Good place for a 17 year old to work (starting in mid-late June)?

[Voltex]

I'm gonna be finishing high school this June, and I'm really not sure if I should go to University this fall. I've pretty much decided that I'm gonna get a job so I can make some money, but now that I'm really considering getting a job, it seems a lot harder than it looks to find a decent job (or maybe I'm just being too picky due to my lack of experience). Anyways, I know this question has probably been asked a billion times, but where's a good place for teenagers to work? Anything but working in fast food joints.

Help would be appreciated! Thanks.

[Ascott]

Well, what do you want to do? Customer support, sales, general labor, construction, what? There's a ton of different things you can be hired to do as a new high school grad.

[GoTime]

A dealership might be a fun place. Mow the lawn, move cars, deliver cars, deliver papers to the ministry. Whatever.

PS - what's wrong with a fast food joint? Sometimes it's good experience.

[Voltex]

@Ascott

I'm open to anything really as long as it doesn't require a ton of heavy physical work like construction stuff.


@GoTime

Hmm, that actually does seem fun. Now, the question is, would they actually be willing to hire a teenager to work at a dealership? Oh and about the fast food joint thing, I guess it's a combination of seeing the incredibly fast paced atmosphere when it's busy from the point of view of a customer waiting for food and also because of my friends' first hand experiences.

[uber_shnitz]

One thing that'll also impact your decision is whether or not you'll start school again next year and if you wanna keep this job as a part-time gig. If so, then something on the retail level will probably be your best bet to keep at it part-time.

On the retail level, I've heard great stuff about Costco both wage-wise (they apparently don't start you at minimum wage) and generally employee treatment.

If you can though, I'd look for less "common" jobs so like office jockey or something. It's relatively relaxed and usually they'll pay you better than a retail store.

[JK400]

I'm open to anything really as long as it doesn't require a ton of heavy physical work like construction stuff.

You might want to consider getting a post secondary education then. Without it you're basically looking at a life of manual labour.

[Voltex]

You might want to consider getting a post secondary education then. Without it you're basically looking at a life of manual labour.

I'll most likely be deferring my acceptances for a year so I can earn some money before going to jni. I never said I wasn't going, just maybe not this fall.

[JK400]

I'll most likely be deferring my acceptances for a year so I can earn some money before going to jni. I never said I wasn't going, just maybe not this fall.

Either way, you'll still be doing repetitive unskilled labour. There isn't a secret job market for high school level educated people but who are going to university in a year or two, they're still in the same boat as everyone else. Fast food is actually one of the better opportunities you'll have without any education.

[onlineharvest]

@Ascott

I'm open to anything really as long as it doesn't require a ton of heavy physical work like construction

Well, not all construction is HEAVY labor. For instance, I was a general laborer at a job site for about 5 summers. It was mainly sweeping the homes, getting rid of debris, etc. There are some times where it's heavy, but nothing like a brick layer, etc.

Plus side, it pays well too. Paid my whole university education with only working summers (4 months). That was enough to last me for the whole school year.

[thestar99]

Look into retail jobs GAP, Sears and stuff

Wonderland is always hiring you can get for summer at least.

http://www.canadaswonderland.com/jobs/seasonal-employment

[Joelllle]

When you go to university, do you plan on going somewhere fairly close to home where you could keep your job year-round? That could make a difference when looking at jobs.

I don't have experience in recruiting, but where I work, for example, we don't hire people just for summer because the hiring/training takes a few weeks and we want people we won't have to replace in the next few months.