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Why Won't Anyone Hire Me?
"I may be young, but I need the money."
By Clare Chu
 My
older brother and sister sold ice cream cones when they were teenagers.
So when I decided it was time to get my first summer job, I asked
for an application at the ice cream shop close to my house. "How
old are you?" the manager wanted to know. When I told them
I was 15, he said, "Come back when you're 16."
Some people don't realize how much courage it takes to ask, "Are
you hiring?" Girls my age face lots of rejection, especially
from guys. Now we get turned down because we're too young to work.
I may be young, but I need the money — and not only for the
latest halter top at American Eagle. When I go to college, I don't
want my parents to pay for everything. While a summer's worth of
minimum wage won't exactly add up to a semester at UC Berkeley or
Stanford, every little penny helps.
The problem is, if all jobs have to hire experienced people, then
where do first-timers go? I'll admit, I look young for my age. I'm
only five one, with a back pack on my back. And even though most
of my friends have had their braces removed, I'll have mine for
at least another year. But no matter what you look like, to get
by in my school as a sophomore, you better be self-reliant and a
fast learner. If only the ice cream shop counted THAT kind of experience.
Even if I did get a job, my parents wouldn't be too happy. They
worry about me going "work crazy." That's what happened
to my brother. In high school, he worked at Safeway and Carl's Junior
and volunteered at a hospital. My parents constantly remind me of
the D he got his senior year, and that he joined the military because
of it. According to my parents, my brother might end up going to
war, all because he had too many summer and after-school jobs. But
I know how to prioritize.
If that ice cream shop manager took a risk by hiring someone young
like me, he'd be making a good investment. I'd feel respected, because
he gave me a chance. So I'd work twice as hard.
— Clare Chu is a sophomore at Arthur Andersen Community Learning
Center.
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