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The Jobs Teenagers Used to Do - by Greg Surprenant
Author’s Note:This is a bit of a change of pace from my recent focus on current events. With summer approaching, I found myself thinking back on the jobs I held as a teenager—not with nostalgia for the work itself, but for what those experiences quietly provided. This piece explores what we may have lost as those opportunities faded, and whether there are modern ways to recreate their underlying value.There’s a certain rhythm to summer that still lives in the back of my mind.Early mornings. Long days. Repetition.I detasseled corn. I bagged groceries. I ran an offset printer at a small printing company. Somewhere out there, there are wedding invitations from the late ’70s and early ’80s that passed through my hands—long before I had much of a sense of what a career might look like.At the time, these weren’t stepping stones.They were just…jobs.You showed up. You did the work. You got paid.Every so often, I hear the familiar line:“Immigrants are doing the jobs Americans won’t do.”And I catch myself thinking:No—they’re doing the jobs teenagers used to do.There’s some truth in that.But it’s not the whole story.Those jobs didn’t just change hands.They changed function.They used to be training jobs—entry points into responsibility, expectations, and the rhythms of adult work.Now they are often livelihood jobs—filled by adults who need stability, consistency, and a dependable paycheck.That shift matters more than it first appears.At the time, I wasn’t thinking in terms like “skill development” or “character formation.”But looking back, those jobs were quietly building something:You showed up because someone expected you toIf you didn’t do your job, it showedEven a modest paycheck changed how you thought about moneyYou dealt with adults who weren’t your peersYou learned to do things well—even when they were boringNone of this was framed as enrichment.It was just how things worked.And that may have been the point.It’s tempting to turn this into a story about declining work ethic.That explanation doesn’t survive contact with reality.Something more structural happened.Retail, food service, and similar work didn’t disappear.They stabilized.Employers rely on consistent adult laborMargins are tighterTraining inexperienced teens is often seen as a costThese are no longer entry-level experiments.They’re operational roles.For many teens today, the expectation isn’t:“Get a job.”It’s:“Build a résumé.”Advanced courseworkExtracurricular stackingCollege preparationWork now compe...
Teen Summer Employment 2026 | CareerForce
Summer is an important time for teen workers, as some make their moves into employment after finishing their education and others seek temporary work to build a resume and earn money, often for the first time. Entering the summer of 2026, the market is in a state of flux for young workers.
Parenting Teens: Finding the Balance between ... - Health Centre NZ
Individual counseling and support can also offer teenagers and parents the tools and strategies they need to navigate the complexities of adolescence. In conclusion, parenting teenagers requires finding a delicate balance between independence and guidance.
Parenting Teens: Balancing Freedom and Discipline
Finding the right balance between giving teenagers freedom and setting boundaries is a challenge for many parents. As teenagers navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood, they crave independence and autonomy, while parents strive to provide guidance and maintain discipline. This article explores effective strategies for parenting teens that promote independence while still ensuring ...
