High Life : A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Creative Financing Is All in a Summer’s Work

To many of the growing number of unemployed adults, the coming of summer is not being anxiously awaited. Jobs are scarce, and good jobs even rarer.

And now the kids have joined the work force, vacuuming up many of the temporary jobs. All across Orange County, teen-agers free from the burdens of high school are looking to make some money to pay for cars, clothes, college and a wealth of other expenses needed to maintain “a life.”

Cars and car-related expenses especially can put the student in the poorhouse. “My bank account was empty,” lamented Scott Taylor, 16, a junior at Loara High School in Anaheim. Taylor not only bought his own car but is paying for the insurance.

Taylor is trying for a job at a supermarket. “It’s close by and easy to get to,” he said. His guidelines for a good job are easy access, convenient hours and wages of at least $5 per hour. If the grocery job falls through, Taylor plans to continue his search at various stores at the mall in Santa Ana.

As in years past, a common student summer job is flipping burgers at fast-food restaurants, which starts at the minimum wage of $4.25 per hour. Some students, however, have managed to find more creative work.

Jason Subia, a Fullerton High senior, parlayed his dancing skills into one of the few dancing parts--a Cinderella court dancer--in Disneyland’s Electrical Parade. For Subia, the $6.81-per-hour job, described as a pageant helper, also involves a part in the daytime Aladdin parade as the Inflatable Acrobat.

Like many students, Subia, 17, is using much of his earnings for car insurance. As a 40-hour-per-week worker during the summer, he also gets health benefits and nine gate passes.

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Erin Hunt, 16, landed a unique job: She’s Honey the Bee, the Orange County Fair mascot. To promote the fair opening, the Fullerton High junior has participated in city parades and helped with advance sales during the fairgrounds swap meet.

“It’s fun and different,” she said, even though the costume she wears is “totally” hot. “We take breaks a lot,” she said. “If you don’t take breaks you could faint really easily.”

Hunt plans to use her $6 hourly wage for car insurance and college funds, as well as for a trip to the Future Farmers of America national convention in November. Being a mascot, however, is its own reward, Hunt said. “It’s fun when all the little kids run up to you and think you’re the greatest thing.”

In Fullerton, many students choose to work at the local AMC movie theaters. David Gerber, 16, a new theater employee who will be a senior at Fullerton High, says he needs money to pay for college room and board. “I chose this job because I knew a lot of people who worked there, and it’s a fun and easy job.”

For his $4.25 per hour, Gerber works the concession stands and cleans the theaters. Although the monetary benefits are no attraction, theater workers grab occasional handfuls of popcorn and drinks, and they can usually see movies a day before they’re released to the public. These benefits are enough, Gerber says, to make him want to hold onto the job as long as he can.

Shannon Hassett, 17, will be working at Cal State Fullerton as a lifeguard and swim instructor for children ages 3 to 8. To qualify for the job, Hassett had to undergo more than 85 hours of training to receive CPR and Water Safety Instructor certification.

“At first I didn’t know I had to do all this stuff, but now I’ve gotten myself more into it,” said Hassett, a senior at Fullerton. “I was just going to start out doing life-guarding, but it pays a lot more if you do swim lessons.”

As a lifeguard, Hassett, will start at $5.80 per hour but will be paid $6.30 per hour for giving swim lessons. To supplement this income, she is considering taking on another swim instructor job with the YMCA.

Aside from her hours of training, Hassett is required to maintain physical fitness and renew her Water Safety certification each year with the Red Cross.

Unknown to many students, a program affiliated with the Regional Occupational Program allows students to earn high school credit at the same time they’re earning money working at a summer job. Cooperative Vocational Education is an arrangement between the Regional Occupational Program and local businesses. It requires that students attend one 2 1/2-hour class each week to get extra training related to their weekly paid work of at least 12 hours. Students interested in CVE classes need not be employed at the time of enrollment.

“It’s a win-win situation,” said Ivan Ballard, a retail CVE instructor and coordinator. “The employer wins because he gets a person taking a class that relates to the job they’re doing. The student wins because he gets paid while earning elective credit and extra training for the job he is doing.”

The Regional Occupational Program also includes apprenticeships in heating, air-conditioning and other trades. For information, call (714) 680-3714.