Lessons in the Ups and Downs of Life : Employment: Each summer, more than 3,000 high school and college students get on-the-job training in economics--and physics.
When friends can’t hide their envy of his summer employment, Cameron Brenner sloughs it off as a simple job.
“We take an object to the highest point and let it drop,” says the Cal State Northridge mechanical engineering student and ride foreman of Magic Mountain’s Flashback, billed as the world’s only “hairpin drop” roller coaster.
Brenner is an enthusiastic foot soldier in the army of high school and college students who each summer enlist in the working world to sweep, file, cook, clean, make change and, in Brenner’s case, help carloads of screaming customers experience a brief lesson in physics.
Despite the recession, Magic Mountain remains the Mt. Everest of summer jobs for area teens.
The park employs more of them than any other business, more than 3,000 each year. It has been a reliable source of jobs for teen-agers in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys for more than 20 years.
The faces may change, but most of the amusement park’s summer workers have the same goals: saving up for college, cars, insurance and other expenses, the payoff for sacrificing their free time at the beach or in front of the TV.
Brenner, in his fourth summer at the park, now bosses around some of the less experienced ride operators, or “ride ops” as they are known.
“I started at the bumper cars, then I went to the Gold Rusher,” said the 20-year-old from Canyon Country. “One summer I was at the Log Jammer, loading and unloading people out of the boats. Then there was the Bugs Bunny roller coaster.”
For many, Magic Mountain is their first job, the place where they learn such basics of capitalism as: yes, you must show up on time, and no, you cannot wear your Raiders cap. Signs posted for employees throughout the park warn: “If you are not properly groomed, you may be sent home.”
The park requires all new employees to sit through a daylong seminar on working, which includes a mix of common sense rules--such as the proper way to fill out a time card--and Magic Mountain philosophy: Be courteous and help customers enjoy themselves.
“This is my first real job,” said Melissa Lee, 16, of Newhall. She was washing lettuce for use on the burgers that would be served later in the day. “Younger kids come up to me and say how cool it is that I work at Magic Mountain.”
Lee also works the cash register, cooks and washes dishes at one of the park’s many food joints. Like others here, she knew somebody who had a job who steered her through the application and job interview.
Besides the pay, slightly better than minimum wage, Lee and others say they like working with other young people. There are parties after work and outings, although it seems that a social caste system dictates who gets invited.
“Ushers and ride ops think they are the most glamorous,” said Lee, who is the drum major for the William S. Hart High School band.
Tim Briones, 18, of Canyon Country, goes to the movies every Monday night with about 20 to 25 colleagues. They call it the weekly Ushfest, because it’s an invite-only affair for the ushers who work in the park’s live attractions, such as the Batman and dolphin shows.
Briones figures he’ll save about $3,000 this summer, enough to make a dent in the $8,000 it will cost to attend Fresno State, where he plans to study construction management this fall.
He confirms the social hierarchy at the park: “Compared to food services, we are better.”
Over at the game booths, David Davila, 21, has a copy of “Clinical Procedures for Medical Assistants.” He studies it behind the counter when customer traffic is slow. Most of the time, though, he is pitching visitors to take a chance at “Knock ‘em down, 2 balls for $1,” which awards stuffed animal prizes for accurate throws.
Davila, who is married and has a 3-month-old son, is working to pay for tuition at a trade school, where he is studying to be an X-ray technician. He likes his job, especially compared to the work he had last summer.
“I was an electrician’s helper and I had to climb around in attics all day,” said Davila, who lives in Palmdale.
A couple of booths over, Tanjareen Martin, 20, of Reseda, said she enjoys talking to visitors from around the world and likes the social life among park workers.
“There’s a monthly newsletter and you see wedding announcements of people who work here,” said Martin, a Cal State Northridge student.
But it’s not all cotton candy making the transition from carefree student to hourly worker. Tim Burkhart recalls the challenge of his first summer job at Magic Mountain, as ride operator for the Cyclone roller coaster 16 years ago.
“I was scared to death my first day,” said Burkhart, now vice president of park operations. “The control panel was bigger than a desk, with about 50 lights, push buttons and television monitors. I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m going to run this?’ I didn’t realize that it was completely computer controlled, and as an operator I had to push two buttons to make it go.”
Roland Miller, an assistant manager of operations, started working at the park 14 years ago, a ride op for the old bumper boats. Like his boss, Burkhart, Miller made a career of a former summer job after graduating from Cal State Northridge. Although most of his pals from past summers are working in other professions, he said he talks to many from time to time.
“They say these were the glory days,” Miller said.
