Good jobs to have when you're a teenager/young adult?


charcoalandchuckles's avatar
Right now I work in fast food, and I like the experience has given me limitless patience with rude customers. Basically, I won't mind a position/job that makes me loose faith in humanity because I already work in a position that gives me that attitude.

Is being a waitress a good way to make money? I know restaurants don't have to pay minimum wage because waitresses will get it back in tips. I've heard from some people that they can easily make a lot of money in one shift. Does this apply to everyone that works as a waiter/waitress? Would people tip me more or less because I'm a young adult?

Is it better to work in retail, particularly with a store that offers a little more than minimum wage? Could I secure a job being 17, despite having to 18 to work in some retail (like clothing stores)?
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Bullet-Magnet's avatar
There is no such thing as a good job for a teenager or young adult. Frankly you're lucky to find a crappy one.
Mercury-Crowe's avatar
Well, what skills do you have?

When I was a teen, I worked either in the gallery or production areas here, or at a horse farm.

Both of those paid pretty well.

Without that, whatever you think you can stand.

Doing retail or finding something in customer service is probably better on your papers than flipping burgers.
EveryNextDream's avatar
I did lots of waitressing when I was younger and while I was never exactly rolling in money at the time, it taught me valuable lessons that have served me well in just about every other job I've had. Waitressing teaches you how to deal with rude people (unfortunately!), how to be exhausted and aching all over but still have a smile on your face, and how to be professional and friendly in the face of a stressful situation. It's pretty much the best base-level customer service experience you can get and you'll find that after doing it for a while your memory gets really good.

It can be really physically demanding work though, depending on the type of establishment you're employed at. I've worked in up-market restaurants where the focus was on looking perfect and doing everything in line with accepted etiquette. I've worked in busy coffee houses where it was all about making the same drinks perfectly at high speed and remembering who ordered what even when there are 50 people sitting at tables waiting for you to serve them.

I wouldn't EVER want to do it again (those days are behind me!) but I'm grateful for the valuable experiences it provided. Plus, I still make awesome coffees and can balance a tray of champagne flutes on three fingers ;)
ArtCrumbss's avatar
ROFL no, you get tipped on how well you serve them. I have worked in two restaurants. Even if you give the best service, and the food is the best they have ever had. You are not promised tips. There is no "Tip law", and sometimes, we got a nickel or a quarter as a tip. However, those were always the same people, we knew right when they came in that we were not going to get a good tip, but we did our best anyway.

It also is not only about patience. Being a server, or busser who works beside servers, you have to be fast. On top of everything, drinks, food, packing take home boxes. It is not like fast food where they order and you are usually done. You are with them from the time they get there to the time they leave, and no matterhow rude they are, no matter how tired you are from carrying tubs, heavy plates and how many lunches you have packed you have to have the same amount of energy.

Also, often a restaurant will hire you as a busser or delivery runner before you get the waiter/ess position. I have seen it in both places I worked and where my friends worked. So don't be surprised if they offer you something less first.
CrystalClearly86's avatar
Any job is better than no job at all.
bohobella's avatar
The absolute best job I can think of for a teenager is lifeguard, that shit pays insanely well. Especially at the college level, working at a college pool is a breeze I've been told. Colleges also tend to have job banks where you can do various jobs they need to fill on-campus, here those jobs pay well over minimum wage and they tailor your hour to your class schedule which is especially nice.
CrimeRoyale's avatar
Is it better to work in retail? As opposed to food service? I suppose, in the sense that it would be better to just be lit on fire rather than cooked to death in a frying pan.

When I was a teenager, my first job was a Program Aide at an afterschool program. The kicker is, it was the same program I was in when I was a kid. I met a few good friends there and just overall had a good time. When I explained this to the manager, they were more than eager to let me on. It was a pretty decent job all around, and kept me going for a few years.

So I recommend trying to get a job in something that had a lot of influence on you as a kid.
GreenwickPress's avatar
I am pretty sure in most places if you are too young, you can have your parents sign some paperwork for you, and you can work some limited hours. (No nights, possibly no weekends.)

