No more disparaging the idea of your kid flipping burgers or fetching coffee, doing these jobs today will get a young person ahead later in life. Teenagers who work summer or evening jobs – yes, after school – will develop knowledge of the working world and become more likely to make more money in the future.

“Parents may think that their kids could do better than a job at the local fast food joint,” says professor Marc-David L. Seidel from UBC Sauder School of Business. “But our study shows even flipping burgers has value — particularly if it leads to part-time work later during school term.”

A new UBC Sauder School of Business study shows that teenagers who work at summer or evening jobs gain a competitive advantage later in life. Developing early knowledge of the working world and how to manage in it, they are more likely to find good employment and earn more money in the future.

Teens in part-time jobs progress to better-suited careers since the early exposure to work helps them hone their preferences, says the study. They enhance their soft skills, acquire better references and learn how to job-hunt more successfully — establishing wider career networks.

The more hours that 15-year-olds work, particularly during the school term when they have to learn to manage their time, the better their career prospects, says Seidel. The study showed benefits arose from working up to as much as 33 hours per week during the school year or 43 hours during summer.

“Adolescent labour has been stigmatized as exploitative with many parents opting to put their kids in summer camp rather than summer jobs,” says Seidel. “However, our research shows that working can offer educational and developmental opportunities that prepare adolescents for the real world.”