via parenting practices and parent-child relations). With continu-
ing changes in family life (work-family connections more specifi-
cally), the family’s influence on vocational development may also
change in important ways. Women’s increasing labor force partici-
pation and contribution to family income, for example, has the
potential to alter the historically gendered nature of vocational
socialization.
Work. Until recently, adolescent employment has not been given
much attention by researchers (Stone & Mortimer, 1998). Yet ado-
lescents’ work experiences are important as one part of a larger con-
figuration of activities outside of school. The large majority of
adolescents work at some time during high school (Manning, 1990;
Bachman & Schulenberg, 1993; Ruhm, 1995); many devote a larger
amount of time to this pursuit. Estimates vary, but approximately 20
percent of high school juniors and seniors work more than twenty
hours per week during the school year (Stone & Mortimer, 1998).
Adolescent employment has the potential to influence career
choice and development in a variety of ways. Early jobs serve as
first-hand introductions to employment and thus have the poten-
tial to shape work habits, attitudes, and occupational interests. For
example, working may help clarify an adolescent’s work interests
and values and encourage the adolescent to consider what he or she
may be “good at.” Even undesirable jobs may inspire thinking about
the kind of work one would like to do and the credentials needed
to obtain a satisfying job or career. Moreover, work experience can
build human capital, enabling young people to command higher
wages as they move from job to job, and may serve as a buffer
against unemployment as they learn how to look for and keep jobs.
Finally, adolescent work experience can influence career choice and
development by affecting school performance and attainment. If
time spent in paid work hinders adolescents’ school performance or
draws them out of school entirely, occupational opportunities will
diminish.
54 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT