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Summer jobs can help teens explore career options
By Phyllis Coulter
pcoulter@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON -- Pat O’Rourke, who recently graduated from Central Catholic High School, saw himself becoming a chef. He took the culinary arts program offered at Bloomington Area Career Center, and found the job brought a lot of criticism and long hours.

So O’Rourke now plans to attend Heartland Community College to be an emergency medical technician or a firefighter.

Such summer and part-time jobs can be used for “career exploration” by students, said Mitch Daniels of the Illinois Department of Employment Security in Springfield. It can help reaffirm a dream job, or clear up questions.

In Bloomington-Normal, some employers use summer jobs as a way to recruit future full-time workers and also to advertise.

State Farm Insurance Cos., for instance, offered more than 200 internships this year in Bloomington and at its research center in Champaign, said Dan Staver, a human resources manager. The company also hires about 130 seasonal workers as lifeguards, camp leaders and other jobs at State Farm Park and related services.

And co-op programs helps students get a look at the working world as they further their education, Staver said.

Suzanne McDowell, a teacher at both Bloomington Area Career Center and Bloomington High School, said many students test occupational options. Enrollment is down in some cooperative education programs because students’ time is tight as they must balance a schedule to take required math and science courses.

She said about 20 percent of the ninth- through 12-graders in her Bloomington High School introductory business class have jobs.

Central Catholic Principal Joy Allen said the number of high school students holding jobs hasn’t changed significantly at in recent years.

Some students choose to have a job over participating in sports, but those talented in a sport tend to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them to hone their skills. Other students choose band or academic teams.

Parents, employers and students sometimes need a little education about honoring commitments to extracurricular activities, she said. You can’t just skip work or school for the sake of the other, Allen said.

Some students are very successful with their part-time jobs. “But if they work too many hours, it can be a burden,” Allen said. “Sometimes, when students are hard-working and trustworthy, employers overbook them.”

Tri-Valley High School Principal Dave Mouser is impressed how well some students balance work and classes at the Downs school. “So many kids are involved in so many activities at the small school. I don’t know how they have the time,” he said.

In his 15 years’ experience, Olympia High School Principal Lance Thurman said it is more prevalent now for students to hold jobs. He said that teens, especially those in a rural district (Olympia is based in Stanford), want their own transportation and may work to pay for car insurance and gas.

And O’Rourke, the recent graduate, has work experience besides his turn as a chef. His summer job is for his dad, Tom O’Rourke, president of Redbird Property Management, which rents student apartments.

“It’d be a good job; it’s always there for me,” said O’Rourke. But “I want to do my own thing.”



Finding a job



The job market is tight, but that doesn’t mean finding a summer job is impossible. Some tips for teen job seekers, from Covenant House New York and The College Board:

• Network: Tell everyone you know — teachers, friends, family members, religious leaders — that you’re looking for work.

• Shoe leather: Visit retail stores within commuting distance and ask to speak to a store manager. Go at a time when the store won’t be crowded, not a busy weekend day. When you meet managers, remember to smile, shake their hands and introduce yourself.

• Dress the part: When you’re looking for work, dress conservatively. No ripped clothes, short skirts or low-cut tops.

• Dream: Want to be a chef? A lawyer? Call businesses and organizations related to your interest and see if they need any help. If they don’t, ask if they have suggestions for you as you search. If there’s a place that really fits your interests and isn’t hiring, consider an unpaid internship, which could open the door to a paying job later.

SOURCE: The Associated Press



On the Net



• What: www.myfirstpaycheck.com/

Who: Created by Celeste, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, and her older brother with the help of friends and family members.

Pros: Free tips written by teens for teens

Cons: Jobs listed mostly are from New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

• What: http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/justforstudents/a/teenjobs.htm

Who: Information on finding a job and preparing for one, including work-hour restrictions, tips and hints.

Pros: Teen job search guide, interview tips.

Cons: A national site, with many links.

• What:

http://www.pantagraph.com/classifieds/employment/

Who: Local jobs that appear in The Pantagraph

• What: http://www.pantagraph.com/jobs

Who: Pantagraph area jobs on Yahoo! Hotjobs.

Compiled by Phyllis Coulter

Take a look
Pat O'Rourke, left, cleans the floor of a home on Poplar Street in Normal for Redbird Properties with the help of Kyle Brady. (The Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK) (June 24, 2008)
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Reader comments on this story - 1 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

tucker wrote on Jul 2, 2008 10:45 AM:

" As the parent of two teenagers I can say that the tips for finding a summer job are a little too late. Most kids had their jobs secured before school was out. And it's nearly impossible to balance school, a sport, and a job. Sports or extracurrilar (band, drama, etc.) commitments at the HS level are huge time obligations. So in order to do well in school and play a sport there is little time left to commit to a job during the school year. "
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