The Best Jobs to Have as a Teenager
Being a teenager is hard. It’s full of new responsibilities and requires juggling social, academic, and personal life. You may think getting a job could add to that stress or that you’re not old enough to get a job; however, even as a freshman there are many opportunities available. Even better, if you find one you like, it could actually provide motivation and improve your happiness. This article investigates the jobs Sequoyah students have worked, and the jobs Sequoyah teachers had when they were in high school.
Kenya Gordon ’26 works at the Hollywood and South Pasadena Farmers’ Markets, which sell natural and local produce and goods. His job entails weighing and sorting produce, taking payments, and interacting with customers. There are many farmers’ market locations around LA, each featuring different sellers local to the area. Gordon thinks the job can be tedious at times because of the long hours, but recommends it for people who fancy the pay.
Babysitting is also a great job if you’re looking for a pretty laid-back gig. According to Gigi Perrin ’26, “babysitting is great for people who are good with kids and can be responsible around the house when it comes to cooking and cleaning.” Babysitting also allows you to watch television and movies with the kids and get paid to do it! This job can be difficult, however, if something happens with the child(ren) you’re caring for or if you don’t get along. Another potential problem with babysitting is if you can’t drive yet; some clients might be far away, and it could be problematic for your parents (or an expensive Uber) to get you to your destination. Overall, Perrin recommends this job for anyone looking for a good-paying gig with kids.
Another great job to have is working at vintage clothing stores, which is where Tingri Monahan ’24 works. Monahan recommends this job to a friend for many reasons; it is a very chill job that entails folding clothes, printing shipping labels, and shipping items straight from the warehouse. Monahan also notes that this job helps her de-stress, which can be good for one’s mental health.
Sequoyah’s high school teachers and administrators also shared their experiences of working as high schoolers. Cliff Mason II, Dean of Academics, gave some insight into his job at McDonald’s when he was a teenager. Mason was responsible for taking payments, cleaning tables, taking out trash, and cleaning windows. He also made fries from time to time. One time when Mason was working at the drive-through when a lady demanded fresh fries, which meant making a whole new batch. Mason didn’t like the woman’s attitude so instead of the usual salting method that employees are trained to do, he dumped a bunch of salt on the batch of fries and handed them to her without telling her. Unfortunately, the next car included some of Mason’s friends and he forgot that he had salted the fries, so he accidentally served them to his buddies. He realized the day after when his friends started complaining about the saltiness of the fries. Finally, when asked if he would recommend this job to a friend, Mason said that “most young people should have a job. Whether it’s serving people at a fast food restaurant or handling customers in a retail store, having a job strengthens your discipline and teamwork skills.”
Finally, Humanities teacher Hannah Karmin worked at her family’s mattress store with her brother. Karmin made it fun by competing with her brother to see who could sell the most mattresses. Karmin also gave great insight into working in retail and sales jobs: “I think a sales job can be really good because you have to hustle up… You work on communication skills [and] people skills. You can always have downtime, like doing your homework while you're waiting. It’s a lot of commitment.”
Having a job in high school can be a great way to start to strengthen your social and physical skills at a young age before you choose which way your life goes. It can also help take your mind off stress and earn you money at the same time.