There often is an exception to a rule, and here is one that should give you encouragement as you think about the prospects of landing a job. It concerns Buzzy Jamieson of Bell Gardens, California, who obviously had not read this book when he became a businessman at the age of six. His mother hoped to discourage his getting a newspaper route at that early age by buying two Shetland ponies for Buzzy and his sister, Marsha. She hoped that this would make Buzzy forget about working.
She couldn't have been more wrong! Buzzy formed a partnership with Marsha and they offered friends pony rides for twenty-five cents. By the time Buzzy turned thirteen, he and his sister had thirteen ponies, which turned in a profit of seven hundred dollars that summer. Sounds almost unreal, doesn't it! Although you are a lot older than Buzzy was when he went into business, it's never too late to begin!
Lawn Boys
Lawn Boys is a lawn service company in Orlando, Florida, that Robert Arditi and Prabhdeep Hans started in 1995. Robert (fourteen) wanted to earn money so he could go out and party, while Prabhdeep (fifteen) planned to save his earnings to buy a car. Each invested seventy-five dollars in the business and borrowed equipment from their parents. Once they started making money, they bought their own ride-on tractor mower and other needed articles. A computer figured in their plans, too, because their sights were set on building a large operation.
This is borne out by the fact that ultimately they divided their company into six divisions: weeding and cleanup, lawn maintenance, accounting, customer relations, office personnel, and marketing and sales. Once they launched the business and obtained customers they hired five employees, one of whom was manager of the weeding and cleanup division. The partners handled the remaining divisions themselves, and during their second year they expected to take in about $15,000 and spend $10,000, including wages for their employees who help service some fifteen customers.
All accounting is done on the computer, and it also is used to keep track of both customers and names of prospective customers who have purchased new homes and whose names are reported in the weekly paper. Even the folder that goes to prospects is created on a computer.
You won't need a partner or computer to start you lawn service. Doubtless you can borrow the family mower and other tools, and if the business grows to the point where you need an assistant, you may have to purchase a secondhand mower to keep up with the demand. That can wait, however, until you have enough customers!
Computer Technician/Programmer
Who ever heard of high school students working after school and Saturdays in the sophisticated computer industry? Well, it's true, although there are not many. If you are into electronics and/or computers you may well find a paying outlet for your talents, knowledge, and skills. We cannot give you any specific suggestions on how to go about seeking employment except to consider the following brief case histories of young people who have found jobs. Then you can look about your area to see what might be available. One of these young experts may well trigger an idea that will launch you into a good job!
Dustin Rodrigues (17) lives in Moundsville, West Virginia. A local mailing service pays him about $60 a week to write programs automating the company's accounting, billing, and database ledgers.
Benjamin Kallos (15), who is at the Bronx High School of Science in New York City, set up a consulting business and advertised on the Web as "Kallos Consulting" and charges $15 to $20 an hour.
Rachael Cannara (18) goes to Menlo School in Atherton, California. She found a summer job at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, making an educational CD-ROM.
Laurence Hartje (13), a student at Phoenix, Arizona's Thunderbird High School, became a certified product specialist for Microsoft Windows. At 15 he was making Web advertising pages for local companies.
Will Harvey (16) of Palo Alto, California, sold his first computer pro-gram. Now he owns an Internet software start-up company, Sandcastle.
Jascha Franklin-Hodge (17) leaves the Brookline High School after his last class each day to work at the nearby Software Tool and Die, Inc., the local Internet access company, doing maintenance and programming for $8.00 an hour plus unlimited time on the Internet. He also works independently doing programming assignments and computer repairs, charging $15.00 to $25.00 an hour, and runs a site, "Laughweb," on the Worldwide Web.
Quite impressive, isn't it!
Working in a Library and at an Airport
A woman who walked into the Abbie Greenleaf Memorial Library in Franconia, New Hampshire, was amazed to find a slight young man of fifteen sitting behind the charge-out desk.
"May I help you?" Danny Fowler asked the woman.
