Generation Covid: How Teenagers See the Future of Work
BY McKenzie Krow April 17, 2022At a time in life when they’re thinking about their choices in colleges and careers, today’s high-schoolers have endured two years of disruption in their lives and schoolwork. From Day One intern McKenzie Krow talked with her schoolmates at Cheshire Academy, a college-prep school in Connecticut, about how the pandemic has affected their view of work, careers, and well-being. Her report: Layla Bowen, a high-school junior at Cheshire, has always been outspoken on social-justice issues, however recent developments in racial justice helped further spur her thoughts of a career in medicine. “When seeking health care, I want people like me to feel heard,” she said. Unfair and unethical treatment towards Black and Brown women in the medical community interests Layla most, as she hopes to rid the medical field of inaccurate biases towards BIPOC communities. My conversation with Layla furthered my interest in how teenagers consider recent developments in society in terms of their current professional ambitions. The world of work is changing like never before, and while teenagers like Chesire student Osajie Imevbore want to “break racial barriers” and add value to the work in fields they hope to pursue, the current reality of Covid-19 has hampered many future career aspirations. The pandemic has changed the way forward for young people. It led me to wonder: What are the stepping stones now for young people when considering their career aspirations? The continuing pandemic poses risks in fields like education and health care just as Generation Z is graduating from college and entering the workforce. Young people and teenagers have been among the most affected by the long-term consequences of the pandemic, which will ultimately shape the world we live and work in for decades to come. Youth and Covid-19: Impacts on Education and Well-being Covid’s long-lasting impact compels many to consider how significantly the pandemic has affected the development and prospects of young people, and how has it affected their high-school education, which plays a vital role in choosing a career path. The reopening of schools in the past few months has shed light on many effects of the pandemic. For instance, adapting to finally going back to in-person school after a prolonged lockdown has been extremely strenuous. Many students experience a range of emotions through this transition. In my case, the pandemic has taught me that I am more of an introvert than I had previously thought. Lockdown made me prone to find comfort in my own well-being, as I enjoyed being by myself or around my immediate family. Attending school after the lockdown made me realize there are parts of my life that I needed to engage with more fully. It was not until my transition from remote learning to in-person schooling that I realized how much the pandemic affected my learning experience at school, not only socially but academically. Navigating these feelings during school reopenings made me and many other students realize how important mental health was–and still is. Like many teenagers, my schoolmate Layla Bowen found herself struggling with depression. Speaking openly about her mental health, Layla shared with me her personal experience transitioning back to school from virtual learning. “It was exhausting, mentally, physically, and emotionally,” she said. My conversation with Layla demonstrated the degree to which the pandemic has raised feelings of loneliness and distress. “What I learned from the pandemic was my understanding of what works best for me and my work ethic,” she said. “I found that I worked better asynchronously and because of that isolation and the abrupt transition, I can definitely see how the pandemic has affected me.” Mekdes Rogers, a junior at Cheshire, remarked that “our world just seems so messed up, in the way we treat people and in the way we view certain things. There is just so much hate.” Having experienced high Osajie Imevbore, left, partaking in a visual arts exercise at Cheshire Academy anxiety and mental health issues, she found that the circumstances of Covid increased her desire to learn more about the mental health field. Hoping to pursue a career as a neonatologist or psychologist, Mekdes is naturally drawn to those fields by her experience being adopted from Ethiopia at a young age and enduring illness in the early stages of her childhood. “I want to help people the same way that I was helped,” she said. “Life, in general, became just too much and little things that I started to feel would get bigger and bigger.” As with many other teenagers, the pandemic invited room for the amplification of certain feelings Rogers had suppressed, a process that has encouraged many to become more in touch with their emotions. For Mekdes, this experience has been difficult to express, as it is rare to encounter in prep school. As a full International Baccalaureate student at Cheshire Academy, I too have felt overwhelmed trying to