Alida Monaco doesn't spend her summers doing the usual teenage work, like working at the mall. Instead, she's studying.
It used to be that a summer job was considered a teenage thing. Today, Monaco ,who has never had a summer job, is part of growing trend (趋势)teenagers focusing on their studies, even during the summer. That's down from 72% of Americans aged 16 to 19 who worked in July of 1978, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fierce (激烈的)competition, older workers returning to the workforce and weak economic growth are all adding to the decrease of teenagers in the workforce. But as schoolwork grows increasingly heavy and homework eats up more time, data suggest the biggest reason why some teens won't be working this summer is that they simply don't have time.
For college - bound teens, some teachers even advise students not to waste time on a summer job. "Some of my students only have about six weeks off in the summer," said Shannon Reed, a lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and a former high school English teacher." I could never advise that they get jobs during that short break."
Young people who don't work may miss out on valuable skills that they'll need control and help people learn to deal with adult situations. But Monaco, who plans to attend Harvard, isn't fazed by her lack(缺乏)of work experience. "Maybe I have missed out on a couple of life skills," she said. "But I don't think it will harm me in way."
