#1
LET’S READ!
Everyone has a first job. Most of the time, people get their first job when they’re anywhere from the age of 14-18. A lot of places require their employees to be at least 16 years old, but other places allow 15 and even 14 year olds! However, some people are able to wait until they graduate high school at 18 to get employment.
The first job a person gets is usually not the job they want to end up with later in life. We call lifelong jobs “careers.” Careers take a lot of time, education, and work to get into because they require special skills. For example, doctors have to go to years and years of schooling in order to acquire the knowledge and skill they need to keep people healthy. Movie and TV show producers have to go to years of school to learn how to tell good stories. Musicians often spend years and years practicing and learning their chosen instruments so they can make music people love and be successful performers!
Because so many lifelong careers require so much learning and time, the first job someone gets (or the first few jobs they get!) are called “starter jobs.” Starter jobs, also known as entry-level jobs, are quick to learn and easy to get into!
LET’S TALK!
1. What was the first real job you ever had? Tell your child where you worked and what you did. Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
2. Why did you leave your first job? Were you fired? Did you quit? Did you find a better job?
3. Do you remember the second job you ever had? What made you choose that job after you left your first one?
#2
LET’S READ!
There are many different kinds of starter jobs, but they’re typically less comfortable to work than career jobs, and they pay less than career jobs as well. There are pros and cons to having a starter job and pros and cons to having a career–but we’ll talk about that later. For now, let’s talk about all the kinds of starter jobs out there!
One of the most common and well-known starter jobs is work as a cashier or bagger at a grocery store. It’s quick and easy to learn how to scan or bag people’s groceries, and everyone needs to shop for food! So naturally, cashiers and baggers are in high demand. And since it doesn’t take long to train someone in the ways of a cashier or bagger, it’s relatively easy to land a job as one of those things.
Grocery store work goes right along with food work. Many people find their first job at a fast food joint or a restaurant. It takes more learning and work to become a cook at one of those places, but it’s typically not too hard to get a job as a host (the person who greets the people entering the restaurant and shows them to their table) or a server (the person who brings the food and drinks to guests).
LET’S TALK!
1. Are you still working starter jobs or are you beginning to enter your chosen career field? Have you been established in your career for a long time? Tell your child about the education and effort it took to get out of starter jobs.
2. Tell your child why you’re grateful for your first few starter jobs. How did they get you to where you are now? What skills did they teach you? How did they set you up for success in future jobs?
3. Who was your first boss? Do you remember what they looked like? Were they nice or mean?
#3
LET’S READ!
Lots of people get their start working as babysitters. People with children still want and need to have time to themselves sometimes, so babysitters (and nannies) are extremely helpful and common! Babysitting can be hard to get into if you’re too young or if you haven’t done it before, but if you have experience looking after little siblings or cousins and you also have neighbors who need babysitters, babysitting is a great starter gig.
Retail is another extremely common starter job. This is different from working in a grocery store because retail stores typically sell clothes, shoes, and accessories. Jobs like this can be physically demanding because they require near-constant walking and standing.
Retail jobs–and starter jobs in general–are well-known for being thankless. People often forget to show their gratitude to the people serving them food or helping them find the right size shirt. So next time you’re at the store or a restaurant, say thank you to the people helping you out!
LET’S TALK!
1. When you were working starter jobs, were there any you purposefully avoided? Some people are against working retail or food. Did you feel that way about any particular jobs? Why or why not?
2. What was your best memory from your first job? What about your worst memory?
3. Do you remember your co-workers at your first job? What do you remember about them? Tell your child whether or not you liked them and if they made work fun or miserable.
#4
LET’S READ!
We mentioned earlier that there are some pros and cons to starter and career jobs alike. So what are they?
Well first of all, starter jobs pay less than career jobs. So one pro of having a career is that you can make more money! However, one con of having a career is that careers take a much bigger investment of time and energy to achieve. College is very expensive and takes years to complete, and some jobs demand even more training after college!
One negative about starter jobs is that they’re less comfortable than careers. Because they pay less than careers, you have to work more hours. Starter jobs often require a lot of standing and moving, and that can be tough to maintain. Careers, on the other hand, provide more of a choice of how many hours you want to work and what kind of physical activity and effort you want to put into your job.
However, careers are hard to change, and that can be a big con. It’s tough to go to years of college and training more than once, so if you enter a career and decide you don’t enjoy it, it can take a long time to switch. Starter jobs, on the other hand, are easy to switch between because they don’t take too long to learn!
LET’S TALK!
1. Why is it important to be grateful for people working starter jobs?
2. What were some of the things you bought with the money you earned from this first job? Did you buy any toys, or maybe a car? Did you use your income for gas or food, or to hang out with friends? Maybe you were saving for something big and important. Tell your child about it!
3. Explain to your child that sometimes starter jobs are valued less than career jobs and people working starter jobs are often looked down upon. Explain to them how starter jobs can actually be quite difficult and why we shouldn’t look down on starter employees.
VOCABULARY WORDS:
starter, first, beginning, entry, money, cash, dollar, bill, job, work, employment, employee, boss, co-worker, duties, responsibilities, workplace, interview, hiring, manager, schedule, fired, quit, benefits, paycheck, pay period, taxes, breaks, lunch break, retail, food, grocery, difficult
ACTIVITIES:
• Take your child to visit the places where starter jobs are often found. Take them to the grocery store, the mall, or even places like the library or the bowling alley! Explain to them what the starter jobs are in each place (and don’t forget to remind them why it’s so important to respect the employees and treat them well).
• Recreate some starter jobs at home! Pretend with your child to be cashiers, baggers, servers, babysitters, etc. You can look up a list of starter jobs for more ideas!
• Find places nearby that are hiring for starter jobs. Places like McDonald’s and Taco Bell usually have posters advertising jobs, but nearby stores and government buildings might as well. Tell your child about the process of getting hired when it’s a starter job.
RESOURCES:
1. The Berenstain Bears: Jobs Around Town by Stan and Jan Berenstain (Zonderkidz, 2011)
2. What Jobs Could YOU Do? by Catherine Barr (Red Shed, 2022)
3. All About Grocery Store Workers by Susan B. Katz (Lerner Publications, 2022)