balance my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. When my school shut down again in December 2021, the crushing feeling of returning to lockdown evoked similar stress to what I felt in March 2020 entering the pandemic, adding another level of anxiety to my day-to-day life. As young people struggle to get back to their previous academic trajectories, we need to understand that reconnection starts with education, which is the foundation for our future career paths. It is important to nurture the connection between education and finding fulfilling careers later in life. The long-term implications of poor mental health for both personal and career development are disproportionately detrimental to young people today. Identifying Young People’s Values, Issues, and Needs After the economic damage of the pandemic and 2020 recession, many believe the U.S. economy will benefit from the help of young people who plan to enter the workforce in the next decade or so. Alternately, the prospect of leaving young Americans behind is frightening. Companies and business leaders can help young people reach their potential by understanding the different key workplace skills needed in a post-Covid world. High-school junior Gabriela Medieros hopes to pursue a career that is beneficial for her in terms of what her future employer can provide regarding stability. Interested in law, Medieros hopes to gain real-world legal experience, but questions how employees will meet her needs. “After the pandemic, I realized due to the loss of jobs how much stability was important to me, as well as a comfortable salary. I hope to seek an employer that can cater to my needs as an employee and is willing to understand.” Medkes, for her part, having experienced both remote and in-person learning, believes flexibility is key for companies to genuinely support their employees, especially for those dealing with mental health issues. “I feel like some people work better online and if I had a profession, I would just like to work in a space that I feel comfortable in.” She pointed out that people vary quite a bit in their openness to working from home–and companies will benefit from leniency for those dealing with mental health issues making those decisions. High-school junior Gabriela Medieros, at right, at soccer practice Despite how lockdown has negatively impacted teenagers in general, some have been able to find positive outcomes within a bad situation. Cheshire junior Osajie Imevbore says his experience allowed him to become more in tune with himself, making him more adaptable to change and malleable to the unexpected. Osajie, who possesses a growing appreciation for the arts, spoke about his personal experience of understanding how Covid would affect his future. “I didn't feel like any [change] was going away any time soon, so I feel like I just had to adapt.” Osajie has always been interested in theater, yet the pandemic gave him pause about pursuing it as a career. “I was kind of scared with how theater and film would work out, not being able to go to the movies, and how that would impact box office and sales,” he said. “If I did succeed in film, how will people be able to see my work?” He feels the current circumstances regarding Covid have heightened his desire to be in a physical work setting. “I feel like if there are opportunities to be in-person, I would prefer it over virtual, any day.” That’s a good reminder to employers about how people thrive in different types of environments; knowing what works best for each employee is crucial. Providing Stability Amid Uncertainty For many students of my generation, the long-term consequences of the pandemic have exacerbated the need to consider several factors before choosing a career. Whether they are following a passion or looking for a practical route to stability, Generation Z is newly adept at establishing and setting healthy boundaries for their schoolwork, preparing them to do the same in the working world. Schools should be supporting students during the pandemic by being a mental health resource and opening campuses safely, and workplaces should take note. As we continue to push students into an ever-changing job market, we must also continue to create pathways from high school to further education and substantial jobs. Diving into our third year of the pandemic, many young people are struggling with anxiety and lack proper guidance from leaders in their communities. Employers should meet their employees’ wants and needs, just as instructors and school officials should meet the needs of their students, especially during a time of great uncertainty. Providing a safety net for tomorrow’s employees as well as today’s is crucial to the Covid response. McKenzie Krow is a high-school junior from New Jersey, currently attending Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. She has pursued many writing opportunities and has a strong interest in law and public policy. Read her report here about how teenagers have helped fill the U.S. worker shortage.