People tend to tip more if their waitstaff is confident, nice and helpful. Some people never ever tip because they have this weird idea that it is beneath them to do so and that waitstaff make plenty with their $3.00 an hour wage. I don't recall ever hearing anyone say they don't tip their waitstaff because the persin was young or old - mostly it is based on how you do your job. (I did have a relative who refused to tip because the waiter at a chinese restaurant was caucasian - but my family is full of weird people.)

Retail would provide a more assured income, but it is possible you might make more doing waitressing. In my experience, retail is worlds better than fast food as far as bad customers go, so I would personally recommend that, but then you may have a different experience.

Good luck!
bohobella's avatar
Very few places will deal with parental consent forms when there are so many adults looking for employment with equal or greater experience and skill sets, though.
GreenwickPress's avatar
I also forgot to mention, you might see if your local library is hiring for pages. Those a people that put books away for a living. Lots of libraries have page jobs with a small amount of hours, which is great for students and stay at home parents. They tend to hire underage folks, and you'll have the opportunity to work with the public there as well.

You may also try being a courtesy clerk at a grocery store. That involves taking in the carts out of the parking lot, cleaning up spills, and helping people take groceries back to their car. A lot of grocery stores are unionized, which would require you to join a union - but you'd get benefits from that.
tobitguren's avatar
I think I'd rather have your job. lol ^^

I work at an Art museum as a Youth Apprentice but since were in the youth division we only work during the summer only to make about 400-500 dollars over all-_- (or less)
While the experience is good, the pay bites @ss.

I think your job will benefit you the most if it has something to do that will benefit your career in the future. My summer job does so that's why I'm still there. (But of course I'm still aiming for another job)

But in terms of money, I was under the Impression that under age kids not 18 were paid minimum wage.
I could be wrong.
GreenwickPress's avatar
States usually have a different minimum wage for underage people.
charcoalandchuckles's avatar
The grass is always greener, huh?

If the restaurant is privately owned, that restaurant doesn't have to pay minimum wage because a waiter/waitress would make that money back in tips.
siantjudas's avatar
I was going to say fast food so that you learn how not to be a customer, but you already got that down.
charcoalandchuckles's avatar
I think it would be beneficial to almost everyone to work in fastfood for about a week, so they can relearn their manners.
edarlin's avatar
Well, I work in a car dealership as a detailer, and while it's a service job, it's pretty great because I rarely have to deal with the customers. I just get to play with a pressure washer all day and listen to audiobooks while I work. Some of the nicer customers even tip me. Sure, some of the vehicles I have to clean are pretty nasty, but for unskilled labor it's a pretty good job. Plus, I get to drive all of the vehicles that the dealership owns, including the brand new supercharged Camaro.

While you can make good money as a waitress, it depends mostly on your customers and the restaurant policies. A lot of places have a shared tip rule anymore, and one bad co-worker can make for an unprofitable night.

One of the better jobs for young adults, where I live at least, is at convenience stores. They have pretty flexible hours and decent pay. Then again, I live in a place where there's maybe one armed robbery a year in the whole county, so it might be different for you...
charcoalandchuckles's avatar
Working at a car dealership seems like a pretty sweet deal, but I doubt I would get to drive the cars because you can't rent a car until you're 25...plus I don't live anywhere near a car dealership so I the money that I would make would go to gas money.
IncandescentInsanity's avatar
Retail is good for nailing down human interaction. Comes in handy
FIRSTxAIDxKIT's avatar
I'm a waitress at a fairly busy restaurant, and I enjoy it because I enjoy walking out at the end of my shift with cash on hand. However, wages vary day to day--sometimes I'll walk out with $20 and sometimes I'll walk out with $100. That's the thing that sucks about waitressing and bartending--your pay entirely depends on how many customers you get that day. It's hard to say "yeah, waitressing is good (or bad)" because it depends on what type of restaurant you work at and how busy it is on average during a shift. For example, waitressing at Ihop is great on weekend mornings, but weekday nights you're making shit for money. :shrug:
charcoalandchuckles's avatar
Thank you, this is really helpful! I couldn't really think of anything additive to say, thanks though!
FIRSTxAIDxKIT's avatar
You're welcome, and good luck!
CatapultedCarcass's avatar
Follow your dream and become a baker.