Travis Parker likes helping people. That's a good thing because the 19-year-old from San Jose spends most of his days working with others at the front desk of San Jose's YMCA. He helps people sign up for memberships and directs visitors wherever they need to go within the facility.
Parker is just like many teens this summer who have chosen to gain some experience in the working world instead of whiling away time in the California sun.
"I get to work with a variety of people with different opinions and different needs," he says.
In July 2005, at the peak of teenage employment, half of all 16- to 19-year-olds had jobs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The majority of them were working in accommodation and food service or retail.
Sarah Gregg, 17, of Menlo Park enjoys keeping busy, which makes her job at Starbucks a perfect match. In fact, she hates not being busy, as when she does the cleaning. "It's just kind of a drag and not as fun as being behind the counter. But you just deal with it," she says.
Rachel Allen, 16, of Alviso, who works at a different Starbucks location, applied for the job because of the busy atmosphere.
Both girls agree that the multitasking skills they learn are one of the best things about working at the coffee chain. "You really have to keep track of the details. They keep calling out drinks to you, and you have to juggle everything. I love interacting with people and keeping busy though. All you can really focus on is keeping up," Allen says.
Teens work during the summer for a variety of reasons.
"I needed something to do to keep me busy over the summer and I thought it would be better to get a job earlier (in life) to get the experience for later applications for more prestigious jobs," Gregg says.
The pay was a draw for Colin Daw, 16, of Saratoga who works at a bike shop. "I decided I should make my own spending money. I like the responsibility," Daw says.
Daw also does the job because he enjoys it. "I just do the bike shop job for fun, not for any real preparation. I really like selling the high-end mountain bikes and the only thing I don't actually like doing is occasionally taking out the trash," he says.
Teens get their jobs in various ways. Paula Quezada, 18, of San Jose works at Pizza My Heart in San Jose. "I was hired that day and I worked that day," she says. Quezada had a few family connections that helped her get the job, but credits her employment mainly to how easy it was to strike up a conversation with the manager.
Jeff Fong, 19, who works at Tengu Sushi in San Jose, entered the working world in a very casual manner.
"It was really informal. I was walking from the movies and my friend was working (at Tengu Sushi) and called me in," Fong says. From there he got an application, had a short interview and got hired. Previously he had been working at a family vending business, so job experience wasn't a problem.
But the easy entrance isn't universal. High school senior Annie Tang, 17, of San Jose, had a lot of trouble finding a job this summer because of her lack of experience. "I wanted to work, but haven't really found a job yet. It's hard. I don't have experience or contacts to help me get a job," she says.
Another huge problem is age restrictions. As teens have begun deciding what profession they would eventually like to pursue at younger and younger ages, they have also began looking for job experience at younger ages, but the age limit at some places is 18.
"I looked around at a few other places before Starbucks but kept getting told that the age limit was 18," Allen says.
For Allen, finding a job wasn't an option. "My parents told me I had to get a job by the end of the school year and that was it," she says.