How Teenagers Have Helped Fill the U.S. Worker Shortage
BY McKenzie Krow August 20, 2021After a bleak summer-job market in 2020, when the pandemic wiped out millions of jobs, this year teenagers are having their best season in decades. To provide a snapshot of the roles they've been filling, From Day One’s summer intern McKenzie Krow talked with teen workers and their employers in her home neighborhood of Middlesex County, N.J. Her report: At a time when U.S. companies have been desperately seeking workers, it was teenagers who answered the call this summer. Rachelle Estinvil, a high-school student from Woodbridge, N.J., couldn’t find a job at all last year, but this summer she found employment as a cashier at an ice-cream parlor. “I was looking for a simple job to introduce me to the workforce because I have never had a job before,” she said. “I was looking for something lenient that could accommodate my tight track schedule during the summer, that wouldn’t be too difficult.” Tipped off by a friend about the job opening, Estinvil found that it perfectly suited her needs. She has been using her earnings primarily for spending money, but hopes to put some of it away some for college. Like Estinvil, teenagers across the U.S. have been helping fill much-needed gaps in the labor market, especially in restaurants and retail stores. In May, 33.2% of teens ages 16 to 19 were in the workforce, the highest since the Great Recession year of 2008, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, their unemployment rate was the lowest since 1953. With so much demand for their labor, teens were not only finding jobs that suited them, but also getting higher wages and even signing bonuses. “There are still so many employment opportunities and there are jobs that remain unfilled,” said Karen Barnes, president of Woodbridge Township’s Chamber of Commerce. At the Kiddie Keep Well Camp in Edison, N.J., camp director Sarah Cruz said she often struggles to fill the gaps. “We have enough camp counselors to get through the summer, but we are short-supplied in the kitchen. The kitchen staff is often working overtime,” she said. The camp, which provides services for underprivileged children, has benefited from the enthusiasm of teen workers, though it needs more older counselors. “Teen counselors are often more eager to apply, simply because it is most likely their first job,” she said. All told, she is heartened by the work ethic of her young employees, who are “willing to go above and beyond, in terms of creativity.” The Kiddie Keep Well Camp in Edison, N.J., found plenty of eager teen counselors, but was short on kitchen workers (Photo by McKenzie Krow) The situation is a huge improvement from the summer of 2020, when the stricken U.S. economy and the lack of vaccinations not only shut down businesses, but made teenagers and their parents wary of the kinds of front-line roles that teens often fill. Cristina and Caitlin McNish, both high-school varsity soccer players in Woodbridge, had been actively hunting for summer jobs early in 2020. “I was looking for a seasonal job that would help occupy my time along with our busy soccer schedules,” Cristina said. But then came Covid-19. “Our parents completely shut that idea down. Realistically, working during the pandemic was not going to work with our family dynamic, especially having high-risk family members.” This summer Cristina works at the front desk of her community swimming pool, while Caitlin found a job at a smoothie shop. “Our parents are much more comfortable now than a year ago,” said Cristina. Even so, with the Delta variant taking hold and sometimes-lax enforcement of vaccination and masking requirements, teens have had to navigate anxiety-producing situations. At times, said Cristina, she “wished there were more special rules.” Kohav Dantara found a job as an intern for a New Jersey member of Congress (Photo by Bonnie Watson Coleman Office) While many teens have taken jobs that fit their short-term needs, others have pursued roles within their long-term career interests. Kohav Dantara, a high-school junior from the town of West Windsor, found a job as an intern for New Jersey’s U.S. representative for the 12th Congressional district, Bonnie Watson Coleman, which has proven well-suited to his interest in public policy. “I felt it would be a great way for me to make an impact on society, no matter how small or big. The learning aspect of it gives you a whole new scope on real-world issues,” he said. “I see that I’ve developed many different skills.” Mehr Narula, a high-school junior from West Windsor, found an internship in the HR department of a mortgage company. “I was looking for something that would align with the career I hope to pursue in Human Resources," said Narula. All of her extracurricular activities, in fact, “align with what I hope to do,” said Narula, who is a member of many clubs in her school and serves as president of its Culture and Climate Club, which is dedicated to creating a positive school environment. Narula credits her regional school district, West-Windsor Plainsboro, for providing ample opportunities for its students. “My resume and work experience that the district has been able to provide me has helped,” she said. “Regardless of Covid-19’s impact on employment, making connections and networking is important in terms of putting yourself out there when it comes to looking for jobs and climbing your career ladder.” The teen-worker surge has one problem for employers, however. Most of these seasonal workers will be going back to school, and business owners are already looking for other solutions. McKenzie Krow is a high-school junior from New Jersey, currently attending Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. She has pursued many writing opportunities and has a strong interest in law and public policy.