“Bookkeeper
Who: Doug Hinh, 17, Bravo Medical Magnet HS
Job: Bookkeeper and secretary’s assistant, Norris Medical Library, $5.85/hr.
Getting the job: I happened to walk into the library one day and saw an application for a position as bookkeeper and secretary’s assistant. I was interested so I applied. I got my interview and they hired me.
Likes and dislikes: I like my job because the hours are very flexible and the work is not strenuous. I don’t like the limit of 17 hours a week for high school students.
Advice: You should not become discouraged if you can’t find a job. Keep looking. There is always an open position out there. If you persist, you will eventually find one.
Lab Tech
Who: Tamara Brown, 17, Bravo Medical Magnet HS
Job: Lab technician, USC Center for Craniofacial and Molecular Biology, $6.50/hr.
Getting the job: I heard about the lab through my biology teacher. Last summer, I picked up an application and scheduled an interview.
Likes and dislikes: I like the fact that the work I do is hands on and helps me understand biology better. I like my lab’s comfortable atmosphere, where people are very friendly and throw parties often. The lab has provided me with important resources and connections in a field I’m interested in. My experience here will help me find a good job when I’m in college. There’s always something to do here, always some question to answer. I don’t like the tedious procedures that you spend a lot of time doing, but don’t work. I hate doing Western Blots (a test to see what proteins are secreted by cells), which takes 2 days to finish.
Advice: Get involved with something you want to work with in the future, with people in the fields you are interested in. Don’t get into something that will get you nowhere.
Sales Clerk
Who: Sara Mizuno, 17, Bravo Medical Magnet HS
Job: Sales clerk, Yaohan Mall, Lingerie and Clothes Departments $5.50/hr.
Getting the job: I saw an ad in the newspaper, applied in person, got interviewed, and got the job.
Likes and dislikes: When there are no customers, it gets really boring because there’s nothing to do except stand there. You can’t even eat, read, or write. The job isn’t very hard and you get to meet a lot of people.
Advice: Try to find a job that is flexible with your schedule.
Lab Tech
Who: Ronak Patel, 17, Bravo Medical Magnet HS
Job: Lab technician, USC Pharmaceutical Science Center, $8.00/hr.
Getting the job: I interviewed for the job after hearing about it from school.
Likes and dislikes: I like getting results at the end of experiments, but I don’t like the tedious work.
Advice: Go for the money. Forget the work. It really doesn’t matter what you do at this age.
—Kheang Long, Bravo Medical Magnet
Counter Clerk
Who: Veronica Garcia, 16, Santa Monica High School
Job: Works at the games counter at Santa Monica Pier, $5.75/hour
Getting the job: She went and got an application, filled it out, and was asked to come back the next day for an interview.
Likes and dislikes: She gets to meet different and interesting people, and she’s actually on the beach. But she dislikes racist, rude customers, and that she must be on her feet all day.
Advice: “Know what you’re looking for. Let your relatives and friends know that you’re looking for a job. Go to your school’s ROP (Regional Opportunity Program) office.”
—Alfonso Garcia, John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica
Mariachi Player
Who: Gerardo Palma, 17, San Fernando High School
Job: Plays trumpet in a mariachi group at La Fonda restaurant in the San Fernando Valley, private parties, concerts
Salary: “It varies, depending on how many musicians are playing that day of the performance. At La Fonda, the group gets paid $200. So each person gets $20 each, if someone isn’t there, then they get paid more. At private parties, it’s the same thing, it varies on who goes and who doesn’t. At concerts, we get donations of about $300. We all get about between $35-$40.”
Getting the job: “I started playing my trumpet when I was in junior high at San Fernando middle school.” Then somebody asked him if he would like to join a mariachi band because he had talent. He started going to practices and performing at private parties. He’s been working ever since.
Likes: “I like the fact that I get to meet a lot of people while playing and you get to travel to places like Guadalajara or Arizona.”
Advice: “You need to present yourself in a very decent and positive way. I’ve found that first impressions are very important and the way one presents and expresses themselves is very important to the person hiring.””