Just turned 16, looking to get a job. Was wondering what some of the best jobs would be? I was looking into LaFortune, but would love some input. Around South Tulsa please.
What are your interests/career ideas?
At 16, your choices are limited. Many businesses won't hire anyone under 18. Worse, in today's down economy, jobs are hard to find. Most kids look into food service jobs. The fast food places aren't the best places to work, but they're a start. Even better is a waitstaff job because it offers tips.
There are other options. You can mow lawns. You can wash windows. Some people really hate washing windows. Your investment is a couple of squeegees, some rags, buckets, and detergents. Offer a flat rate or a per window rate, first floor only, no ladders or inside work.
Quote from: guido911 on April 26, 2011, 09:24:59 PM
What are your interests/career ideas?
Looking into programming as a career. I was thinking about Whole Foods, due to the discounts.
Hot tar roof.....
Quote from: Breadburner on April 26, 2011, 09:35:16 PM
Hot tar roof.....
Great idea...I'm sure the benefits are great.
Quote from: neversummer23 on April 26, 2011, 09:38:13 PM
Great idea...I'm sure the benefits are great.
Yeah, you don't have to pay to re-sole your shoes!
Quote from: Ed W on April 26, 2011, 09:30:24 PM
At 16, your choices are limited.
Well that's one way to give encouragement...
You doing any programming now? (NOT game playing related....)
Some of the fast foods will hire you for non-cooking stuff - at least that's the rumor I have heard.
Maybe doing "cleanup on aisle 6" for Whole Foods. Just ask them. And if you are near Brookside (since you brought up Whole Foods) go up and down the street asking everyone - no matter who it is. Check the car dealers to see if they need someone to push a broom and clean the restrooms.
If you can get in the door, and then make yourself useful, they will keep you over most of the 16 year old out there.
Lose the cell phone and especially texting. (Nothing gets someone fired at my place faster than sitting around texting or talking when there is work to do. And there is ALWAYS work to do.)
Don't remember all the places down the street, but I know there are a lot. Check the TV station to see if their janitorial people need a go-fer. (Ask your parent(s) or favorite uncle what a go-fer is if you don't already know.)
Obviously you have some incentive just getting here and talking about it. Convert talk to action. Adapt, innovate, improvise. Any business you see needs some kind of help, if you are willing to work.
The gold standard would be McDonald's. If you can survive there, you will get first class training in a wide variety of life skills. If I were looking for help right now, I would actively be looking for a McDonald's assistant manager who had been in the program for a couple of years.
Look at industrial places - maybe a small to medium would hire for shop helper (pushing a broom and straightening up) and if you get in the door, you will learn. You might learn something that interests you for future work. Never sit down!! No whining!! In other words, don't be a 16 year old. Channel a 25 year old who needs the work to support a wife and new kid! Be desperate!
Pep Boys. Harley Shops. Stocker. Braums. Kohls. Target. RV dealer. Boat shop.
Start at "A" in the yellow pages, and go through until someone hires you. And no, NEVER call them. Dress right and go in person. If they show any interest, like just giving you an application to fill out, check back without being a pest - who knows, they might hire you just to get you off their back!
Good luck!! Hope you find something!
Quote from: guido911 on April 26, 2011, 09:54:38 PM
Well that's one way to give encouragement...
Yeah the whole post was really optimistic.
One of the funner jobs I had as a teen was as a stocker/sacker at Albertson's or whatever it was called in those days. Give any grocery store a shot. Not really south Tulsa but Big Splash is used to hiring seasonal help, so it's ideal for someone in your situation.
My best summer job was working at the movie theater. Worked my way up to projectionist..
Was fun, had a bit of responsibility, and lots of free movies.
I've done the sacker bit at Albertsons, though I don't think they have those anymore it seems, and the movie theater bit. That is a good place to have a summer job, just expect to work during the times that your friends are out goofing off, since that is when it is the busiest. I also ran a little lawn mowing company. Got a bunch of my friends who lived in apartments together, I provided the equipment (hence the reason for getting the ones in the apartments) and they provided the labor. Split the money with them. I can't help it if they had to split their half between three or four of them. There are some car washes around town that have gone back to the old style (ya know, the ones with the spinning brushes that actually clean the car) that might have some work for you.
