In recent years, an increasing number of teenagers have entered the workforce. Their reasons vary from supporting their families, to saving money for college, or just to have some extra spending money for themselves. Some would say that jobs at young ages provide unneeded stress to already stressful lives. Yet, studies show that teens with jobs have better time management skills and work better with the public. Jobs also provide exposure to fields teens may want to enter in the future.

According to childtrends.org, as of October 2014, 49 percent of youth, ages 16-24, were employed with full or part-time jobs. As of July 2016, 53.2 percent of youth, ages 16-24, were employed. These numbers show that not only are more students taking on jobs, but more employers are hiring youth. According to hr.com, most young workers work in entry-level jobs, which make up 30-40 percent of the workforce. Businesses need more entry-level workers to thrive. Students working at in their teen years also encourages healthy life skills such as money management and personal responsibility.

Teen employment supports an easier transition to adulthood. Taking on the responsibilities of a job makes students practice independence and self reliance instead of depending on parents and loans to get them through college.

Students can start their job search online by creating a resume and submitting it to various business websites. They can connect with adults and ask about future job opportunities. An unpleasant job is better than no job when the money is needed. A simple job lifeguarding or working in fast food will teach life skills that cannot be obtained from sitting in a classroom.