@Dervish
Kids aren't as dumb and helpless as people make them out to be, and that's coming from somebody who generally dislikes kids.
People who know that are awkwardly rare DX It's like people instantly forget what it's like to be younger. But that's also why they can be a threat to someone who desperately needs any form of income XP
It's not an employer's place to judge who needs money more or what they do with it, and it's not society's place to do that, either.
Well yeah, it's nobodies job to determine that, and that's why it's not determined. If a kid can do a job better, then the kid can do the job better.
Who says a 15 year old kid might not really need money?
Because the child is 15 living in a house and if he is not, then as you said, the law should be protecting him/her from that. So no, they don't NEED money, they want money for either entertainment or to speed up their future plans.
After all, college is only a few short years away, and maybe they're trying to save for a used car for when they get their driver's license.
Which college isn't guaranteed to get you a job. I know way too many people who are in so much debt from college/universities and don't have a job even after all of that. And sure, they can save up for a car from the job, but like I said before, I prefer a person getting out of school to get a job and get a roof over their head over a 15 year old who already has those necessities and simply wants to make things come to them faster/easier.
It's never too early to learn to be a bit more self-sufficient and responsible. If a kid wants to work that much, like hell I'm going to tell them that they can't do it. Give them a chance to prove it.
I don't know about where you live, but around here schools have a required community service/volunteer thing, where you have to get in so many hours of volunteer work to get more responsibilities and get use to the working field a bit (And these are things that can be used on your resume if I remember correctly) They're gaining that experience and responsibility.
Now where i'm living, there are no jobs open. Everybody I know can't get a job because there just aren't any, so allot of people are struggling and under allot of stress. That number would be allot more if teenagers going to school starts taking up those slots that graduated people desperately need. If an area has more jobs than people, then sure, hire on all the teenagers and stuff. But At least where I live, there's more people than jobs even if you don't count teenagers, so that in its self is a problem I think would need to be fixed before we even consider letting teenagers get a head start/just get luxury money.
I do want to point out that the idea of tweens and teenagers stealing jobs from adults is kind of like when people complain about immigrants taking all the jobs; they're not necessarily competing for the same jobs as someone in a different demographic.
Hardly (At least for my reasons) Even immigrants from across the border are getting jobs to get a roof over their own head and care for them-self/their family. Ignore the barrier/ethnicity, there's not much difference between them, and my neighbors. They have a super tough life, which is why they settle for jobs that nobody else wants. Americans kinda feel entitled. But that really helps them in the end as they find those jobs that we wont even consider livable, unlike being on the streets. (So I really don't understand your comparison.
And the people who say that immigrants steal our jobs aren't entirely wrong either. I forgot the name, but there's an entire section of this one city that HEAVILY gravitates towards Mexicans. Like you can be the perfect guy for the job and this random immigrant can be the worst thing for the job, he'll/she'll still get the job above you. But I don't put American's above Mexicans as I see them both as simply people so all I really see are people trying to survive.
Case in point, back in my hometown, I have never once in my life heard of somebody who didn't already have family interests in farming proclaim they wanted to do farm work for a living
Sounds like they have that farming option in the first place. Allot of people don't have that luxury. It's a tough job, but its available. Country life is a bit different from city life, and I think we're talking a bit more about city life (At least I am) If I grew up in that situation, then my ass will be farming until I can find a way out of it XP
and if we're looking at totally basic entry level jobs that are the only feasible place for kids to get a job
They're also the only feasible place for an adult to get a job too because no higher position is going to higher somebody who has no job experience. Have you heard the saying "Your first job is the hardest to get?" That's because a company sees no difference between you, and that 15 year old.
most adults have advanced past those jobs because of experience/ education, and those who don't are often looking for full time hours, unlike students.
How is an adult suppose to advance past those jobs if they can't get the experience in the first place because their job got hijacked by a 15 year old? XD I have a feeling we live in 2 completely different places. Your place sounds like it has quite a bit of jobs open so this isn't even an issue for your area.
Sure, most adults have moved past that, but i'm not talking about that 35 year old with a career and a set future, i'm talking about a fresh out of high school person who basically needs to get a job or is going to be out in the streets (Which parents are not above doing. One of my friends ONLY has a roof over his head because he gets lucky and gets one time jobs which basically pay him 200 dollars every like month or so (It pays in sheer tips. It's not really a job, but is an income of sorts non the less) if he didn't get lucky with that, he would be on the streets.
and those who don't are often looking for full time hours, unlike students.
And those same people also don't get full time hours so they are forced to work multiple part time jobs just to barely get by. If those part time jobs are filled with 15 year olds, then guess who doesn't get by? Last I heard, a single part time job isn't nearly enough to get by.
Not to mention people in college. They go for the part time jobs for an apartment/whatever, plus paying for college and all of its expenses. If a bunch of 14 year olds get all those part time jobs, then the college student gets screwed, and potentially has to quit college as they don't have the funds to keep going.
(And a fun full circle, if those students were yesterdays 15 year olds, then those same people prevented someone from getting by, and then they wasted a bunch of money on college because they cant finish it because of what they did when they were younger)
there's not going to be much, if any, cross competition, and employers are almost always going to go with who has more experience and skills.
But if the teenager gets the job before the other person applies, then it's not going to matter if there's competition because the 14 year old found it before the person who needs it did. And that's assuming the company priorities highschool diploma's over the 15 year olds potentially good resume despite not have graduating.
Unless times are really tough,
Which they are, which is why I think this topic was probably started in the first place, because it's a problem that exist and a subject that people are mixed about.
So really I Think it just comes to area. A place that has more than enough jobs don't have to worry about it, so sure, let everyone work no matter the age. But allot of places these days have it rough and people can't get jobs. And the last thing people need are a bunch of teenagers getting their hands on those jobs just because they want better access to the newest console/games or want a head start to a car and college. I've understood that all throughout my teenage years which is why I didn't aim to get a job. I lived in a very good house and basically got everything I could ever dream of. Getting a job despite that would be selfish of me DX (Good-guy Pharaoh XP)