"Well, I guess so," she replied uncertainly, still surprised at seeing such a young librarian in charge. "Can you tell me where the fiction is shelved?"
"Certainly," Danny said as he rose and led the patron to the stacks behind the desk. "Is there something special you were looking for?"
"No, thank you, I just wanted to browse."
In this, one of the larger and better libraries in New Hampshire's North Country, Danny proved equal to the responsibility of running the library by himself two evenings a week and Saturday mornings. He was familiar with the collection, could answer most of the questions people asked, and, if need be, he could phone the regular librarian. This experience proved very valuable when Danny applied to colleges.
Working in the library was not all Danny did, however. Most days during the summer he was on the job at Franconia Airport, a busy center for small private airplanes and, more importantly, for gliders.
The nearby mountains are ideal for free flight or gliding. A small air-plane tows the gliders up to 3,000 feet and then the glider pilots cut free and ride the invisible thermal currents that keep the gliders soaring about the mountains for hours.
Here Danny helped with various odd jobs, keeping the hangar and offices clean, wiping down the airplanes, and running errands. These jobs were minor, however. His most important responsibility was to strap passengers into the gliders, hitch the towropes to the planes, and run with the wing of each glider until it became stable under its own power. His pay consisted of frequent trips aloft and instruction in gliding so that when old enough to apply for a license, he would have no trouble passing the pilot's test.
Danny's younger brother, Chris, then thirteen, was as eager as Danny to earn money. He, too, took his responsibility seriously and already had been caring for younger children.
Here are three good part-time and summer jobs to consider. See Chapter 6 for the article on babysitting. Most libraries need extra help. Although yours might not pay you until you are of legal age to work, the experience would be good and would qualify you for a paying job later. As for working at an airport, if you live near a small field and are interested in airplanes and flying, perhaps you can persuade the owner to let you help around the place until you are old enough to go on the payroll. Aviation is one of our major industries; this experience could prove invaluable later when you embark on your full-time career or want to fly in one of the armed services.
Movie Usher or Ticket Taker
Most movies no longer need ushers, as people are able to find their seats without difficulty; however, they do require ticket takers to stand at the door as patrons come in. In many theaters the ticket taker is also ushering for patrons who need help in finding a seat. In the event of fire or panic it would be her or his responsibility to help calm the audience and lead them to safety. Be sure to ask for instructions regarding any emergency that might arise, so you will know what to do.
Another theater position is that of salesperson for the concessioner who sells popcorn, candy, and other food items. Inquire at the box office about how to apply for these positions.
Camp Counselor or Worker
There are two types of summer camps: day camps, which take campers by the day only, and resident camps, where the campers usually attend for a week, two weeks, a month, or two months. Almost all camps use counselors and a few other employees to work in the kitchen and on the grounds.
No matter which type of camp interests you, apply early-preferably by the December before the summer session. If you have been a camper for a year or more at the same camp, perhaps you could qualify for its CIT-counselor in training-program. Some camps give their CITs reduced rates, and after one or two years of service, they receive a modest salary as they assume more responsibility. Full-time counselors are often drawn from the pool of CITs.
In many cities and towns private organizations such as the scouts, the "Y" (YMCA, YWCA), or other youth associations operate day camps either within the city or nearby in the country. Ask your librarian for help in locating the names of these organizations.
When applying for a position be sure to mention any special abilities you have in sports and handicrafts. In most camps regular counselors must be eighteen (some have a minimum age of twenty-one or more), junior counselors, sixteen. See the Suggested Readings at the back of this book for titles of camp-related reading.
Preparing Vegetables and Fruits
Although hotels and restaurants use a lot of frozen foods, many vegetables and fruits are not obtainable from the deep freeze or are better served fresh and, therefore, must be prepared by hand. Most vegetable preparation is done in the morning; therefore you might find a part-time summer job preparing vegetables for a hotel or restaurant and have the rest of the day to yourself.
