I learned from this job.  It also had me in contact with some leaders in the community.   Never underestimate the power of a summer job as adding to a skill set and becoming a great resume builder.

5 ways to Get Ready , Get Set , Get Organized with your financial life

1) Computerize your finances - A great way to make things organized and automated , also a good way to keep safe because it is so important to monitor your finances on a regular basis. Also makes reconciliation of accounts more manageable.

2)  Create a place in your home just to work on your finances and household paperwork- keep everything centralized. You will find you will keep up with your finances and household paperwork if you have a place in your home that is conducive to keeping you on track with this task. Make it pleasant , neat , organized and comfortable.

3)  Create a system for organizing important paper work - This can be a paper filing system, computerized system or a combination of both. Also incoming and outgoing system of organization. Keeping a handle on important mail vs junk mail is also a big part of keeping a handle on organization of paperwork.

4) Invest in a Shredder this can be a good investment, try to invest in a micro-cut shredder.

5)Consider investing in a safe deposit box or a fire proof lock box to keep permanent important identification cards, certificates, bonds , paperwork , digital pass words and account info.


Many times it may take a professional to  help you  get set up with a computerized way of setting up your finances , what to shred, what to keep, how to set up files , how to set up your personal home office space and plan a space, also helping you with a list of important financial documents that need to be kept safe and accounted for when setting up  a safe place.

Daily Money Managers are a great starting point if you are looking at professionals to help get you set up because they have experience with finances, organization , tax , computerized options for financial organization and a knowledge of what is important when comes to financial paperwork.

Simplifying and organizing your financial life will lead to a much more calmer and stress free lifestyle and worth the investment of your time and also the enlisting of a professional. The investment of a professional may even more important if you are divorced, starting a new career after college graduation, recently widowed, couples that are just in need of  an extra hand and are too busy , seniors who may have problems with vision, medical problems or just need guidance.