I’ve never worked at a place which ‘advertised’ the position — I got in at the dive shop by volunteering and the law firm because the lawyer used to be my neighbor (but I interned for several months until he began paying me for my efforts; not part of the original plan). Finally, a local anti-gang program interviewed me and extended an offer because I’ve made myself very knowledgeable about youth-oriented restorative justice and civic engagement.

My friends who have their CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) license all have found jobs, and those with a WSI (Water Safety Instructor) certification are doing well for themselves teaching swim lessons. Job hunting as a teenager isn’t easy, but with enough foresight and motivation, it’s doable.

One issue is that the summer is actually shorter out here than it used to be during our day. We had three solid months to work. These kids have just over two.

Still, no excuse. Working in the heat all day at Flynn’s Nursery kind of made going back to school a bit more palatable, truth be known. But, we went back refreshed, because the summer work was a real change of pace.

Still, I find it a shame that so few teenagers work during the summer. Some of the best lessons I have ever learned, and more importantly, the ‘people-skills’ I developed, have come from summer employment, NOT school. I started out volunteering at a pool-based summer camp, maneuvered that into a clerical/ lifeguarding and swim instruction position at the hosting scuba diving shop, and this year am now working at a law firm.

My friends who didn’t get started early (I was volunteering before freshman year of high school) are still asking people if they want fries with their Whoppers… and while there is nothing wrong with that, I certainly believe that I feel more accomplished at the end of my summers than they do.

With the college admissions process demanding more and more out of students, though, I imagine we’ll see a jump in teen employment among the most ambitious students.

In recent years, one of the best things I’ve discovered about all those “whatever you can find to earn a buck” jobs is – sharing stories about ‘em. When we tell each other about the various jobs we had as young people, it opens interesting doors into each other and helps us get to know each other a bit better. Surely a good thing.