I agree with your take on it, and I’m glad to hear that is working out for your son.
Also glad to hear McDonald’s has figured it out too.
I think those jobs are very important as an introduction to the work-force.
Absolutely they are. I had a few jobs when I got started. One only lasted a day. (I quit. It was a restaurant that observed very shoddy cleanliness practices) Another I had for four years. My first job was doing janitorial maintenance at a racquetball club.
It’s amazing how much you learn and retain. The job that lasted four years was working at a small sporting goods shop. I even had a key to the shop and often opened or closed. Once, I stopped by on my day off to get may paycheck after closing the night before. My boss was furious at me. I forgot to lock the door when I left. He didn’t speak to me for a few days but I kept my job.
I’m still paranoid about locking doors. Just last night, I left an event at church, got in the car, got out of the car and doublechecked to make sure I locked up.
First jobs are meant to be more valuable than what you get paid. Personally I believe minimum wage should be zero.