There is no trick to peeling or otherwise preparing vegetables and fruits except to be careful about waste. When applying for a job, point out that you are aware of the importance of working quickly but carefully and wasting as little of the vegetables and fruits as possible.
Try to sit in a comfortable position as you work and avoid bending over for any length of time. Keep your baskets or pans of vegetables or fruits close to you so that you can reach them easily. Your work will be less tiring if you do not have to do a lot of unnecessary bending, reaching, or standing. Remember when you lift anything; bend your knees, not your back.
Dog Kennel Assistant
Do you like dogs and other animals? If you live near a kennel, you may well find a job helping the owner with the regular chores. Each morning or afternoon you could clean out the cages, walk some of the dogs, put fresh water in the pans, and feed the animals. If the kennel also boards cats, their quarters must be kept clean and their food and water pans refilled. When asking for the job, tell the owner that you would do your best to make the entire animals feel at ease with you, and assure the owner that you are ready to take on all of the unpleasant tasks.
Messenger
In a city or large town, summer messenger jobs may not be difficult to find. Many are advertised in the "Help Wanted" columns or can be obtained through an employment agency. Messengers carry letters, papers, securities, and articles from one office to another within a company, and from the company to other places about the city. They may also carry mail to and from the post office, sort and distribute mail within the office, and do errands and any odd jobs that might be asked of them. Banks and brokerage firms in large cities often use messengers.
You can become a valued messenger by making sure you do exactly what you are told as quickly as you can, and by returning to the office promptly after you have finished an errand.
County Fair Worker
If you live near the county or state fairgrounds, you know that a lot of temporary workers are needed for jobs such as cashiers, counter workers, laborers, parking attendants, ushers, and attendants.
Apply for a job long before the fair opens. Write to the manager of the fairgrounds and describe what you would prefer to do. If you know any of the regular concessioners, it would be better to see them about a job or ask how you might find a job with someone they know.
Hospital Worker
When you think of a hospital, you probably picture in your mind the doctors, nurses, technicians, and other professionals. A hospital, however, is like a hotel, for it must provide its "guests" with sleeping quarters as well as meals in addition to medical care. Although few positions are open for part-time or summer employment in many hospitals, don't overlook it as a possibility if you are willing to do kitchen work or cleaning. There may even be some office work for part-time employees who have skills needed in that area.
We should add that if you are not successful in finding any type of employment in your town or decide not to take a paying job, you might consider doing some volunteer work at your hospital. The director of volunteers will be glad to talk with you. See Chapter 9 in this book for more information.
Forestry Aid
Newark, New Jersey, at one time conducted a successful experiment in hiring high school juniors and seniors to work all summer clearing brush from streams and planting areas on the city's watershed property. Similar work may be available near you. If you like to work outdoors in the woods or in fields, inquire during the winter at your state employment security office to see if there may be openings nearby for which you might qualify. In forests and recreational areas, workers are often needed for clearing brush, building or repairing roads and bridges, cleaning and maintaining camp sites, blazing or making trails, and other jobs. Outing clubs that maintain trails are another possibility.
Opportunities for government jobs in the national parks are extremely limited, and you must be at least eighteen to be considered. However, park concessioners who operate hotels, restaurants, shops, and other business enterprises in the national parks have openings for chauffeurs, bellhops, kitchen help, porters, clerks, attendants, and so on. Applications for summer employment should be made by January. If interested write to the National Park Hospitality Association, Washington Office, 1225 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005, and ask for a copy of National Parks Visitor Facilities & Services (cost $4.50 postpaid). This publication lists the names and addresses of all national park concessioners to whom you should write directly about employment openings.
Cannery Worker
Those who live near canneries may find good summer jobs as crops ripen and the cannery starts operating. Before canning or freezing the fruits, berries, and vegetables, several operations may be required: weighing, checking, washing, grading, peeling, cooking, freezing, packing, and packaging. If there is a cannery near you and you are interested in working there, apply several months before the plant opens in order to get your name on the list of applicants to be considered for employment.
