Adolescents select and are selected by social crowds. School-alienated youth see little or no relationship between high school and their future. Even those who view graduation as a procedural requirement understand that once they have graduated, they will have to make their own way. Thus, high schoolers in the alienated crowds rely upon their older friends in the workforce to help them construct a path to adulthood. Because loyalty to friendships is a primary value of alienated youth, these youth are particularly vulnerable to peer culture norms related to work and achievement.
Most people believe work builds character and responsibility.
Thus, adolescents who experience the world of work should be better prepared to make the transition from school to full-time work. Recent studies find this view to be inflated. Rather, working in high school is associated with premature affluence, social deviance, and lower school achievement, particularly if hours of work are in excess of 20 hours per week. In addition, there appears to be little indication that the high school part-time job provides role modeling opportunities, as the majority of youth are supervised by individuals who themselves are adolescents.