Students count on their summer jobs
Along with spring break and finals week, summer is one of the most important times in a college student's life.
They use this time to relax and reconnect with friends, but they also use it to earn enough money in three or four months to cover the cost of books, gas, rent, utilities and entertainment.
In Butler County, things are no different. Many students spend their summers at home and work in a range of settings. In some cases, students also commute.
On the clock
About six college students call Playthings, Etc. in Clay Township their place of employment this summer.
Rob Gramley, 23, of Franklin is living in Butler while he attends Butler County Community College for computer information systems.
“I wanted to work at a place that was a lot of fun. It seemed like it would be a really cool job, and it turns out it is,” Gramley said.
“I get to play with all of the toys we have out, demonstrate them to customers. We are always getting new toys in, so it's like Christmas every day.”
“Pretty much everybody who comes in the door has fun while they are here, which really makes it an enjoyable place to work,” he said.
Mazzanti's Beans and Cream in Center Township has a pair of students headed to college in the fall and one current university student on its payroll.
Alex Weil, 20, of Prospect is in his second summer slinging cones between semesters at Westminster College in New Wilmington, where he double-majors in French and music.
Mazzanti's is the second ice cream eatery he has worked.
“I like to say I'm a veteran in the business,” Weil joked. “I don't really consider it a food service even though it is. It's fun for me and it's not overly complicated. And, I really like ice cream.”
Although his former favorite ice cream — chocolate-covered pretzel — has disappeared from the menu, Weil finds solace in the shop's peanut butter cup s'mores flavor.
When he's not tending to cone-coveting customers, Weil also works for Westminster's theater department, helping at camps throughout the summer.Suncrest Golf Course in Penn Township hires college students for a number of positions, from bar help to pro shop sales.“Usually, we start hiring in March, when we open for the season,” said pro shop employee Linda Reddinger.“We have college kids that work on the course itself, and sometimes they are cart washers, as well.”Reddinger said the number of hires depends on how many students return from previous summers.“The last three years, we've done very well with that. This year we only had to hire two new ones,” she said.“Typically, we start at minimum wage, but it depends on their experience and how well they work out.”Free golf also is included in the pay, a perk for those students who like to hit the links.However, adults have been taking some of the jobs formerly occupied by students.“(We hire adults) because they can start earlier and stay later in the season,” Reddinger said.Reliability can play a part, too. Of the two students hired this summer, one quit and the other was fired, Reddinger said, adding some students don't want to get up early or put in the effort required.Dave Jones, owner of the Dave Jones Farm in Jefferson Township, said his incentive-based pay draws dozens of high school students, but few college students.“We hire part-time, seasonal, casual work for picking sweet corn and helping to butcher the turkeys,” Jones said. “College kids aren't attracted to picking sweet corn.”
Two college students are regulars on the farm, though, returning season after season.Jones' pay scale increases based on how many wheelbarrows per hour the employees pick, putting hard workers well above the minimum wage line.“(I have a minimum amount, and) if you pick above and beyond that, you get more money,” Jones said.Many students, like Brett Macurdy, aren't afraid of a little hard work.Macurdy is a 2008 Knoch High School graduate who will enter his senior year at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall.The psychology major plans to be a pre-med student in keeping with his goal of becoming a psychiatrist.And if drywall could talk, Macurdy would have had many practice patients over the last few years.Macurdy's summer job recently has been working with his father, Robert, renovating rental units. On a recent afternoon, he donned his paint-spattered shorts and T-shirt for an evening shift of spackling and sprucing up an apartment in Saxonburg.“I'd rather be doing something else, but jobs are hard to come by this summer,” he said.Macurdy said his dad pays him a nominal wage that supplies him with summer pocket money in return for school-year financial help with tuition, books and food.“I don't mind it,” Macurdy said as he rolled thick paint on an apartment wall. “It's manual labor, which is good.”
Jenn Hulse, 18, prefers the splash of chlorinated water with her work in the sun.Hulse, who graduated from Mars High School and plans on attending York College in the fall, has worked at Seven Fields' Town Park Pool for two years and plans on returning in future summers because of the fun she has there.Many of the lifeguards at the pool are high school and college-aged students, many of whom rely on the position as a steady source of income during the summer.The job isn't just beneficial for socializing, Hulse said. It's also taught her valuable lessons she'll take with her later on in life.“I've definitely become more of a people person,” Hulse said. “I find it easier to talk to people now and communicate, especially with little kids.”Kathy Quigley, one of the owners of Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest in Marion Township, said the campground employs two college students, including one who has been working there since he was in high school.“As long as he works the position, he's got it,” Quigley said.She said the campground does not specifically target college students. However, since it is a seasonal business, students often apply.When the campground ran an advertisement at the beginning of the season, Quigley had a lot of interest from adults who had lost their jobs or needed additional income.“It's sad,” Quigley said.Jeff Filicko, a spokesman for Kennywood Amusement Park in West Mifflin, Allegheny County, said students make up most of the parks 1,500 summer employees.“The vast majority of our employees are college and high school students,” Filicko said.He said the park targets college students to operate the roller coasters because state law says that operators must be over 18 years old.Filicko said Kennywood also has seen an increase in adults seeking summer positions over the past few years.On the hunt
To help students find jobs, most colleges and universities offer employment counseling.Lois Trimbur, Butler County Community College career service specialist, said community colleges are different from four-year universities when it comes to finding employment for students.“At community colleges, most of our students are looking for year-round employment while being a full-time student and businesses know that,” Trimbur said.She said 76 percent of students at BC3 maintain a full or part-time job year-round.Those students are able to find employment steadily because of a productive relationship between the college and businesses such as Giant Eagle, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's.The Career Services Office at Slippery Rock University also helps students find work both on and off campus at places like SRU's Abersold Recreation Center and the Prime Outlets near Grove City.Additionally, SRU hosts a summer job and internship fair in early February to help its students find work. That event features booths for a variety of locations, from summer camps to amusement parks.However, many students prefer scanning the newspaper and Internet, or simply hitting the streets, for employment notices.<B><I>Eagle staff writers Paula Grubbs and Jared Stonesifer, as well as Eagle News Intern Brian Brodeur contributed to this report. </B></I>