Riding Instructor
Horseback riding is popular, and more and more people are becoming horse lovers at an early age. At some riding schools young persons who are exceptionally good riders are employed to assist in instructing the smaller children when they first start learning.
Are you a good rider and would you like to teach others? Speak with the owner of the nearby riding school and explain that you are anxious to help instruct. Point out what you can do to assist, such as keeping the tack room neat, saddling the horses, collecting the tickets or money, assigning the horses, and teaching and riding with the beginners. This will free the regular instructors for instructing the advanced students.
Keep your riding clothes neat and clean. A sloppy instructor is no credit to the riding school or to herself or himself. As a teacher you must always be patient and constantly watch your pupils to see that nothing happens to hurt them or frighten their horses.
Dishwasher
Many a hotel manager got started as a dishwasher. You will find openings for this position in restaurants, clubs, hotels, diners, boarding houses, nursing homes, hospitals, in fact, wherever large numbers of people are fed. Although automatic dishwashers are used in many eating places, these machines still have to be loaded and unloaded, as well as started. What's more, the dishes have to be scraped, the glasses emptied, and the pots and pans done by hand. That means that dishwashing jobs will be available for a long, long time. When you apply for a job, emphasize these points:
1. that you will work quickly but carefully because you know that china and glassware are expensive to replace;
2. that you know health laws are strict about dishes being washed thoroughly and sterilized, and that the same goes for pots and pans; and
3. that you will do your work as quietly as possible because you know that any unnecessary banging, rattling, whistling, or singing might distract the chef and be heard in the dining room.
Old clothes, a rubber apron, and rubber gloves are required for this job.
Ice Cream Sales
In many cities and suburban areas, companies sell a variety of ice cream products from small trucks, push carts, containers mounted on bicycles, and insulated boxes carried on a person's back. The minimum age for selling from a truck is generally eighteen, but younger men and women may find some of the other means of selling open to them, particularly a box for use at beaches, ball games, fairs, and so on. You may have to pay a deposit for your container and ice cream. Find out how much you must deposit so you can borrow or raise the necessary cash. You should contact the local ice cream manufacturers or distributors and inquire about opportunities to sell their products during the summer.
You might also obtain a job from a concessioner at a ball park or stadium where they sell not only ice cream but also soda pop, hot dogs, and candy. The new chains of roadside stands that sell frozen custard or ice cream provide another good source of jobs.
Roadside Stand Attendant
Our highways are lined with roadside stands that sell food, ice cream, soda pop, souvenirs, fruit, berries, vegetables, gasoline, and even pets. A busy stand needs several attendants to give customers fast service. Unless the impatient motorist is waited on immediately, he or she is apt to drive off.
You must convince the owner of a stand that you will be courteous to the customers, careful to give accurate weight, sure to make the right change, and cheerful regardless of how the customers may act.
Drafter
"I did fairly well at mechanical drawing and drafting," Leona Holtz-man said as she relaxed at her drafting board. A senior in high school in San Diego, she had found a job helping a commercial artist. "Its good work after school and on Saturdays," she told us, "and I expect to be busy all summer."
"What do you do?" we asked.
"Mostly the time-consuming jobs," she replied, "things like pasting, cutting, ruling, lettering, and clean-up work. It gives my boss opportunity to use his time more advantageously and profitably-and at the same time it gives me experience."
"How did you get the job?"
"I looked in the classified telephone directory under commercial artists and called on three of them. I landed this job on the third try."
If like Leona you have had training, this might be a good way to earn extra money. Another job possibility is a position in a drafting office as a tracer, blueprint machine operator, or silk screen printer.
Fruit and Vegetable Picker
If you live in the country or near vegetable and fruit farms, you will probably find that there is usually need for help when the crops begin to ripen. Large-scale truck farmers who raise potatoes, beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, onions, and other vegetables must find people to help them pick. Similarly, growers of strawberries, raspberries, currants, cranberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, oranges, grapefruit, cherries, and other fruits must pick or gather their crops while they are at their best.
