I work with teens in therapy groups. Often, we discuss the importance of discovering your interests and exploring what type of career you might envision for yourself. While some of the teens in the groups understand the value of working toward career training, many teens have trouble envisioning what they want to do with their lives. In addition, they don’t always have a sense of what their parents currently pay for and what they’re going to have to pay for when they become adults.

Invariably, I hear from teens, “Why should I stay in school and keep working at classes I don’t care about when I could start working and making money right now?” These teens look to entry-level jobs and say, “I could make a lot of money right now.” They then talk about all the money they could make at a fast-food restaurant or other retail establishment. They add up the hourly wages, often without realizing that taxes are taken out, and think they’ll be able to support themselves. Unfortunately, most of the time, these kids have an unrealistic view of all the financial responsibilities that go into creating financial stability.

To a teenager, minimum wage may sound like a lot of money........

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