summertime

Summer time is coming, and highschool students are looking for jobs. Lemonade stands, and mowing lawns are in the past, and teenagers everywhere are looking for work in oreder to earn some money during their downtime in the summer. Whether its working at a fast food resteraunt or mowing fairways at the local golf course, highschoolers are hunting for jobs. With the poor economy, this summer is similar to the past few years and finding a summer job is getting more and more difficult. Sarah Wiley, a high school senior agrees, “Jobs are getting a lot more difficult to find, especially for teenagers.” Many adults have been laid off, and are losing jobs and are falling back on lower income jobs that most teenagers and young adults occupied. Wonda Sterichs, a manager at the Apple Valley Target says, “We have seen older people applying, more than normal. They have workplace experience and maturity that most teens don’t have.” Adults usually have an adavantage when competing with teens for lower level jobs. Employers often feel guilty not giving jobs to adults that are applying because they know what that adult is going through, needing to find an income in the difficult economy. Where as teens are working to save for college or extra spending money. Wiley is looking towards the future as well, “I plan on saving about half of it for college, while the other half will probably go towards my normal expenses.” Teens are struggling to find jobs and many are being creative in where to look.High school senior Matt Lilledahl is one of the lucky ones who has a summer job lined up, “This summer I plan on being a youth baseball umpire. The demand for umpires is actually pretty high so it wasn't too tough to get. I just had to attend an umpire clinic in the spring so I could be certified. It can be a pretty fun job.” Hourly wages and hours worked used to be a big influence on what job students took, but these days most are just happy that they have a job. Wiley is one of those thank ful students, “It's difficult to get a job as a teenager that pays more than minimum wage. While I would like to have a job that pays higher, I'm satisfied with my pay rate now.” Fast food resteraunts, swimming pools, golf courses and babysitting are top jobs for teens in the summer. According to the fast food guide book, “Eat This, Not That” 1/10 of Americans have worked at a McDonalds sometime in their life. Minnimum wage is what most teens expect to make, but in recent years the minnimum wage has increased, helping out many teens with low paying summer jobs. There are many thing that can help highschoolers find summer jobs. Not being picky with jobs, and applying to many different places can help. Also applying to the same stores often, even on a monthly basis. Sometimes stores might not be hiring, and throw away your application, and a couple of weeks later they are hiriing. Applying often can help you get those jobs. Another tip is to try to find a job early in the spring, when there is less competition with your peers. Finding a job in this economy is difficult no matter who you are. Highschoolers looking for summer jobs are feeling the same effect.