Thursday's Wall Street Journal took an interesting look at some of the problems facing teens looking for summer work. As someone who worked numerous jobs during my high school summers (not all that long ago), I thought I'd offer some tips. I learned far more working during high school than I did in the classroom (although I could also say that about watching cartoons and blowing my nose), and this was partly a result of finding jobs that were unique and matched my interests. So here are my tips:
Don't focus on the money...unless you have to. In some families, cash is so tight that the teenage worker needs to earn as much as he or she can, and I understand that. But if you're not in that situation, the best advice I can give you is to not worry about how much the job pays. There's a good chance that you will be forking over tens of thousands of dollars for your child's education and a dollar or two an hour will hardly make a dent (even if your child doesn't blow it on clothing, video games, and dates), and a good high school job can be a great education -- and it pays! So don't let money stop your child from taking a job he'd love over one he isn't so excited about.
Try to find a job that's like an internship. When I was in high school, I thought that I might want to work in the entertainment industry, either as an event promoter or at a record label. So, I worked for two summers as an usher at a local concert hall where washed-up acts like Engelbert Humperdinck, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Anne Murray performed as many as 6 shows a week. It was hard work with lots of long nights, but I got to see all the shows for free and talk to promoters and tech workers, and even a couple of the performers themselves. Lesson learned: The entertainment business is 99% boring and hard and 1% exciting and glamorous. I enjoyed working there and made some great friends, but I decided against pursuing it as a career.
Apply to lots of places. Rejection is a good thing to learn about, and most kids probably won't be offered jobs at every place they apply. Receiving multiple offers and having to evaluate them and weight the pros and cons is also great practice. And in this job market, applying to 10 or 15 places might be the only way to find work for the summer.
The most important thing to look for in a summer job is an opportunity to have fun and an opportunity to learn something. Do you have a funny summer job story from high school? Leave a message and tell me!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-11-2007 @ 10:07AM
Barbara said...
Wow that information that you had was realy handy, you are cleaver. So how would you say for a person who is trying to look for a job that fits them the best, by finding a job that is more than a regular job. Well something that they feel more comfortable of doing for more than the money but for their selfs.
6-23-2007 @ 12:34AM
Brian said...
A summer job / volunteer opportunity can be a great way to spend your "free" time this summer as a teenager. Young Entrepreneurs of America http://www.yeabiz.com has a Summer Startup program designed to help teenagers start their own business this summer. Check out the latest posting at http://www.blog.yeabiz.com and see what these teenage entrepreneurs are up to and how you can apply for next year's program.
http://blog.yeabiz.com/2007/06/22/young-entrepreneurs-of-america-helps-four-teenager-entrepreneurs-start-their-own-businesses/
7-16-2007 @ 10:10PM
Kari said...
In high school, I had some great summer jobs including being a camp counselor at the YMCA and concessions for the Everett Aquasox (minor league baseball). I also was lucky to have the not as exciting, but traditional, experience gathering, administrative jobs. All were good experiences and I feel lucky to have had those opportunities.
Now I work for the seasonal job board, CoolWorks.com, and help others to find their summer jobs. Check us out!
http://www.coolworks.com