I looked forward to turning 17 so that I could get an after-school job and get money. Not everyone gets an allowance -- I didn't. Doing things costs money. I so

I looked forward to turning 17 so that I could get an after-school job and get money. Not everyone gets an allowance -- I didn't. Doing things costs money. I sold custom PCs and mowed lawns and did other computer work and that was great, but it wasn't steady. As soon as I was able to legally I started applying for jobs and the meager hours I could put in after school and on holidays and weekends paid me enough to be able to go to concerts and buy food and music and other things that teenagers like. I definitely don't think that we should encourage kids to work to push down wages for everyone and let companies exploit people, but I don't see anything wrong with hiring teens to do non-dangerous service (not labor or factory) jobs as long as it doesn't interfere with their schooling and pays the same wage as adults doing the same job.