When I was in primary school, I would listen to shock-jock Stan Zemanek a lot. (Odd, I know.) One day I worked up the courage to give him a call. When his producer put me through and I was suddenly on air, I realised something important I'd totally forgotten: a topic to talk about. So in the seconds following his announcement that "Jimmy from Padstow was now on the line", I scrambled for something to say. Without an opinion on anything of substance, the only commentary I could conjure was that it wasn't right for kids to work when they really ought to be studying and playing. Â
Or something like that. You can probably predict it went downhill from there. My traumatised recollection – a recollection now so vague it's surely imprecise – is that it ended with a number of invectives and the premature termination of our conversation. The tragedy, though, is that my immature opinion 30 years ago wasn't even one I believed, and still don't.
![Part-time work for school kids means sacrificing other pursuits.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170728043040im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/n/a/p/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxk6cq.png/1501170315957.jpg)
And yet research published earlier this year calls into question the value of adolescents being employed during their formative years. Conducted by Washington State University and Seattle University, the scholars speculate that even though prior research indicates working teens accumulate important job skills such as time management and interpersonal relations, the short-term consequences may outweigh those long-term benefits. Â
Dedicating time to paid employment often involves sacrifice. The sacrifice of sport, perhaps, or maybe a hobby. Depending on one's timetable, there could also be the sacrifice of sleep, energy, relationships, exercise, breakfast, a social life and, of course, homework. Each of those activities could arguably generate positive outcomes if only employed young'uns were freed up to embrace them.
The researchers surveyed almost 10,000 students in years 8, 10 and 12. In addition to confirming their employment status, they also asked them to rate the extent to which they agreed with the following statements that cumulatively produce a quality-of-life index:
"I feel I am getting along with my parents or guardians."
"I look forward to the future."
"I feel good about myself."
"I am satisfied with the way my life is now."
"I feel alone in my life."
"Compared with others my age, my life is much worse or much better."
The findings revealed that among students in years 8 and 10, those who were working had a significantly lower quality of life. In contrast, there wasn't much of a difference among those in year 12, which implies "employment among younger adolescents may prove more problematic … It is possible that older students are more mature and thereby better prepared to cope with work-life stressors."
Dedicating time to paid employment often involves sacrifice.
The scholars also suggest the still-evolving adolescent brain is less able to function effectively in areas like decision making. Teens are therefore less equipped to navigate hazardous work environments, to deal with adverse situations, and to ask for help when needed, all of which can diminish their outlook.
That doesn't mean teenagers shouldn't work. Indeed, "adolescence is a challenging and exciting time, and for many young people attaining employment is a significant developmental milestone". It just means precautions should be put in place; two in particular. Â
The first is to be conscious teens aren't working to excess. The findings revealed, for example, that quality-of-life scores worsened the more these high-schoolers worked. The second is that those who also maintained extracurricular commitments such as music, sport, social activities and community involvement were able to preserve their quality of life despite the demands imposed by the pressures of a job. It's worthwhile, then, to make sure those interests aren't neglected.
Personally, I'm just glad that three decades after my ruinous phone call to Radio 2UE, I've finally been vindicated. Sort of.
James Adonis is the author of How To Be Great. Follow MySmallBusiness on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.Â
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