Making the Most of your 2023 Summer Job(s)

For many, our first job was a summer job.

I found mine through a temp employment agency that placed me in various roles in a hospital and a state agency in CT. My husband, Elliott M. Francis , started as a lifeguard in New York City. ?When we were teenagers, nearly half of our peers had summer jobs.

At 16-years old, this summer marks the beginning of our daughter's summer employment journey. According to articles from Pew Research and the New York Times, nearly 35% of teens will work a job this summer.

Reflecting on our past experiences and how they paved the way to college and careers, we've realized how significantly things have evolved. Notably, summer jobs were once about earning a bit of “pocket change” to offset household cost and getting a taste of work responsibility, rarely did we consider future employment in a summer job.

But do the same job-seeking rules still apply in our fast-paced, technology-driven world? Can we continue to tread the path we once did?

Our answer is a resounding "no." Observing our daughter's job-seeking skills was an eye-opener. She took great care to research potential employers and roles, to understand her possible experiences moving from summer employment to longer term opportunities, and even rallied her friends to apply for the same jobs. Interestingly, more than 75% of her friends are not working summer jobs.

As parents, it is paramount to ensure that we’re not just enabling our kids to get a degree and obtain a job, but instead empowering them to become life-long learners and gain skills that will allow them to lead meaningful lives. This shift requires flexible working models, embracing technology's role in learning, and an environment where work serves life—not the other way around.

The organization for which I currently work, Jobs For the Future, just released a new North Star stating, “In 10 years, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement work in quality jobs.” Our daughter is included in those that we serve. For reference, we focus on young adults, immigrants, and people who are Black, Latinx, or Indigenous, this group includes people without a four-year degree, people of color and women of all backgrounds with a four-year degree, and people with criminal records.

In 10 years, our daughter will be 26 years old. We wonder what her life and career will look like, what opportunities and career choices she and her friends will have, and what role her first summer job will play in future decisions. We also wonder, how emerging technology and policy will influence their choices?

With our children's generation just starting their careers, it's time we redefine what it means to work and access the resources needed to lead a quality life—one that's not just about gainful employment, but also cultivates livelihood, joy, and wellbeing.

I am an advocate for a society where quality jobs and quality of life are intertwined. We need a world that values employment and joy equally, providing quality jobs that pave the way for fulfilling lives for everyone.

The future of work is here, and it demands a shift in perspective. The world we create today will shape the future for our daughter and millions of others embarking on the journey into the workforce.

Let’s strive for a world that recognizes the value of both work and life, that sees employment as a path to fulfillment and joy, and that empowers everyone to lead meaningful lives.

After reflecting the questions that my husband and I have pondered, we’ve decided that this summer, our daughter will: Work a part-time summer job that compensates her for her service where she can have fun (she accepted a job at Topgolf ), learn how to run her own online business to understand entrepreneurship, and learn more about AI(yep!). It may seem like a lot, but our daughter co-designed a balanced schedule where she can make the most out of her 2023 summer job while enjoying a variety of experiences this summer.