For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for June 27, 2020

Elly and John need to give Mike guidance in how to look for a job rather than just tell him to go get a job. Last time, John went to the hot dog vendor to ask for a job for Mike. He hasn’t learned how he is supposed to look for a job. I suppose he is too prideful to ask parents how to go about it.

Over the years (71 of them so far), jobs during my school days were from my father generally but once on my own, they have come from a variety of sources. A lot of jobs have come my way via notices by friends that a position was open. I even found one way back when in the classified ads (yeah, I am that old). I have gotten a few through headhunters who approached me and maybe one via the job boards. Not so sure though how a teenager would go about looking for strictly a summer job.

not think about it? have a marvelous time, Mike, in Manitoba

Martha should be taking some notes, at least mental ones. She might want to reevaluate her choices with Mike.

It says something about a boy’s love for cookies if he is drooling a drop of saliva just picking up the box.

My almost 16 year old grandson started detailing cars for people to save money for getting his own car. Word is getting around that he does such a great job. He is busy almost every day.

Spoilers!! Alright this is just lazy for me. I know Michael will get the job at the grocery store (which will be passed onto Liz) but that doesn’t happen for another year or two. Why doesn’t Michael do what future teenage/young adult Liz does and write a resume?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Michael has some delinquency characteristics beginning to surface.

Somebody needs to step in and help this kid out.

Rather like that old joke:

“I was so scared when I read in the paper that smoking causes cancer that I did something about it. I stopped reading the paper.”

Mike is a typical teenager. “If I don’t think about it, it will go away eventually.” He, like most others, will learn.

“Maybe if you went out an’ looked for one….” That ain’t gonna happen!

I grew up in the US Army, and in 1957 when I was eleven years old we lived in Alabama at Redstone Arsenal. I was waiting for a paper route job to start up, but in the meantime I didn’t have a job. I asked my Dad what I should do in the meantime, and he suggested I pick cotton. I didn’t realize he was teasing me, so off I went on my bike to the nearest cotton field, found the boss, and asked for a job. He took one look at my skinny snow white body, and asked me how long I’d been standing in the sun, but he gave me the job. I spent the week towing a 10 foot bag behind me. My hands were one large cut, and my Mother was appalled. My Dad said “humph”, which from him was high praise. The end of the week came, and the other pickers, who were all Black laborers and marveled at a White boy picking cotton, invited me to their Church Social on Sunday. I have to say that you haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard a Black Baptist Minister bring the Wrath of God down on someone or something he didn’t approve of. That group of people was the hardest working and caring extended family I ever met. The paper route came through the next week, and that was the end of my cotton picking job. It took me years to realize what I had learned from those wonderful people.

It’s nice to read about memories of summer jobs. Makes my memories less painful about the awful jobs I had…

Maybe looking for a job you’d enjoy doing? Like Life Guard (if your certified), game room attendant, restaurant staff/ costumed character…

When i was living at home my dad told me they ( my parents) decided I needed a job. I found one on my own.

A good job is a “counting person”. That is one who measures finance, audits businesses and oversees taxation. In Canada a counting person is abbreviated as C.P., eh?

One job where he could make a lot of money is where he takes the stage name of “Magic Mike!”

When I was his age I worked in a cannery for a couple of summers. I even ran the cook room once. Learn as you go. We canned tomatoes, corn, and peas.

When I was in H.S. any job that paid money was a good job. for instance the jobs I was assigned at home paid no actual money. Something about the food and the roof that I was provided appeared to satisfy my parents that I was compensated to an acceptable level.

Well, the girl friend is learning that he may not be a good long term prospect.

My parents told me that if I wanted to go on dates while in high school, I needed to have a job to afford it. Problem solved.