How old is too old...

[Heyteacher]

If you can apply for, and work the job for which you are applying you are old enough to ask for your own reference.

[WellPreserved]

At my old job, parents often asked me to write recommendations for their kids for jobs, college applications, internships, etc. I really didn't think anything of it but would always ask to speak with the kid in person or on the phone, even kids I knew well. I can't really complain because I got my first job out of college from my dad's connections, lol. We used to joke in college that securing jobs weren't about what you knew but who you knew and for many of us that translated to who your parents knew. It was a time of privilege.

What did strike me recently was how many parents filled out their kid's scholarship applications including writing the essay questions (it was obvious). I think that's a combination of parent over-coddling as well as parent angst about the college application process as well as how to pay for college. I never knew anyone when I was going through the process that had the parents fill out applications/write essays for them. Most parent's of students weren't even significantly aware of the application process beyond the campus tour.