A Service of The Arrow           Friday February 4, 2000 11:34 AM

ARROW STAFF

According to an Arrow poll,
56% of FHS students have jobs.
If this group keeps working until
they are 65 years old, at the
predicted average yearly wage
of $25,598,
they would make a total
of $1,293,837,599.04.
That much money
could buy 66,847,718
Twinkies — enough
to layer the large gym
floor 4,547 times. Gotta
love that cream filling!

There are all types of jobs in the valley for high school students, ranging from the traditional position of flipping frozen cow parts, all the way to the crazy possibility of dressing up as a loaf of Wonder bread and standing on the corner of Highway 2 and Meridian. The jobs are obviously out there.

The tricky part is snagging one of these action-packed occupations for yourself. According to career counselor Ashley Mason, one key to obtaining the job of your choice is a good resume.

“Don't put down shopping or snowboarding as your best skills,” said Mason. “Have somebody sit down with you and do an inventory of your skills.”

Contrary to popular belief, one doesn't need extensive work experience to make a good, professional resume.

“You can still make a professional resume without much work experience,” said Mason. “Start out by listing volunteer skills, school-related skills, or other activities that would make you the right person for the job.”

So now you've made out your resume. The next step is to find the job you want. Sure, any job will put extra cash in your pocket, but it's been shown that people work better and are happier when they work at something they enjoy doing.

“Get a job that does more than give you a paycheck — one that you can learn from, one that's a gateway to your next career,” said Mason. “There are plenty of doctor's offices, for example, that would hire you to file.”

Many high school students have braved the storm of interviews and resumes to venture to the land of the working force. Following are four courageous teens and the stories they had to tell about their experiences in “the real world.”

Sarah Bohlman strings ‘em along

Senior Sarah Bohlman has been playing the viola for eight years, but two years ago she decided to use her talent to teach others the art of music. “It started when I was in tenth grade and my student was in seventh grade,” said Bohlman. “I started with one (student) and then I graduated to three.”

Bohlman spends an average of three hours per week with her students, but by teaching from her home and being her own boss, she is able to have a flexible schedule. By charging $7 per lesson she can make money while doing something she loves.

“I like being able to be at home and I like that it's really flexible,” said Bohlman. “It's really, really easy to change lessons and there's no boss telling me what to do.”

However, not having a boss isn't all it's cut out to be. It also can make teaching a challenge, says Bohlman.

“It's also hard because I don't have someone telling me what to do in certain situations and some things are hard to explain,” said Bohlman. “It teaches patience.”

Mark Ruby covers the basics

Junior Mark Ruby comes home messy from his job, but it's not the usual grease stains from flipping burgers. He comes home covered in white, crusty glue.

“It's a very gooey job, I always come home with paste and dried glue on my arms,” said Ruby. “I paste up the wallpaper and give it to my dad and usually I paste up the borders.”

Ruby helps his dad with their wallpapering business after school and on weekends, averaging about 15 hours per week. By working for his dad he is able to make some spare change and keep a flexible schedule.

“My dad, my boss, is pretty good about letting me off when I have things to do,” said Ruby.

However, working for a parent also has a down side.

“The fact that you can always be recruited. There's no home away from work,” said Ruby. “If you do anything wrong at work, mess up, which I do quite often, he remembers it and can make fun of me.”

Ruby may keep wallpapering through college to bring in the dough, but there are rewards other than monetary ones that come from the wallpapering business.

“I like it because you can always go back to the place where you worked and see your work,” said Ruby. “And you can have other people see your work.”

Jon Fetter-Vorm seeks the grand design

Combining something fun with money making doesn't work for most high school students, but junior Jon Fetter-Vorm was able to use his love of art to become a freelance graphic design artist and a designer for Coyote Designs.

“I made a sign for Coyote Designs and it just picked up from there,” said Fetter-Vorm. “I mainly get work from word of mouth.”

Since Fetter-Vorm made his first sign last summer he has been making signs and business cards not only for Coyote Design but through his own freelance graphic design company, Northend Design.

“People come to me with ideas and I put them down on paper and I make logos for them on business cards,” said Fetter-Vorm.

For Fetter-Vorm it takes about seven hours to make a simple logo and at $10 per hour the time is worth the money — but sometimes the business just isn't there.

“It's hard to get work,” said Fetter-Vorm. “Then when you do get work, it's short deadlines and it takes a lot of work to get it out by the deadline. It's either really slow or really fast.”

Although Fetter-Vorm doesn't plan to pursue a career in art or design, he likes the idea of doing something with art. Despite any setbacks that may come along with it, Fetter-Vorm enjoys his job.

“I get to work with art and it's an independent job,” said Fetter-Vorm. “I work on my own time and I get to work with people.”

News | Features | Opinions | In-Depth | Sports | A & E | Backpage

Contact us: Submit feedback, send a letter to the editor.

The Arrow is Copyright © 1999 by The FHS, a High school Newspaper.

This page has been accessed times since 2/27/98