The same pattern is found at the secondary-school level, where teen employment has been on a downward trend since 2000. Tougher graduation standards have created a threefold increase in summer-school attendance over the past 20 years. And students feel the need to pad their college applications with unique life experiences as the admissions process has grown more selective. High schools also now routinely require public service — surely a good thing — that can further limit the available hours to work for pay.
Many of these social changes are a sign of a healthy, and upwardly mobile, society. But there's a problem when more than 50% of the nation's young workforce has never held a basic, paying job. We may be postponing their entry into adulthood. One paradox of contemporary life is that the lengthening of adolescence has not better prepared young people for what comes next. Despite unprecedented technological and cultural sophistication, this generation's 20-year-olds lack some of the soft skills that are necessary to move up the professional ladder: perseverance, humility, flexibility and commitment.
In the end, though, it's their elders who are responsible, and we shouldn't demonize young people for our own failings. Most graduates embarking on their first job are eager to perform well and desperately need the income. It's grownups, not teenagers, who have honed the values, expectations and opportunities from which our nation's youth develop their work habits. If we want a more respectful and industrious workforce, we need to do a better job creating one.
【重点单词及短语】
kick off 开始 ;(足球比赛等)开球
dismissively adv. 轻蔑地;不屑一顾地
errand girl 供差遣的人
laugh off 一笑置之
menial adj. adj. 卑微的;仆人的;适合仆人做的
training wheels 辅助措施
mow lawns 修剪草坪
strapped adj. 身无分文的;资金短少的
edge out 挤掉;替代
unprecedented adj. 空前的;史无前例的
Question time:
1. What's the benefits of summer jobs according to the author?
2. What are the soft skills necessary for work?