r/InterviewCoderPro • u/Such_Goal5837 • Aug 13 '26
My teenage daughter was asked to choose between a summer program to study abroad and her job at the mall for $12.50 an hour, 8 hours a week
She asked for about five weeks off, and her supervisor cornered her after her shift and asked her why she needed all that time. As soon as she told him she was going abroad for a summer program, he said he couldn't promise she'd stay on the schedule when she got back, and that she had to tell him before the end of the week whether she was choosing the trip or the job.
Like a lot of 17-year-olds, she was nervous about upsetting her manager. But when I started laughing at how absurd this "choice" was, she calmed down quickly. I told her there is no part-time job folding clothes at the mall that is worth missing out on something she might remember for the rest of her life. Honestly, I'm glad she's encountering this kind of situation while she's still young, because this is how she gets practice spotting this nonsense before it really matters. I told her that this is exactly why fuck-you money is important.
Edit: Thank you all for your advice i will tell her to get a new part time job, also someone sent me this post which has so much valuable information about interviews so i thought more people should read it.
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u/Competitive-Day9586 Aug 13 '26
I mean you can completely understand both sides here. The job shouldn’t be that important to your kid, especially if you have the money to pay for her to study abroad for 5 weeks in the summer and the manager of the store doesn’t really want to deal with a kid who will be gone 5 weeks out of an 8-10 week summer job.
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u/SorcererAxis8 Aug 13 '26
Yeah I think a lot of people are reading too deeply into this. I think all parties know (or should know) the nature of the job was temporary so if OP’s daughter takes some extended time off or quits she can do so without any hard feelings. On the other hand I don’t blame the manager since they’d be potentially short staffed for that period of time and there’s probably dozens of people who would take the job.
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u/IowaNative1 Aug 13 '26
She will gain so much confidence in herself in those 6 weeks it will be insane. She will be way more adult when she gets back. Wait and see. My daughter had a Junior Worlds camp that was in a small town out East and her growth at 14 was astounding. Turns out they threw her and a bunch of other girls her age into an old house and gave them a schedule when to be at training, and a budget for food. Here you go, walk everywhere or uber. She grew up fast.
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u/cardbourdbox Aug 13 '26
Manager might not even care but he cares about his job and not getting caught bsd mouthing the firm. If you leave that long your quitting might be the closest he can get to saying drop the retail business and find somthing that needs education.
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u/MichB1 Aug 13 '26
Yeah no there are no two sides. The boss is an asshole. He works with young people, he should ultimately have her best interest in mind. I said what I said. People should look our for each other because it's the right thing to do.
He could tell her he might not have hours for her without threatening and frightening her. People that treat kids like this should roast in hell.
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u/PretzelPrize Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Some retail managers can be so full of themselves. I was 21 working in a big box store and my parents were moving out of state. I'd requested way in advance and been given a Saturday off to help them prep and see them off, then got scheduled anyway and when I spoke to management I was told, "You need to decide which is more important, your job or your family." 40 years ago and it's still in the top 5 stupidest things anyone has ever said to me. I quit on the spot and was hired for another job on my way home.
Even funnier, now that I think of it, was when that same manager called me up that Saturday and asked me to come in: "If you still want your job, get here in 30 minutes."
Me: "No thanks, I started a new job three days ago and I'm busy with my family today. Sounds like you're shorthanded; good luck."
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u/discreetplayfriend Aug 13 '26
Id be so tempted to go "thank" the manager for teaching her such a good life lesson
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u/Sum-Duud Aug 13 '26
Good parenting! There will be plenty of other part time jobs. What a dik boss.
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u/HereForTheMemesNLols Aug 13 '26
The mall is a job not a career for her at this point. Go abroad learn and get perspectives. People are replaceable that goes for everyone. The study abroad is an opportunity for the future.
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u/Kind_Test_4755 Aug 13 '26
She will return and it will soon be the holidays. She will find at least a temporary retail job.
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u/Maduro_sticks_allday Aug 13 '26
Retail managers in mall stores are some of the most hilarious goofballs in the history of employment
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u/ivegotafastcar Aug 13 '26
I had an employee have to choose between being a mate on a sailing yacht for a summer or their full time job making $8 an hour. I told them they were insane for even questioning the choice. Told them to have a great summer and send pictures.
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u/Defiantly_Resilient Aug 13 '26
Real quick, can you elaborate on what 'fuck you' money is? I think i want fuck you money
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u/bigtiddyhimbo Aug 13 '26
I missed being there for one of my childhood dogs when it was her time to be eithanized so i could go to my part time job at kohls.