Picking fruits and vegetables is not hard work, but it may become tiring until you get used to it. You must be certain to handle perishables with great care. There is no profit for you or your employer if you gather more tomatoes or peaches than anyone else but only half of your picking can be sold because you bruised the tomatoes or the fruit by dropping them carelessly into your basket. Your employer will tell you how to pick, and it will pay to follow those instructions.
Farm Worker
Young people are needed on many farms to help with the chores and harvest crops during the summer.
If you live in a farm belt, you probably know which farms are good prospects for employment. When approaching a farmer for a job, be prepared to tell all the things you think you can do-help with the chores, clean out the barn, work in the fields, clean and paint the barn and outbuildings, and even run errands.
If you live in the city and are interested in summer work on a farm, talk with the nearest state employment security service office. However, unless you are fifteen and weigh 140 pounds or more, it may be difficult to find work through this agency.
"Farm work is hard," Lionel Harding declared after he had worked all summer on a Florida farm. "Hours are long, sometimes they can be twelve hours a day, especially when the crops are ripe. You work all day out in the hot sun and at night you're often too tired to go downtown for a little recreation." He paused and thought for a moment, then added, "But I shouldn't overlook the good points either. There's plenty of food and milk, I inhale fresh air, I do a variety of work, I'm outdoors and have a chance to learn a lot about this important business. I'd advise anyone who is thinking of making farm work a career to work summers first and see what it's like." He smiled and shook his head. "I'm glad I did it-I thought I might want to be a farmer but now I know it's not for me. At least I won't make that mistake!"
Parking Attendant
If you live near a summer theater or a restaurant where large numbers of cars are parked each day, you might find a job as an attendant. It would be your responsibility to help guide the drivers into the proper parking space and when the cars leave to make sure that no traffic snarls develop. Some restaurants have what is known as "attendant parking." This means that when a car drives up to the front door of the restaurant, an attendant helps the patrons get out of the car and then drives it to the parking lot. When the diners are ready to leave, the attendant brings the car back to the entrance.
Sign Painter
Holly Newman was artistic and good at lettering.
"I decided that I should be able to find a job as an assistant to a sign painter," she said. "I told the first one I approached that I could save his time by lettering the signs once he outlined them and showed me what he wanted done. Later, when I was more familiar with his work and the way he went at his jobs, I was able to help him with the actual design and layout. He even took some of my suggestions!" Holly hopes to open her own sign painting business some day.
Surveyor's Assistant
Did you ever notice people working at the side of the road peering through small telescopes mounted on tripods while others stood at some distance holding up rods with orange or red disks at the top? They were surveying property, an important occupation since it is necessary to establish accurate boundaries when selling or subdividing property.
Some surveyors hire high school students to help carry and set up their equipment, pull and hold the chains that are used to measure, take notes, and cut down grass, bushes, and brush that may be in the way. This job gives one good experience and some practical knowledge of surveying. Look for offices of surveyors in your classified telephone directory.
Assistant to a Craftsman/Technician
If plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, painting, masonry, or other trades interest you, perhaps you can persuade someone to hire you as a part-time helper. This would not only enable you to earn now but also to learn a trade that might come in handy later on.
When approaching trades, do as Glenn Easton did. He told a plumber that he would help by carrying tools, running errands, keeping the shop and truck clean, assisting the plumbers on the job by handing them tools, and cleaning up when the job is completed. "Soon I was able to save the plumbers a lot of time and effort," Glenn declared. "When I own my own home I'll be able to do all my plumbing myself," he said proudly. Look in your classified telephone directory for the names and addresses of possible employers in your area.
Restaurant Positions
As eating out becomes increasingly popular, the restaurant business continues to expand. The demand for people to wait on tables is so great in some resort areas that hotels and inns are sometimes forced to cut back on their meal service. In some places it is also difficult to obtain cleaning crews. This spells opportunity for your summers, especially in resort hotels and inns that are open seasonally. However, there may also be openings for part-time help in those nearby institutions that operate all year-round.
