McJobs Are Bad for Kids Essay

I thought Amitai Etzionis article The Fast-Food Factories McJobs atomic number 18 Bad for Kids, was both accurate and convincing. His assertion that unwavering intellectual nourishment jobs, pass on few skills useful in after-hoursr life, and skew the values of teenagers, is correct. At first blush, these jobs seem idea for teaching young people obligation and self-discipline. But, when examining issues the author mentions as negatives such as hours work uped, appropriate supervision, job training, fortune for advancement, responsible behaviors, and affects on academics fasting food employment does appear to let a negative effect on teens.The number of hours worked usually tally to how much money you make. If hours worked is non tempered with other responsibilities, such as school activities and adequate rest, teenagers bequeath suffer the negative effects. Teenagers working in fast food establishments often puzzle hours restrictions of 40 hours per week. Because many f ast food establishments be open late, and require kill and tally-up after hours, many teens can work very long shifts. It was non surprising to learn that teens working a thirty-hour week may do so in two to three days. The author references an informal blue school yearbook survey wherein seniors acknowledged that their jobs interfered with their school work a definite negative trade-off.As in any business, fast food establishments must have appropriate management of the processes to maintain consistency of the harvest and enforce safety practices. In many fast food establishments to be a supervisor you must be an fully grown, defined as 18 years of age, and complete supervisory courses provided by the employer. Though teenagers were not formally supervisors, in some establishments, supervisory duties atomic number 18 many times appoint to and accomplished by them. And, sometimes, as the author states, there is not an adult on the premises.Each of the fast food establishmen ts requires training, to some degree. Because many of the tasks are simple and repetitive, the vast majority of this training given is informal and on the job. This training can last from a few minutes to a few days. Additionally, the trainers, many times, are other teens. Further, the future benefit of the skills erudite in these simple and repetitive tasks is questionable.Advancement in many fast food establishments does not exist or is very limited. Advancement usually means assignment to other work stations within the restaurant and little or no advance in pay or technical expertise. Designated career paths, leading to management positions are not the average and were not available to the teens interviewed for this paper.Many people think that teens that work will benefit from learning to be responsible. They also think they will phrase a strong work ethic which will benefit them end-to-end their working life. In actuality the benefits of responsible behavior and ethical wor k function are seldom acquired. Punctuality though is considered pregnant. Those teens that are chronically late are disciplined or dismissed. Responsibility seems to be limited to punctuality. Staying on task and using time wisely is not important to teens in the fast food industry. Employee theft is also very problematic. Money is sometimes stolen but the majority of theft involves teens stealing food for themselves and friends. Poor supervision, or no supervision, allows this unethical behavior to develop and become an established norm.Academics are not addressed so consequently are not important in the fast food industry. Long and/or late work hours that may interfere with schoolwork are not considered. Programs that monitor grades to figure if work is interfering with education were not found. Some teens say they adoptt care if you have homework, graduate or want to quest for further education (According to Max Greenwood). Additionally, many teens working in fast food are high school dropouts. This further establishes the environment that doesnt support doing your best, seeking advancement, and furthering your education.Prior to reading this article and doing research, I didnt agree with Etzioni, that teenagers working fast food is bad. To validate Etzionis claims, I interviewed individuals who worked fast food as teens. These individuals reaffirmed that working fast food did not provide appropriate supervision, worked long hours, received little training, didnt have appropriate supervision, and it affected academics negatively.Etzioni, Amitai. Chapter 6 Arguing A Position. The St. Martins run away to Writing 9th Ed Short Edition I-cite. N.p. Bedford/st Martins, 2010. 280-83. Print.