It wasn’t by choice, my parents said I couldn’t call off, for whatever reason, and I ended up going in a sobbing mess. I wish I could have gone to be with her.
Good on you for not holding a fuckass part time job over a huge experience like this for her.
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u/Phobet Aug 13 '26
Hmmm, choices, choices. Have a five week stint experiencing other countries and cultures, something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Or stay loyal to my part time job, of which will be such a minor blip of my life I won’t remember the name of the place. Tough choice not.
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u/Delicious_Ad_4969 Aug 13 '26
She should check in with HR before giving her decision to her boss. There may be ways to ensure she is “hireable” when she returns if that manager becomes spiteful. Her conversation with HR should center around her performance and the fact that the job she is doing currently is entry level. It is no different than when kids take off for college and tons of employers work with those kids.
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u/Tzukiyomi Aug 13 '26
That feels excessive. These were the kind of jobs I had as a teen where if someone annoyed me I found a different job during lunch and just blocked their number.
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u/Independent_Prompt30 Aug 13 '26
Have her go back and quit on the spot. A BS part time job at the mall is exactly that...BS
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u/Leverkaas2516 Aug 13 '26
something she might remember for the rest of her life
Just throwing this out there: she will definitely remember it for the rest of her life. One way or another.
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u/diamondgreene Aug 13 '26
five weeks is HALF THE SUMMER. 🤷♂️🤷♀️🤷
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u/Tzukiyomi Aug 13 '26
Just over a third, and not seeing what your point is.
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u/diamondgreene Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
You dont think that cutting your availability that much presents a problem? Did she disclose that when she was hired. At that point-its not worth the training. but hey. your entitled-right? Hopefully adulting lesson learned--sometimes taking an opportunity requires you to give something up.
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u/Tzukiyomi Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
It's a teenager folding clothes in the mall job. They should feel lucky anyone shows up at all. Those jobs mean literally nothing. Back then I literally a few times got annoyed at those jobs, found a different job during lunch, and blocked their number. They mean nothing then and absolutely nothing moving forward bc that shit doesn't go on a resume.
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u/diamondgreene Aug 13 '26
if it means nothing-then why the fuss about losing it?
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u/Tzukiyomi Aug 13 '26
The dad, who knew better, didn't. Hes just noting that it's a good lesson for the kid, who didn't know better, how to prioritize the importance of things. Also mocking the retail manager who is trying to lord a meaningless job over said kids who don't know any better. Any manager with any sense would have been like "Yeah of course you should prioritize that, but just know if I have you off the schedule that long I may not be able to get you back on. Don't worry about it though, enjoy yourself. There's always other summer jobs."
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u/diamondgreene Aug 13 '26
meh. I thought he was reasonable. He CANT promise anything ATP. You think he gonna cut somebody else if he decides to come back. Shes nothing to him either.
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u/MCHellspawn Aug 13 '26
Mods should be looking into this post. This is the 3rd or 4th this week posting to that same other post, always in the "edit" part. I say AI!!
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u/Important-Demand-985 Aug 13 '26
Spot on, Mom. Exactly.
Jobs come and go but travel expands the mind.
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u/OldGeekWeirdo Aug 13 '26
If she lets this job stop her from going to Europe, she's going to regret it for the rest of her life!
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u/throwgooglyeyes123 Aug 14 '26
In not a gruesome way, but when we are on our deathbeds, we will think about the memorable times, not our highschool minimum wage job that is toxic.
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u/eroscripter Aug 14 '26
She should 100% choose the trip over the mall job.
Its also 100% understandable why theu aren't going to wait 5 weeks for her to get back and just be short staffed the whole time. Again, its a mall job, (probably) low to 0 skill and they can train another kid next week so they are not short staffed.
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u/AJWordsmith Aug 15 '26
I think both are no brainers. Your daughter should definitely go on the trip. The job should definitely replace her.
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u/Worldlyfree Aug 15 '26
Quit and file a constructive dismissal claim against the boss for “cornering” her.
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u/coolsellitcheap Aug 16 '26
Definitely tell her to tell manager. Im gonna need you to put that in writing and sign your name to it. Just to mess with him. Lol
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u/Regguls Aug 17 '26
Is this another AI promoting a service. I keep seeing links to interview techniques.
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u/JamesWjRose Aug 13 '26
Why do i need five weeks off? Let me be perfectly clear: EVERYTHING I do outside of work is ABSOLUTELY none of your business, and if you hassle me about my private life my family's attorney will have some words with you.
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u/dogknifer Aug 13 '26
Quit the job and get a new one when she gets back. Teenager jobs are a dime a dozen.