I disagree. While learning to operate a grill or deep fryer isn't a skill many are likely to need in the future there are dozens of generalist skills learned from your first job. Think teamwork, following managerial directions, following a roster, how to complete timesheets, how to deal with workplace conflict, how to deal with suppliers and customers, how to dress appropriatly, even how to count money/operate a register. Fast food jobs are a great place to make mistakes as a teen as the consequences are minimal and you can get another job easily. If you've never worked in any workplace you'll find it far harder to get hired.

Agreed, I think that a number of these jobs provide a fantastic introduction to business process but the resume doesn’t necessarily translate into the opportunities that it could or should depending on a persons aptitude. As such, it becomes necessary to reconfigure resumes in a way that avoids jobs that might seem unwanted and highlights skills that appear more sought after regardless of how much they were tied to a job. I like the phrase resume driven development.

A better path would be for employers to have internal training programs for gaining skills that can help one to climb the career ladder either internally or externally knowing that if a good person leaves that the reputation will attract suitable replacements.

If you have kept a fast food job for six months you have shown that you will actually show up on time regularly, not steal (much) and do an at least adequate job. More generally most jobs don’t lead to a qualification but do teach skills. The more responsible the job you’ve had in the past the more likely you are to do a good job with a new one. McDonald’s does teach skills. If you want to go from a teenage hire to an assistant manager in under six months that’s doable, and managing a McDonald’s really does take skill and pay well. There are very few dead end jobs but there are plenty where most people hired there have no intention of getting promoted.

Not everyone working there can be promoted, because there aren’t enough of the good jobs to go around. Saying it boils down to personal responsibility ignores the fact that in many ways it is a game of musical chairs and there aren’t enough good jobs.

Granted, jobs can be created and the more skilled the labor force the better the jobs, so the number of chairs in the game can be increased, but on the other hand those aren’t the kind of skills you’re going to pick up serving burgers at mcdonalds.

Shitty jobs teaches you one thing or two too. Who's to decide there's nothing to learn from a job, for 100% of people?

I worked as a mailman between 11-13 y.o. It was a shitty job carrying ads and local newspapers weighting as much as you on a bike through hills in -10C snowy north. A shitty job, but I learned a thing or to; planning, discipline and value of money.

Problem is when you're stuck at a shitty job with no option to change/improve at all. I don't see how that's the case for teenagers at entry level job.