A summer job, albeit being a neverending cyclone of vast time consumption, can prove a formidable cause of income in teenage students. While students often take advantage of athletic opportunities present in their surrounding communities, a sixteen year old student has a plethora of options regarding their employment in not only the summer, but through the entirety of a year. A summer job has many benefits, including a sense of community, development of character and hard work, and the manifestation of a savings and budget. Such skills are crucial to develop in adolescence, while stakes of commitment and financial burdens are relatively slim. Finding employment in Colorado for those under 16 is difficult, however possible. King Soopers and Chick-fil-A are examples of those who hire minors. Furthermore, the employers of Panera, Starbucks, Bahama Buck’s, Barnes & Nobles, and Target consistently seek hardworking employees willing to work for $11-$13 hourly. A sense of budgeting with this advantageous wage is important, however not always valued.

Christine Huntley is as senior corporate recruiter at Frontier Airlines and has been working in HR since 1998, and she shares her main tips and advice for the interview process and how to make the best first impression possible.

Erika Litson is a senior at Arapahoe High School who works as a tutorer for kids grade k-12. She works at The Tutoring Center of Centennial and helps students with reading, writing, and math. She likes working with the kids and helping them, as well as the fact the job itself is very relaxed. In an interview with her, she said that “I want to be a teacher and I feel that being a tutor would be a good way of feeling it out.”

A sophomore at Arapahoe High School works on the vegan food truck called Ba-Nom-a-Nom that travels around Colorado. They work at private events, festivals, and events such as Civic Center Eats.  She loves that the setting is never the same, that it’s a great way to meet new people and see new places around Colorado. Her favorite part of her job is “…that it gives you a sense of freedom that I don’t think you get with a job…”