I started working at 14 with a paper route on a bicycle and then got a 125 motorcycle(I paid for) and took on a bigger route.
I also worked at the Plaza 3 theatre as a usher/clean up/ticket worker.
I also worked at a full service gas station and then a self service gas station.
Night stocker at a grocery store. Hot tar & bey sheet roofer's helper/ some shingle.
Stone mason's helper. Some brick. Dishwasher at a restaurant.
These are jobs that I had before the age of 18. Todays jobs are a little harder to find because there are a lot of you young guns out looking for these jobs. It is going to take a little more from you in being persistant with said employers. Dont be afraid of breaking a sweat and working hard, your young and have plenty of time to get to that cushy inside job that most of the kids today seem to think should fall right into their lap. You can do it, and your already one step ahead with the want too spirit.
Good luck young man and go make that fortune.
Albertson's are all gone.
Try Reasors - they still bag groceries.
The secret is; there is no secret. Persevere and be prepared to do more - work harder - than your friends (competitors) and you will do better than they. Have you heard the story about how to not get eaten by a bear? You don't have to run faster than the bear - you just must run faster than your friends who are also running from the bear. They are your competitors AND your network. It they get a job, grill them about it and try to get there, too. (On the other hand, if you get a job, don't ever let your friends go there, too - never recommend them. It can only hurt you - either they will be better and make you look bad, or they will be worse and still make you look bad because you "recommended" them.)
Best Buy had a bunch of people under 18 working the cash registers when I worked there part-time for a while. You could move into the Geek Squad and make more money and get real world computer experience. The main reason to work at Best Buy is the discount.
Quote from: BKDotCom on April 26, 2011, 10:54:53 PM
My best summer job was working at the movie theater. Worked my way up to projectionist..
Was fun, had a bit of responsibility, and lots of free movies.
Me too, between 16-18 years old, but at a drive in. My very best friends today are those I worked with at that time. I do recall interviewing for a legal runner/errand boy job at a law firm (I wanted to be a lawyer then, as I am today). Lost it to a law student but at least I got an interview...
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on April 26, 2011, 10:25:08 PM
You doing any programming now? (NOT game playing related....)
Some of the fast foods will hire you for non-cooking stuff - at least that's the rumor I have heard.
Maybe doing "cleanup on aisle 6" for Whole Foods. Just ask them. And if you are near Brookside (since you brought up Whole Foods) go up and down the street asking everyone - no matter who it is. Check the car dealers to see if they need someone to push a broom and clean the restrooms.
If you can get in the door, and then make yourself useful, they will keep you over most of the 16 year old out there.
Lose the cell phone and especially texting. (Nothing gets someone fired at my place faster than sitting around texting or talking when there is work to do. And there is ALWAYS work to do.)
Don't remember all the places down the street, but I know there are a lot. Check the TV station to see if their janitorial people need a go-fer. (Ask your parent(s) or favorite uncle what a go-fer is if you don't already know.)
Obviously you have some incentive just getting here and talking about it. Convert talk to action. Adapt, innovate, improvise. Any business you see needs some kind of help, if you are willing to work.
The gold standard would be McDonald's. If you can survive there, you will get first class training in a wide variety of life skills. If I were looking for help right now, I would actively be looking for a McDonald's assistant manager who had been in the program for a couple of years.
Look at industrial places - maybe a small to medium would hire for shop helper (pushing a broom and straightening up) and if you get in the door, you will learn. You might learn something that interests you for future work. Never sit down!! No whining!! In other words, don't be a 16 year old. Channel a 25 year old who needs the work to support a wife and new kid! Be desperate!
Pep Boys. Harley Shops. Stocker. Braums. Kohls. Target. RV dealer. Boat shop.
Start at "A" in the yellow pages, and go through until someone hires you. And no, NEVER call them. Dress right and go in person. If they show any interest, like just giving you an application to fill out, check back without being a pest - who knows, they might hire you just to get you off their back!
Good luck!! Hope you find something!
I have pretty good knowledge in Visual Basic(not that it matters) and a good amount of Python, some Java, and miniscule C++. Thanks for the help on not calling them! That was the first thing I was going to do.
