There was a lot of hooing and hawing from her family, but Dorin didn't give up...

By Ambica Sharma

It's not only in the movies that the protagonist does what he thinks is right. It can, and does, happen in real life, too. You know what we are saying here, don't you? We are talking about teenagers working at white-collar jobs to earn money which they can spend without any hassles.

Everyone talks about how that is the way things should be and how right the Western world is, as, there, people do not have any prejudice against jobs which are considered 'menial' in India. And how we and our parents don't mind it at all if we have to do the same thing abroad. But try doing it here and eyebrows are raised that you are stooping low just to get some money into your hands.

The parents are very pleased that you have got yourself a job. Then watch that expression turn to panic when you tell them that you'll be working as a salesperson or behind the counter at a fastfood joint.

This was the case with Dorin who works with the crew-training staff at McDonald's. She says that taking on this job was a bit tough since she comes from a family where almost everyone is a doctor. So, when she made this choice there was a lot of hooing and hawing from her family, but Dorin didn't give up. She stood by her decision as she knew that she was more suited to this job than to becoming a doctor. Now she is happy in her job, is climbing the ladder and plans to do her MBA a year or two later. Working here will give her a lot of mileage after she completes her MBA, she says.

But hey, even if you work in a big-time company, at the bottom of the managerial ladder, then no matter how well you do, your parents and neighbours are still going to shake their heads and say, 's/he is going to get stuck in that job' or 'maybe s/he is not capable of getting a better job.'

On the other hand, if a teenager says that s/he is going to work for 15 days at the trade fair, then it's like-"Good, you should work, you will learn to deal with people, handle money and will also come to know the worth of money and how so much seems so little when you go out to spend it."

Let us start with the simplest and easiest jobs available to you. Can you wash your neighbour's car? Walk their dogs? Bring milk for them every morning or evening? Baby-sit their children? Water their plants? Yes, you can. These are jobs like any other which will earn you money. But, but, but, your neighbours will think maybe you have some kind of financial problem at home. Or they might also wonder why you expect to be paid for this. You should do it for free, first out of good neighbourliness and then because you're a kid. Or 'Why pay kids? They are supposed to help.'

Your parents will probably think, 'Why does s/he have to go and wash cars? If s/he wants money we can give it to them. What will the neighbours think? And if the relatives come to hear of it, all the worse.' And what about you? You want to do it, but you still have your doubts about it. 'What will my friends feel about me doing this? But I want to do it... Is it really going to harm me that much? Will they really exploit me? Like, give me too much work or not pay me on time, or enough?'

For Amisha, Raj and Sachin, all working in a garment shop, what others think about them doesn't bother them. They take all comments and compliments with a bagful of salt. All they have to say is, do your work and do it well-that itself will speak for you. And if their parents are happy with them working then nobody else should have a problem.

Learn the works

What they (neighbours, relatives and the rest of them who have a problem with teenagers working) fail to understand is that starting to work early is going to provide teenagers with invaluable experience-in their careers and in dealing with people. They are becoming smarter in the top storey, they have a better idea of the different kinds of people there are in this world, how to get around them and how to get work out of them. They can use this experience later on in their lives, directly or indirectly.

Yes, the main reason teenagers start to work is to earn money. So, what's so wrong in wanting to do that? They want to start to earn it fast, so that by the time they are in their late 20s, they don't have to think twice about buying something, not having enough cash, or that it is their parents money they are spending. It's about getting financially independent, quick and early. What is so wrong about wanting to see your dreams realized quickly?

Then there are so many different facets to working. Tanu, who works at a McDonald's outlet, says, "Starting to work has made my life disciplined. Earlier, I used to just waste my time watching TV or lying about, now I have a certain structure to my life. If I have to be at my job at 11 am, then I am here at five minutes to 11." There is a sense of achievement, in first landing a job and then doing it to the best of one's ability. And, in most cases, the result is instant-you know when you are going right and when you are going wrong. When you start at the bottom of the ladder you know what the field is like, you are aware of the problems that have to be faced. So as you climb up, you are able to do just about any job related to that field. You are good at more than one job, so you become streetsmart.

Sometimes it does hurt when you hear all sorts of things from people about why you are working and not studying further as other 'normal' children do. "But we are studying, and working, too," says an 18-year-old who doesn't want to be named. "The thing is that I don't want to take money from my parents for a computer course I have always wanted to do."

Parents say that once the kids start to work, their attention gets diverted towards the job and earning money. They move out from the student mould. Later on, if they want to study further, it becomes very difficult for them to get back to being students again. But the working teenagers say that they don't necessarily have to give up their studies to take on part-time work. By starting to work early, they are likely to land even better jobs after they graduate, because of the work experience they acquire.

Besides all this, working keeps your life well packaged. Your goals start to become clear-do you really want to do that job for the rest of your life or is it just a passing fancy? You stop drifting here, there and all over the place. And it lets loose your competitive spirit which you'll need to keep ahead. Teenagers start to have a social life, they start to form links and contacts with people and as everybody knows nowadays, to get somewhere you have to know 'someone'. Plain hardwork just won't do.

Use it or lose it

So, all of you who are just sitting at home thinking about starting to work, get down to it now. Do whatever you are good at. You don't always have to go out of the house to work. If you are good at playing the guitar, teach the neighbourhood kids and charge a reasonable fee. If you are good at fixing electrical things, hire yourself out to your neighbours. If you think you have more grey cells than other people around you, tutor them in whatever you're best at. If you are good at plumbing, remember to tell your neighbours about it. If you have a skill, use it to earn money. Soon you will not be asking your parents for it. Once you start doing it and are serious about it, your parents too will stop hounding you about your starting to work while studying. Get out there and maybe you'll find your calling.