Fran Hendrick wrote the following great piece in The Cincinnati Enquirer about the benefits of summer jobs. Fran writes, a “real job” can benefit teens by helping them develop the ability to say, “This is who I am, and this is what I can do,” working alongside others gives teens a sense of their own competence, The “real world” experience of a job, where their parents cannot intervene on their behalf if they fail to meet expectations, teaches teens a “no excuses” work ethic, collecting a paycheck helps teens understand financial realities, on-the-job experience teaches teamwork, and having a job can clarify for your teen what he doesn’t want to do as a career – as much as clarifying what he does want.

These are all great pieces of advice that every teenager, parent, and potential employer should remember this summer. Thanks Fran!