Help Your Kid This Summer

was through a family friend at the end of 7th grade (wasn't completely legal) working at his bar as a short order cook. My parents encouraged me to get a job and refused to buy me some things I wanted (video games for one). Turned out i loved being a cook, worked the job off and on for the next 6 years. Other jobs I got were either to help out friends and family (Carpet cleaning for a summer) or to pay for gas (hardware store or H&R Block).

In the end I think the incentive was simple. My parents drew a line. They said they were done buying these specific things for me (CD's, Movies, Video Games, etc...) and if I wanted them, I needed to earn money (and they wouldn't pay me for the chores I was suppose to do either).

Brandon Alsup of 1:05PM May 29, 2008

Did you happen to read my recent post on my home blog about zappos? Here:

http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2008/05/28/what-you-can-learn-from-zappos/

I am surprised they are paying $1,000 bonuses for summer help. Must be a lot of margin in my Bass weejuns.

GL H of MN 11:36AM May 29, 2008

But my kid outsmarted me. He got a job, alright. At Zappos. So for him, it'll be like, spending another month in school, with a thousand dollar cash bonus to start his abbreviated summer.

I'm not sure if I should be angry or impressed.

steve macdonald of AZ 11:09AM May 29, 2008

I leaned so much from my first jobs. People in the office joke because I relate so much back to the first 5 or so jobs I had. I was everything from a short order chef, to working on a farm, to hardware cashier. All of those jobs, even though some only lasted a summer, taught me a little bit about how business works. An edge I think i still have today.

Forget boot camp, try cleaning carpets in homes with no air conditioning from June to August, that will break you!

Brandon Alsup of WI 8:55AM May 29, 2008