A restaurant's success depends first of all upon the quality of the food, but almost as much on the service customers receive in the dining room. They expect those who wait on them to be cheerful, clean, and alert; prompt in serving them and in removing the used dishes; and accurate in taking orders and bringing exactly what each customer requested. The job requires that you keep your mind on your work and do your best to see that each customer is completely satisfied.
Many large restaurants employ bus boys and bus girls, who carry heavy trays, pour water, clear and set tables, and do any odd jobs the food manager may request. Those who wait on tables depend on tips for the largest part of their earnings; bus boys and bus girls work as a rule for a wage, although in some establishments they may share in tips.
You may recall we have already covered dishwashers and helpers who prepare fruits and vegetables, these being the principal kitchen jobs open to part-time or summer work. You may also wish to apply at any of the so-called fast food restaurants advertising for help.
Fast Food Restaurants
The fast food industry is one of the largest employers of teenage and part-time workers. We are referring to the familiar restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, and others. These businesses rely on young, energetic workers to cook and clean and wait on customers; they are almost always on the lookout for new employees.
These restaurants provide good training and earnings for those who have no previous business experience. Hours and pay vary from one area to another, often depending on how difficult it is to hire employees and the prevailing wage scales. In one town that had a serious labor shortage, the fast food restaurants brought in teenagers from a nearby city and set wage scales way above their usual pay scale.
In this job you will sometimes work under great pressure doing the same thing over and over. Then you may be shifted to another job on a moment's notice. You will be taught exactly how to do each job and be expected to carry out these instructions at all times. The work can be challenging and fun if you will let it. Best of all it provides inexperienced young people a good entry into the business world. If you are seeking a job, see the manager of a fast food restaurant and ask about employment opportunities. Chances are that he or she will welcome your visit.
Hotel Positions
In addition to the restaurant positions we mentioned previously, hotels may have part-time or summer openings for bellhops, cleaning crews, groundsworkers, and porters. Summer resort hotels and inns offer the best job possibilities, unless there are some in your area that stay open all year.
We asked Kurt Jarvis, the manager of a large mid-western hotel, about bellhops.
"That's an old term for the boys who once ran upstairs to see what guests wanted when they rang a bell for service. Today a bellhop is a man or woman who carries guests' luggage, shows them to their rooms, and runs errands for guests and management alike."
"And cleaning crews?" we asked.
"They work under supervision of the housekeeper and are responsible for cleaning hallways and guests' bathrooms and bedrooms, changing linens, replacing supplies, and seeing that guest rooms are in tip-top shape. When a hotel is busy the cleaning crews are busy, too, getting rooms ready for incoming guests who may arrive early in the afternoon. Check-out time is usually eleven o'clock. Although most guests check out before that, those who wait until the last moment put a strain on the housekeeping department, which must have rooms ready as soon as possible for guests arriving any time after lunch. By the way, the cleaning crews depend on tips and wages."
"You mentioned the ground-workers and porters, too. What are their responsibilities?"
"By ground-workers I meant the people who work outdoors keeping roads and parking lots clean, cutting lawns, raking leaves, trimming hedges, tending the flower gardens, painting, driving trucks-in fact, doing anything in the way of maintenance that is required outside the hotel. Porters, on the other hand, used to handle all trunks and luggage that arrived by train. Today, in those hotels that still have porters, these employees usually receive incoming packages and deliver them to guests, ship articles for guests, and in some establishments handle transportation and theater reservations.
"A young person who seeks a summer job should apply three to four months before the hotel opens," Mr. Jarvis continued. "A good letter of application with a snapshot should reach the manager's desk no later than the beginning of February. As for the hotels that never close, they often need part-time workers to fill in for employees on vacations or days off. Teens should not hesitate to visit the personnel department and inquire about part-time openings."
So much for hotels; motels are something else.
