As the 2008-2009 Moorestown High School year ended, many students began their job hunting. Unfortunately, many were left empty handed as July approached. Many have come to believe this lack of jobs has been a direct result of the American economic recession.
I myself spent days searching and applying for jobs all around Moorestown, but none of the prospective employers ever got back to me. I then had to seek a job through a “personal” connection. I struck gold when I managed to pick up a few hours of work at the Saladworks in Medford.
The apparent truth is that to get a new job in this economy, you have to “know” somebody or have a personal connection or tie. I believe if you surveyed the students who found work this summer, many would probably say that they had to pull strings to get their job.
When I go to eat ice cream at Friendly’s or Nelly Bly’s, it is shocking to see a laid off banker or accountant serve me my favorite double scoop. I expect to see a high school friend, but instead, I see my friends’ parents! The unemployment situation in America has severely damaged the chances for teenagers to earn any extra money during the summer.
Senior Brooks Foster said, “I sent many applications out to local stores, but it was a shot in the dark. I knew how bad the market was and I did not expect any positive results.”
Many people flooded to the shore in hopes of finding a job. Senior Sam Weintraub found luck as a lifeguard at Cape May Point. He stated, “It was tough work, but it felt good to know I had a job lined up prior to the summer.”
Many teenagers probably found a silver lining in this debacle; they had much more time to just hang out and be kids. After a long school year, sometimes you just want to relax and not have a care in the world. Without a job to commit to, many teenagers picked up new hobbies and made new friends.
Junior Anthony Horten said, “I believe a summer job is usually just a way for teenagers to earn extra money, and I believe I would rather not work and enjoy my summer, then pull a ten hour shift at a job I hate.”
I would not label this the “summer of jobs” but more so the “summer of free time”. Many optimistic politicians claim the economy will soon improve. Hopefully the summer of 2010 will be more fruitful than the last.