Edit: I would also like something that teaches some skills.
Quote from: neversummer23 on April 28, 2011, 06:01:39 PM
I have pretty good knowledge in Visual Basic(not that it matters) and a good amount of Python, some Java, and miniscule C++. Thanks for the help on not calling them! That was the first thing I was going to do.
Edit: I would also like something that teaches some skills.
How about tutoring other kids in computer skills or math? I'm assuming you have good math ability. Teaching a subject forces you to learn it well because students are adept at finding weaknesses.
For that matter, perhaps there's a computer camp in the area that needs counselors, instructors or aides.
McDonald's is the one you definitely want then. You will learn an incredible array of skills that will be of value beyond calculation working there through high school. And NO, I am not being a smartass, or kidding about this - it teaches you life skills, communication skills, dealing with people skills, motivational skills, putting up with a jerk boss skills, cleaning the crapper skills - EVERYTHING you WILL NOT GET in ANY engineering/scientific program you may enter in the future.
And since you appear to be pointed toward the Geek Kingdom - do yourself another huge favor; in high school AND college - take one each of a creative writing course and some kind of speech/public speaking course. More if you can handle it!
In no way am I trying to dissuade you from Geekville - Red Arrow and I are getting old and will be leaving the workforce probably around the time you are ready to get into it seriously. We as a country and society need the Geeks more than 99% of the rest of the population can EVER begin to imagine. And corporate America has been doing a number on us for decades! Millions have been lost over the last few decades. (Red, would you agree?)
Before becoming totally lost to Dilbertville, though, get some other exposures so you will be a more well-rounded individual.
And before you become overly enamored with video game programming - there are plenty of them out there already. Get a more well rounded education than just "Computer Engineering". And whatever you do, run like the wind from "Computer Science". It ain't science. It ain't engineering.
Be an engineer! (I can't believe I am saying this...I bet Red Arrow will have some comment.) And there are only two types of engineers - Electrical and Mechanical. Well, maybe Chemical. And EVERYTHING else is a subset of one of those. (Yes, Civil IS a subset of Mechanical!) Don't be blinded by the bright flashing lights and slick propaganda! These are the only ones! Trust me! But verify - start talking now to some colleges. OSU in Tulsa/Stillwater. TU if your family has some money. Both have world class programs and people who would be thrilled to talk to you. Talk to the department heads if you can. If you can catch them in that rare mood of getting outside the position of administrator, they will admit that is true, but will deny if you ever tell anyone they said so.
Glad to help! Don't forget to not call people - go visit someone, or two, everyday! "Cold calls" are an extremely valuable skill to learn, too. (Right Gaspar??)
I can't speak directly to the McDonalds route. I had other opportunities, one of which I lost to affirmative action after two previous summers there. The McDonalds concept is correct though. If nothing else, it will make you work harder in school. It only took one summer in the oil patch to convince my brother he wanted to do something else with his life.
I do recommend being literate whatever you do. When I whined about taking English in high school, my dad (an Electrical Engineer) told me that an engineer that cannot communicate his product to others is worthless. When I was in High School, one semester of Public Speaking class was required to graduate. It was both terrifying and fun. It was all friends and classmates in the same boat. It's a skill you will need in the workplace, anywhere from a shop floor leader to a CEO.
A lot of engineering jobs have been lost. I contribute much of it to shortsighted economic policy. I'll stay out of politics on this here but I think some of the famous business schools have lost the big picture.
Be an engineer? Check into it. It has to be something you want to do or you won't be successful. The education will give you a background in how and why things work and how to solve problems which would allow you to branch into almost any direction if you get tired of crunching numbers.
Ready for this?
From 15 to 16 I drove a Jet A fuel truck at the airport (Jones Riverside).
From 3:00pm when school got out to 11:30pm I fueled airplanes.
That was a great job!
Private pilots tip well.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 29, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
Ready for this?
From 15 to 16 I drove a Jet A fuel truck at the airport (Jones Riverside).
From 3:00pm when school got out to 11:30pm I fueled airplanes.
That was a great job!
Private pilots tip well.
