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Why Won't Anyone Hire Me?

Listen to this Commentary!

By Clare Chu

HOST INTRO: And now, this perspective about finding a summer job, from Youth Radio.

My older brother and sister sold ice cream cones when they were teenagers. So recently, 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 him I was 15, he said, "Come back next year when you're 16." I was devastated. I was surprised that age really did matter. What's the difference anyway? I feel ready for a job. And if all jobs have to hire experienced people, then where do first-timers go?

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. So it's hard to be rejected again just for asking for a job.

I may be young, but I need the money-and not only for the latest halter-top at the mall. When I go to college, I don't want my parents to have 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.

But on the other hand, 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 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 tell them I'm different. 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.

With a perspective, I'm Clare Chu.

HOST BACK ANNOUNCE: Clare Chu recently finished her sophomore year at Andersen Learning Academy. She comes to us from Youth Radio.