Jobs and careers are an inevitable part of student futures, but for quite a few seniors on campus, the idea has become a reality. Working part time in order to continue to do well in school, seniors take on jobs for a myriad of reasons.
For Maria Hernandez, working has been part of her agenda for some time, as she took on babysitting her ninth grade year. Hernandez interest and experience with surfing landed her a job at Ripcurl, a name brand surf shop in Santa Monica. Although the half and hour to hour long commute is more than most take, Hernandez takes later shifts in order to stay on tip of her school work.
“I learn how to set my priorities and learn about what I need to do,” Hernandez said. “I’ll stay up later if I have to finish something, but I’ll get it done.”
She claimed that some perks of the job she is grateful for include meeting professional surfers, and also having the opportunity to teach surfing lessons during the summer.
“You get a lot of responsibilities and you learn how to handle certain situations better.” Hernandez said.
Senior Alejandra Roque came across a similar job situation as she was volunteering at a local YMCA. Roque explained that she took dance and gymnastics classes in her early years and remained active and interested in the field when the classes stopped. The staff at the YMCA offered her the job after she had been helping out on her own time for several months.
“It’s [the job] helped me with talking to people, especially after working with the younger kids,” Roque said. “It’s also helped me be more patient.”
Roque assists a class with a little over a dozen young gymnasts, and she admits that at times it can be a handful working with such young kids. Working three to four days a week, Roque also has to be on top of her school work more than before.
“I have to be more organized,” Roque said, “but I told my boss, ‘School comes first’ and she’s pretty flexible with that.”
Miguel Lozano is anticipating a stricter schedule as he starts his training for attractions at Disney’s California Adventure. The pressure of working for a distinguished company tested Lozano’s nerves during the interview but he was able to remain calm in order to succeed in his endeavor.
“I was nervous about the interview because I really wanted a job and I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it,” Lozano said.
The senior learned about the job after learning that a fellow KIWIN’smember coordinated events at the theme park. He used his peer as a reference during the application process.
“I was telling myself that I can work this interview,” Lozano said. “I have a lot of background knowledge in speaking and talking to people, so I have qualifications and I just assured myself that I could do this.”
Although this is not Lozano’s first job he hopes to gain experience and also confidence in the work place after he completes his employee training.
For these seniors, the work force is now taking up a large part of their schedules. Rather than wasting extra time they have beyond school or extracurricular, activites they are taking initiative on their finances, and also developing as young adults.
