[UncleOxidant]

I worked in strawberry & bean fields (as well as bucking hay) in Oregon when I was a teen in the 70s. It was really common then to work a couple of summers to save up for a used car or for college money.

> Because of immigration these jobs are not really available for citizens anymore. I haven't heard of any teenagers taking this work in some time

I don't think immigration was what killed those jobs for citizen teens. I think it was more like rising prosperity such that they didn't want to do those jobs anymore. I can recall teens regularly canvassing the neighborhood in the 90s asking if we wanted our lawn mowed. But that stopped by around 2000. It's unheard of now. Immigration didn't stop them from doing that, it was more of a cultural shift that caused them not to desire to do that kind of work anymore.

[and sure, immigrants have taken over the lawn maintenance field, but their prices aren't cheap - most of them charge a few $hundred just to start service which is generally in the $200/month range now where I'm at. Teens could undercut these prices easily and still do well, but they don't seem interested]

[jonfw]

If you think lawn care is expensive now, you’d think it was crazy expensive if the labor was only done by citizens!

Teens would be much more likely to mow lawns if the lawn care market had more money in it.

[UncleOxidant]

Teens (and tweens) used to do the bulk of the lawn care that homeowners didn't do themselves. I don't think we'll ever get back to that even if all of the immigrants were to be deported. They're just not interested in doing this kind of work anymore.

[wrp]

Picking strawberries in Oregon was my first job, and I progressed through the usual things kids did for money then, so I know where you're coming from. However, there is a major economic change we also need to consider. It used to be you could earn enough over the summer to buy a usable car or pay college tuition. Can a kid even come close to that now? If those jobs can no longer benefit kids to the same degree, avoiding them might actually be the most rational choice. I say this even though I appreciate the diligence I see in young people who had some early experience of working.

[wakawaka28]

Moneywise, the jobs could make sense for workers if we didn't import so much from other countries (fruits, veggies, and products). The same applies to construction and lawn work. Is it better for these kids to be driving for Doordash or working at McDonalds or something than working outside? For young people especially, I think the answer is no. But we all know that most people prefer to work inside an air-conditioned building if possible, even if the job actually pays less than picking strawberries or whatever.

[DontchaKnowit]

It does though. Its quite lucrative...

[BenFranklin100]

Wait, seriously, teenagers no longer mow lawns in the neighborhood for extra cash? I did that all the time as a teenager. I sound like a grumpy Boomer.