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January 13, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR BARBARA
KONTOGIANNIS IN CO
: It's hard to say that there are any "Best" jobs
for 16 year olds during
the summer. Any job experience is a plus. You learn skills
that help you
work with people and handle responsibility. Much of it depends
on your
interests. And just because you don't have a "technical"
job while you are
in high school doesn't mean that you cannot go on to have
a technical
career. Personally, I learned a lot about what I did NOT want
to do through
my summer jobs. I did a lot of typing and filing work for
a doctor, summers
and after school, and although I found it interesting to a
point, I realized
that a career in medicine was not for me. I also worked for
a tree and lawn
care company, and a recreation center in my summers during
and just after
high school. Were any of those really technical? No. But I
did learn a
lot about business in general. Only later did I have a technical
internship
(after my junior year of college).
A suggestion for a summer job - try to find something that
interests you and
is perhaps a bit out of the ordinary. Rather than going for
the job at the
amusement park or fast food restaurant, a typical mainstay
for teens, try to
find a job that will give you exposure to new and different
experiences, and
that will challenge you in different ways. You may even find
a job in a
technical environment, like a small engineering firm or a
laboratory. Your
job will likely not be technical in nature, but you can learn
from observing
and talking to other employees.
Good luck to you, I hope you find something satisfying.
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