Unemployment rates high

As junior Aynalem Geremew walks into the Woodmoor Bakery, she is hopeful about her job application, but less than five minutes later Geremew disappointedly retreats from the building. This is the third location she has applied to in the last two weeks. "[Some places] I didn't even get to apply, they turned me away because I was too young," Geremew explains. Senior Alan Coleman who reported applying for at least four jobs and acquiring interviews, was turned down at each location because of "current down-sizing" and the lack of job openings.

Geremew and Coleman are not the only ones running into problems while job-hunting. Many Blazers have had trouble when looking for a job this summer and school year. Approximately 17.5 percent of teenagers ages 16 to 19 who seek employment can't find work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sharon Williams, Blair's Career-College Coordinator, feels that this summer has been especially hard on Washington area teenagers. "The economical downfall has created a severe impact on the teen workforce," Williams expressed. She states that the Career Center used to be able to help Blazers get jobs through their "job bulletin." However, since the economy has declined, there have been no jobs to offer; the job bulletin board is empty.

Tough Turnout

This summer was almost as tough on adults as it was on teenagers, as the overall unemployment rate in the United States was reported to be 6.1 percent as of Sept 2003. Many Blazers explained that they felt they were losing many possible jobs to adults. Geremew believes that teens are "getting cheated out of jobs by college students and people in their twenties."

Junior Christopher Wilhelm has experienced some of the same frustrations as Geremew, in addition to some of his own. Wilhelm reports that after applying online to Blockbuster in three different locations, and various sporting good stores, he was disappointed in the outcome. "Either nobody was hiring or nobody was hiring teenagers," Wilhelm said. "When I applied online to Blockbuster it took three hours. They said they'd get back to me in three weeks, but they never even called me."

The Age Boundary

Wilhelm attributes his trouble getting a job to the current weakness in the economy. "The economy is bad, so more middle aged people are out of work. Businesses are looking to hire them instead of teenagers because they think they're more reliable."

Williams feels that the economic low has caused many jobs that are usually taken by teenagers to be filled by adults. She adds that teenagers are more particular in choosing a job than middle aged people are. "An adult losing one's employment and having a family to care for means there is no time to sit around and play games or be selective about where you should work. [Many] jobs that youth stick their noses up at, a ‘desperate' adult will take."

The Volunteer Workforce

Junior Maggy Acosta participated in a day-long session with the Montgomery County Youth Works, to help her prepare for and get a job. Acosta reported that during the day session she learned how to fill out an application and prepare and dress well for a successful interview.

However, even after this session Acosta was not able to get a job this summer. Instead, Acosta says that she volunteers twice a week at Brookside Gardens Nature, helping with the butterfly exhibit.

Williams recommends volunteering as the best alternative to holding a job during the school, when jobs are not available. "When positions do become available within the organization, they have the tendency to look at their dedicated volunteers first!" Williams says.