Teen Work Reflection

When reflecting on where I stand currently, where I stem from and more importantly, where I am headed; I find that like many, I face obstacles as well as great opportunities on my path. Due to taking this sociology class, I can now easily see that I have absorbed a great deal of new knowledge, which correlate to myself, my past and future in relation to other individuals as well as the world itself. From learning about families and social class, courtship, intimacy and dating, and teen work, I have come to the conclusion that these things along with many others, we have discussed in this course directly relate to my own life, my family and my anticipated future career profession. Agreeing with one of our lecture topics on families and social

When the topic of teen work was reviewed, we discussed how teenage individuals are often required to work fewer hours and have more restrictions on how long they are able to work (Underwood, 2016, Teen Work). This related to me because when I was working as a valet on the east side of the state in St. Clair, Michigan, there were very strict rules on how long I was able to be on the clock working. After conversing the topic of work in general and more specifically, teen work, I came to realize why I would get squawked at when I worked too many hours and or was told that I could not work my other shift because I already used up all my existing hours for the week. The reason I was not getting more hours was because my employer wanted me to remain just under the hours of a full time worker. By doing so, I could not qualify for the benefits that are designed for workers who work longer hours and make full time wages. This in turn helped him to save money since he only had to pay me minimum wage and did not have to consider the extra costs of a full time employee. Going over the families and work in class aided me in the realization of just how many people in the workforce are getting undercut by their employers just so that the employer can save a buck or two. It is sad and unfortunate that the people who need and deserve full time work and benefits cannot receive them just because the companies they are employed with are too cheap and want higher profit margins for themselves and their company