Private pilots that require jet fuel usually have more $ (to spend on tips) than private pilots requiring Avgas. Plus, what was the price of fuel then?
I'm glad you had the opportunity while the gettin' was good.
Part of my first job (15 to 17) was to go to the owners horse pasture and stable twice a year. And shovel you know what out of the barn. At $1.25 per hour. Timing was winter and summer. January or February and July or August. That was fun.
And NO, that was not a complaint. I learned an amazing amount of stuff there that I have used up to today. In fact, later this evening, or maybe tomorrow morning, I plan to do some welding - using the skills I learned at that shop.
Red,
What the hell happened to you to turn you to the dark side (Mechanical) from the light (Electrical)????
Neversummer,
Red hit it right on the head - another extremely valuable lesson to be learned from McDonald's, that I was remiss in not listing. It is that you don't want to do that work for your entire career. But for now, there is not much better (and better for you!)
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on April 29, 2011, 12:39:16 PM
Red,
What the hell happened to you to turn you to the dark side (Mechanical) from the light (Electrical)????
My dad and one of his brothers were EE. An uncle was Chem E. Dad was only a few courses short of an ME but was not allowed a double degree at that time. I liked radios (dad was a Ham operator) but kind of liked mechanical things a bit more. When I started college as Engineering undeclared, I was matched with the head of the Mechanical Engineering Dept for an academic advisor. I liked it and stayed.
When I got drafted and joined the Navy to stay out of the Army or Marines, I chose Aviation Electronics Tech over paint chipper or deck swabber.
I started out pointing at ME. Then got diverted by the bright lights and sparkle.
Looking back, I think law school would have been something to do right after the first few degrees. Could be rich by now!! And it would have been sooooo much easier than what we had to go through!! Was joking about it the other day, but patent law might not be a bad idea, even now.
My first job was as a busboy in a Howard Johnson's restaurant. But I've worked in retail, a psychiatric hospital, an electronics factory, and more, including a memorable stint as a sewer worker. Trust me, after working in sewers, anything is a step up.
My point is - if you want to work and someone offers it, grab on with both hands. At eighteen, I never thought I'd use a shovel to make a living, but when times were hard, the work and the income it brought were very welcome.
Quote from: Red Arrow on April 29, 2011, 12:37:29 PM
Private pilots that require jet fuel usually have more $ (to spend on tips) than private pilots requiring Avgas. Plus, what was the price of fuel then?
I'm glad you had the opportunity while the gettin' was good.
Probably lucky to be alive. The clutch and a couple of the break pads were "non-existent" on our Jet A truck. Find it and grind it, then squeal to a stop under-wing. I always thought it was funny jamming the truck from gear to gear, then having sparks fly out of the hubs as I stopped, only to make sure I attached the ground cable to the plane before pumping so there wouldn't be any static discharge. :D
Quote from: BKDotCom on April 26, 2011, 10:54:53 PM
My best summer job was working at the movie theater. Worked my way up to projectionist..
Was fun, had a bit of responsibility, and lots of free movies.
I did the same thing at AMC. Worked there for about a year and a half. Really enjoyed working the projectors.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 29, 2011, 03:47:21 PM
Probably lucky to be alive. The clutch and a couple of the break pads were "non-existent" on our Jet A truck. Find it and grind it, then squeal to a stop under-wing. I always thought it was funny jamming the truck from gear to gear, then having sparks fly out of the hubs as I stopped, only to make sure I attached the ground cable to the plane before pumping so there wouldn't be any static discharge. :D
If you worked at Christiansen, (aka Lease-A-Plane) I think they still had the same fuel truck in their fleet as late as 1997 or so.
Quote from: Conan71 on April 29, 2011, 04:18:03 PM
If you worked at Christiansen, (aka Lease-A-Plane) I think they still had the same fuel truck in their fleet as late as 1997 or so.
Tulsa Piper. . .Worked for Cowboy Bill Watts.
Made the mistake when I was 15 of asking my dad for an allowance (met with laughter). The next day I was to report to my new job.
When they told me I would be driving a fuel truck, I said I was only 15. They said no problem, we'll teach you. It was hard work and it was a blast!
My step son got a job at Cinemark on 71st St and he is 16. He doesn't work a lot of hours, but it's a decent job.
