Teen-agers are attracted to things that are seen as cool, whether they're athletic shoes, cars or even places to work.
And the right employer or job can rub off on a teen's image.
A PART-TIME JOB as an administrative assistant at Dale Willey Automotive, 2840 Iowa, means Tanner Stumbaugh works with computers, builds spreadsheets and helps customers. Here, the Lawrence High School senior talks with general manager Greg Maurer at the business.
Working at places like The Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch or a hip coffeehouse: cool.
Having to wear a uniform and ask customers if they'd like to supersize their order: not so cool.
In the world of teen-age employment, Jesse Chamberlin has a good job.
She works 30 to 40 hours per week as a waitress at Kokoro, a Japanese restaurant at 601 Kasold Drive.
"The food's really good it's all imported from Japan. The atmosphere is great to work in. It's really comfortable and laid back. And it's very good money," says Jesse, an 18-year-old senior at Free State High School.
Her friends work at Molly McGee's, 2429 Iowa, and a Sonic Drive-In.
"They see me as having the best job," Jesse says.
Kokoro's reputation as an upscale restaurant casts a good light on her job.
the pay
the employer
the nature of the work.
"The status of the business means a lot," Jesse says. "Kokoro's a nicer restaurant, with better food quality, and it's more expensive."
She's had other jobs she wasn't quite as fond of, like scooping and serving cones at an ice cream parlor.
"That's the most boring job I've ever had. You get tendinitis in your wrist, and you get $5.15 per hour."
The idea of taking a fast-food job takes a beating among teen-agers even from those who work in the industry.
"The customers are nice. The work itself, though, isn't the best. It's very repetitive. You have to clean greasy things. Everything you do somehow involves grease," says Russ Bush, a 17-year-old junior at Free State who works about 18 hours per week as a crew leader at Wendy's, 601 Kasold Drive.
"A big part of ranking a job is how you (get to) present yourself at the job. At The Gap, you don't have to put on a uniform and wear a little hat. You can give off a better image of yourself," Russ says.
Other factors that help determine the status of a job are the pay, the employer and the nature of the work itself, high school students say.
Tanner Stumbaugh says he loves his job.
The 18-year-old Lawrence High School senior is an administrative assistant at Dale Willey Automotive, 2840 Iowa. Tanner works there 26 hours a week through a marketing management internship program at LHS, and his job experience counts as part of his school curriculum.
He helps create spreadsheets, fixes computer problems and offers customer service support.
"A good job is one that changes every day," says Tanner, who has worked at Dale Willey for about nine months. "I like my job because you get to meet people and get to know them. I like how you can build rapport with customers."
Craig Dreiling, an 18-year-old LHS senior, also has a job through the school's marketing management internship program.
Craig started work at Team-
One Real Estate Inc., 5200 W. 15th St., a few weeks ago, putting in 30 hours his first week.
He keeps Web pages updated, takes digital pictures of homes for posting on the Web, does paperwork and books appointments.
"My friends are intrigued with my job. They think it's really neat," Craig says. "These jobs are out there; you just have to look."
It beats one of his old jobs.
"I used to work for a pizza place when I lived in Winfield. I didn't like dealing with food all the time. I didn't like smelling like sauce and bacon when I went home."
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