jessica2300
Jul 27, 2012, 12:55 PM
Amitai Etzioni shares his strong belief that working, especially at McDonald’s type restaurants, is bad for teenagers I agree with the author’s opinion. I think that it is not good for teenagers to work because it is very difficult to keep a balance between working and schoolwork. Amitai Etzion also talks a lot about how these teens are working at low-skilled jobs, meaning that they are not really learning skills that could benefit them in the future “But in fact, these jobs undermine school attendance and involvement, impact few skills….” (Etzioni 316) If I worked in a fast-food restaurant when I was a high school student, I could not be able to study enough to enter to a university which I wanted to go because of being tired and not having enough time to do school work. So I think working is not a good choice working for teenagers, because it interfere their own education. “In an informal survey published in the most recent Walt Whitman yearbook, 58 percent of the seniors acknowledged that their jobs interfere with their school work.” (Etzioni 317)
Etzioni discusses about the jobs conflict with school activities and get in the way of school attendance; I think it’s a true assertion. All extra curricular and work activities take place after school. "As many as two-thirds of America's high school juniors and seniors now hold down part-time paying jobs..." (etzioni 316) rapidly students are applying for jobs so they can earn money, buy a car, and other accessories, but studies show that through time the more they work the more students drop out. Something I have seen on several occasions is a person will get a job and want to continue playing their sport and join various clubs, after a while their grades will drop and will have enough time to study. The decision they will have to make is which activity to give up. Most of the time student will decide to disregard sports and after school clubs to find more study time. However, as soon as they quit the sport, their bosses will try to give them work more hours, to work that they will have no problem to work but will be worse for their academic.
Etzioni believes that jobs generally don’t provide any kind of training that will be helpful in the future. “What doest it matter if you spend 20 mintures to learn to use a cash register…. (Etzioni 317) This is true that many of the skills taught can be learned in a very short time, but cannot be applied to any other occupation. Many of the jobs could be done as good or better by an eleven year-old because all it requires is someone to press buttons. But this part of the job won’t help anyone in the future. Once they quit the job, the skill goes with it. However, there are few things that are learned at a fast food place that can be helpful in the future. If you have ever been to a McDonald’s and had a really slow inefficient worker waiting on you, you probably got a little upset. Ability to be fast is very important at a fast food place. In the real world, if you are not quick and efficient, you’re not going to make it very far.
Mr. Etzioni states in his essay that fast food jobs provide a disadvantaged status for workers in the future. “Indeed, minorities are "over-represented" in these jobs (21 percent of fast-food employees)… disadvantaged status.(Etzioni 317). I believe it is true if the issue is looked from one side. Als Etzioni said that 80 percent of the people working in fast food work more than 30 hours per week, and 58 percent of high school seniors say working affects their school work.” Often the store close late and after closing…. With their school work”(Etzioni 317). I think it’s a disadvantage. If a student is working more than 30 hours per week, they don’t have any time to study nor any for extra curricular activities which that has a big role in college acceptance. Their grades will drop as a result of work they will have a harder time getting into college and the way to a good job is through college. Working in a jobn will help you for looking for another, but failing from school will not help you get a better job then fast food testaments. Most of the boss often times will give a great referral so the worker can get a slightly higher paying job somewhere else. This extra money can be used to pay for college in the future. Furthermore, college scholarship applications often ask for a list of jobs you have worked in the past.
Finally, Mr. Etzioni explains that working jobs doesn’t teach teens good money habits. First of all, I don’t believe it is McDonald’s job to teach kids how to use their money. One of the biggest advantages to having money at that age is that they can completely mess up and it won’t affect them in a dangerous way. Having money to spend can teach kids to spend their money wisely. The first several times they see something they want they will buy and find out later when it goes on sale that they messed up.
I agree with Etzioni that teenagers should not work but they also need to be involved with school and working fast food jobs gets in the way of that. A fast food job teaches both useful skills as well as useless skills. Workers will often times gain a disadvantaged status from working during school, but if they can keep up their grades it can help them in finding new jobs or getting into schools. And finally, having a job can help kids learn good money habits through their mistakes.
Etzioni discusses about the jobs conflict with school activities and get in the way of school attendance; I think it’s a true assertion. All extra curricular and work activities take place after school. "As many as two-thirds of America's high school juniors and seniors now hold down part-time paying jobs..." (etzioni 316) rapidly students are applying for jobs so they can earn money, buy a car, and other accessories, but studies show that through time the more they work the more students drop out. Something I have seen on several occasions is a person will get a job and want to continue playing their sport and join various clubs, after a while their grades will drop and will have enough time to study. The decision they will have to make is which activity to give up. Most of the time student will decide to disregard sports and after school clubs to find more study time. However, as soon as they quit the sport, their bosses will try to give them work more hours, to work that they will have no problem to work but will be worse for their academic.
Etzioni believes that jobs generally don’t provide any kind of training that will be helpful in the future. “What doest it matter if you spend 20 mintures to learn to use a cash register…. (Etzioni 317) This is true that many of the skills taught can be learned in a very short time, but cannot be applied to any other occupation. Many of the jobs could be done as good or better by an eleven year-old because all it requires is someone to press buttons. But this part of the job won’t help anyone in the future. Once they quit the job, the skill goes with it. However, there are few things that are learned at a fast food place that can be helpful in the future. If you have ever been to a McDonald’s and had a really slow inefficient worker waiting on you, you probably got a little upset. Ability to be fast is very important at a fast food place. In the real world, if you are not quick and efficient, you’re not going to make it very far.
Mr. Etzioni states in his essay that fast food jobs provide a disadvantaged status for workers in the future. “Indeed, minorities are "over-represented" in these jobs (21 percent of fast-food employees)… disadvantaged status.(Etzioni 317). I believe it is true if the issue is looked from one side. Als Etzioni said that 80 percent of the people working in fast food work more than 30 hours per week, and 58 percent of high school seniors say working affects their school work.” Often the store close late and after closing…. With their school work”(Etzioni 317). I think it’s a disadvantage. If a student is working more than 30 hours per week, they don’t have any time to study nor any for extra curricular activities which that has a big role in college acceptance. Their grades will drop as a result of work they will have a harder time getting into college and the way to a good job is through college. Working in a jobn will help you for looking for another, but failing from school will not help you get a better job then fast food testaments. Most of the boss often times will give a great referral so the worker can get a slightly higher paying job somewhere else. This extra money can be used to pay for college in the future. Furthermore, college scholarship applications often ask for a list of jobs you have worked in the past.
Finally, Mr. Etzioni explains that working jobs doesn’t teach teens good money habits. First of all, I don’t believe it is McDonald’s job to teach kids how to use their money. One of the biggest advantages to having money at that age is that they can completely mess up and it won’t affect them in a dangerous way. Having money to spend can teach kids to spend their money wisely. The first several times they see something they want they will buy and find out later when it goes on sale that they messed up.
I agree with Etzioni that teenagers should not work but they also need to be involved with school and working fast food jobs gets in the way of that. A fast food job teaches both useful skills as well as useless skills. Workers will often times gain a disadvantaged status from working during school, but if they can keep up their grades it can help them in finding new jobs or getting into schools. And finally, having a job can help kids learn good money habits through their mistakes.