Quote from: Ed W on April 29, 2011, 03:32:34 PM
But I've worked in...a psychiatric hospital
"worked"? Must...resist... :D
Quote from: guido911 on April 29, 2011, 08:21:14 PM
"worked"? Must...resist... :D
Yep. It's the only place I could find that would pay
me to play basketball.
I almost forgot, until you mentioned the psyc Hospital.
I worked as a maintanance assistant at a Nursing Home. You know. Buffing floors, helping the nurses with paitents, taking out trash, chasing runaway residents etc, etc.
I will never forget Harley. He was a resident in a wheel chair who got a kick out of waving you over close enough to him, and then he would punch you in the nuts and just sit there and laugh. He couldnt really talk but he sure would light up with amusement having you fall for it.
He once climbed out a window and had crawled about 30 yards from the building before we got to him.
These are the kind of memories you just cant get playing video games.
Quote from: Gaspar on April 29, 2011, 04:27:07 PM
Tulsa Piper. . .Worked for Cowboy Bill Watts.
Made the mistake when I was 15 of asking my dad for an allowance (met with laughter). The next day I was to report to my new job.
When they told me I would be driving a fuel truck, I said I was only 15. They said no problem, we'll teach you. It was hard work and it was a blast!
So you probably knew the Richardson's as well.
I think that's great. As for jobs the Whataburger on 31st & highway 169 is hiring, TP is always hiring if you have no criminal backround history and have a good credit report, they will hire ya...The jobs are there if you pound the pavement and lootk for 'em. :-\
Just sent in an app into Best Buy. Hopefully I get the job.
Heres a interesting thing. All of their apps are handled online. One of the biggest things I got from this thread was always to go inside a store, but that did nothing for me at best buy! Geez, thanks guys. :P
Quote from: neversummer23 on May 03, 2011, 10:04:22 PM
Just sent in an app into Best Buy. Hopefully I get the job.
Heres a interesting thing. All of their apps are handled online. One of the biggest things I got from this thread was always to go inside a store, but that did nothing for me at best buy! Geez, thanks guys. :P
Best of luck, and I can only assume that big meanie Ed W wishes the same. :D. That would be a great place to get IT experience.
I think Lowe's is doing online, too.
Well, you know that this is a bunch of old people (comparatively). There are new technologies every day that render the old obsolete - we are all obsolete around here.
There still have to be places that deal with you in person.
Hey, wait a minute!!! You mean that is the only place you have applied so far?? What have you been doing all this time? Get your backside up and get out there applying at places! NOW!!! (Sound like a parental unit??)
What if they say no, then you have wasted all that time waiting when you could have been lining up a dozen more places that might say yes. And just because they say yes, doesn't mean you have to take it - if there is another one you like better, just say, "Thanks, but I already accepted another position". Using exactly those words.
Personal opinion moment: Best Buy! Yuck!
Good luck!
Ya know, when I was a teenager...back in Bedrock with Barney, Fred, and that d@mned hot Betty, I worked for two summers as a student technician at Westinghouse R&D in Churchill PA. Sure, I did the least important jobs in the shop, but I got to work on electric car prototypes, future toaster designs, plastic moldings for pre-fab construction, and even some interesting mechanical apparatus for a nuclear power plant. Every day was different, and I was seldom bored. The hours just flew by.
Corporations hired students like me for the summer. It probably wasn't a paying deal for them, but they certainly inspired some to take up technical careers.
Here is my wish for you, Grasshopper, and it's the same one I have for my own kids. I truly hope you do something you like, something that you look forward to when you swing your legs over the side of the bed in the morning, because there's nothing worse than waking up to go off to a job you hate. Most of us have had that experience, and I really hope it's one that passes you by.
Quote from: Ed W on May 04, 2011, 05:19:10 PM
Here is my wish for you, Grasshopper, and it's the same one I have for my own kids. I truly hope you do something you like, something that you look forward to when you swing your legs over the side of the bed in the morning, because there's nothing worse than waking up to go off to a job you hate. Most of us have had that experience, and I really hope it's one that passes you by.
(http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/david-carradine-keye-luke-as-master-po-300x267.jpg)