Motel Openings
Most small motel owners use one or two workers to clean the rooms and do the laundry while family members take care of all the other work. In larger motels you may find openings also for ground-workers and maintenance workers. If the motel operates a restaurant, then you should consider the usual openings that would be found in that part of the operation. As with other businesses, it would be wise to inquire about summer employment long before you are free to start work. Review the suggestions about applying for summer employment in hotels.
Recreational Assistant
Numerous cities and towns provide planned and supervised recreation for children of all ages during the summer. Many offer varied programs that include classes in arts and crafts, instruction in sports, games, contests of skill, hikes, nature-study trips-in fact, any worthwhile activity that will be of interest to children.
Do you excel in a sport or handicraft and would you enjoy working with children during summer vacation? Discuss job possibilities with the person in charge of the program early in the winter so that you will be ahead of the others who apply later.
Christmas Tree Sales
Many groceries, variety, and other retail stores carry Christmas trees and need extra help each Saturday during December as well as during the days immediately preceding Christmas. If you know of stores that usually carry trees, speak to the owner early in the fall to see if you can line up a job. Point out that you can save the owner running outdoors every time a customer wants to look at the trees. This will not only save the owner's time, but it will also lessen her or his chances of catching cold. Remind the owner that you will be on hand to help in other ways-run errands, bring up stock, relieve clerks, carry customers' groceries to their cars, clean the store, sweep the walk, and so on.
Lifeguard
Good swimmers who are sixteen or over and have passed their Red Cross lifeguard course may find employment at public or private beaches and pools as junior or senior lifeguards. During the winter see the manager of the beach, club, or organization where you would like to work to get your name on the top of the list.
If you live near a golf course that uses caddies, you can earn money weekends and during vacation if you can join the corps of caddies. Even though there may be a waiting list, sign up; your name may come up sooner than you think.
"Not familiar with golf," you say; then get a book from the library and learn how the game is played, how the score is kept, the name of each club and when it is used, and the meaning of the commonly used expressions. Ask a friend who is a caddy, or ask an adult golfer to explain exactly what a caddy does.
Working in a Supermarket
Shane Parker, an active teenager who lives in Dolgeville, a small town in upstate New York, works in the Dolgeville Big M supermarket.
"One of my jobs is to 'face' the shelves," he told us. "That means bringing three of the items to the front of the shelf, then stocking it too high or until it touches the shelf above. Another job is to bag at the checkout counter, and a third involves bringing in the carts from the parking lot. Occasionally I help put up stock. When I do that I use a special handheld machine to put prices on each item, and then I arrange them on the proper shelves."
A schedule posted each week tells the days and times each employee will work. "This schedule gave me an idea," Shane admitted. "My grades were way down and I was failing a couple of subjects because I wasn't really spending enough time on my homework. So I made a study schedule of my own, showing how much time I should spend every evening on each subject. Sometimes I had to shift it because there might be no homework in a subject, but by following it I pulled my marks way up. Now I realize the importance of schedules!"
Shane is not a lazy boy. Every Sunday he gets up at six-thirty, goes downtown to get his newspapers, stuffs the "junk" extras into them, and delivers the papers on his route. Later he goes back to make his collections. His younger sister, Sara, also delivers daily newspapers each morning before she goes to school. "Someday I want to get a job at the Dolgeville Big M too!" she declared.
Many supermarkets have a very high turnover of help and are forever on the lookout for people of all ages to work in numerous capacities. Even though you may not see a help wanted sign on the door or window of the market near you, inquire at the manager's office and ask to put your name on the waiting list if there are no openings now.
Now let's see what it is like to work in a smaller market.
Working in a Smaller Grocery Store
Hanson's Market, located in a St. Louis suburb, is a typical but modern food store located in a good neighborhood. This store, like many of its type, employs teenagers on a part-time basis to fill in during busy hours and thus assist its regular staff.
Peter and Mark Jennison are two young men who work in Hanson's after school, evenings, and Saturdays. "The store is just around the corner from our home," explained Peter, age seventeen. "That makes it very convenient for us, especially outside a city where there could be transportation problems."
We asked the boys exactly what they did on the job. Peter explained his responsibilities first.
"When I arrive at work after dinner I put on an apron and make sure there's enough change for my shift. For the rest of the evening I stay at my cash register checking out the customers. When it is closing time I bring in the refrigerated fruits, sweep the floor, and take out the trash. If the person working the meat counter needs help, I give a hand."
"How about you, Mark?" we asked the fifteen-year-old brother. This was his reply:
"I work in the meat department and serve our customers by getting them various cuts of meat, salads, chicken, and sandwich cuts. Besides waiting on the customers, I have to restock the food cases, grind hamburger, and prepare the various salads such as potato, macaroni, and vegetable salad. Another part of my job is to clean up the dishes, meat grinder, band saw, and the counters."
He paused, and then continued. "I almost forgot. The floor in the meat department has to be swept, too."
Both boys are headed toward college and are saving most of their earnings for the day when those big bills start rolling in.
Delivering Newspapers
Judging by the experience of Benjamin Fairless, former Chairman of the Board of U.S. Steel Corporation, a young person is never too youthful to sell newspapers. He was five when he started selling the Cleveland Press. In most states there is no minimum wage law that pertains to this job. That is why you will see small children lugging huge bags of newspapers as early as five or six o'clock in the morning in some towns. We do not recommend that you get out that early, but like Sara Parker whom we mentioned earlier, you may have to deliver your newspapers before breakfast or school if you hope to have a route.
Unless you are fortunate enough to take over an established route, you may have to go out and call on people and sell them on the idea of taking subscriptions to your newspaper so that you can deliver the paper to their door. Even if you have a good route, you will find that from time to time subscribers cancel the service; then you must find others to take their places.
If you decided to try for a route, listen to Greg Dawson telling what you must do: "Those who deliver newspapers must be ready to assume responsibility for delivering their newspapers every day, rain or shine, blizzard or clear weather, and have an assistant ready and prepared to take over if they are sick or out of town. They must pick up their papers at the distribution point and deliver them to each subscriber promptly, placing them wherever the subscribers indicate they wish them left. Customers expect to have their papers delivered on time and they won't be interested in hearing any excuses."
Before starting to sell subscriptions, study the newspaper and make a list of the features that would interest a reader. Mention them during your sales talk. If yours is a family or small town newspaper, your chances of making a sale should be that much better.
Every store and office should be kept clean. The owner of an average-size store cannot afford to hire a full-time janitor but may welcome someone like yourself who could come in each afternoon to sweep the floors, clean the lavatory, and dust shelves and window displays. Saturdays you might also wash the windows.
Small office buildings may need the same type of service-someone to come in after five o'clock to go through the offices with a vacuum, mop the floors, clean the washrooms, and empty the wastebaskets.
Call on the owners of small stores and office buildings and ask if they would like to give you a trial for a week. Watch the help wanted advertisements in the newspaper for janitors or custodians. Many young people have earned a large part of their college money working as janitors in dormitories or other college buildings.
Gardener's Assistant
Landscape gardeners not only build new gardens but take care of established ones. This work involves digging, spreading topsoil, shoveling and raking dirt, moving rocks, seeding, planting, mowing, weeding, and even sweeping sidewalks and driveways. During the summer many of these gardeners need helpers. Look in your classified telephone directory under Gardeners and Landscape Gardeners. Start calling on them during the winter to learn whether you might get a vacation job as a helper. Tell the prospective employer that you are strong, like to work outdoors, will learn quickly, and are eager to please
AND FINALLY
If you were unable to find a summer job this year, don't be discouraged. It may not be your fault at all. There may simply have been no jobs, and you can't create employment if there is no need for it. It may be that you were too young for available openings, or that you started looking too late. At any rate, here's what you can do:
- start looking earlier next year,
- read through the next two sections of this book to see if there might be a business of your own that you could start, and
- Seek a volunteer job (see Chapter 9).
