LABJ forum–Most Memorable Summer Job?

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It’s summertime, and the living is easy at least for American students. After years of economic expansion, vacationing students are flush, so they’re unwilling to take summer jobs. As a result, seasonal businesses that typically rely on high school and college students to bolster their ranks during peak season are facing a severe labor crunch. Some companies are even importing young workers from places like Eastern Europe. Times weren’t always so cushy for young Americans, so the Business Journal asks:

What was your most unforgettable summer job?


Mitch Kemper

Executive Director of Investments

Oppenheimer

Los Angeles

In the early ’70s I valet-parked cars for the summer at Joe Namath’s nightclub in Ft. Lauderdale. Back then, it was a famous spot where everyone came, including the NFL stars. Here I was on summer break from high school and I was making $100 a night and meeting all these people. Back then, it seemed electric. One thing that sticks out in my head is that when you got in the cars to park them, it was like Cheech and Chong the cars were full of marijuana smoke.


Chris Dickerson

Deputy Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s Office

I was a busboy at a place called Martins West in Baltimore. It was owned by a bunch of Italian guys and it happened to be the year that “The Godfather” came out. Every one of them was doing a sendup of Sonny Corleone. It was great, here they’re doing imitations of the real thing and they were the real thing. That one sticks in my head; it was three months in the summer of ’72.


Louis Posen

Owner Hopeless Records

The most memorable was the frozen yogurt store in Westwood. It was a small community where we all knew each other. I heard the store closed recently, but it was in between the Mann Village (movie theater) and the Arcade. It wasn’t just a summer job, but it started that way. It got bought out after I started, but I didn’t get axed because I was too new to be part of the corruption. Plus, they needed someone to order the yogurt and clean the machines; the new regime had never run a yogurt store before.


Coralie Langston-Jones

Vice President Global Fusion

It was something that students would do during the summer break from school or university. You and your pals would go and work the summer sale at Harrods in London. It is such a thrill to do it. As students, we could not afford Harrods, but during the sale we would get a discount. It was all about the discount and experience. “You heard about the Harrods sale and now come and experience it yourself.” It really is a scene.


Robin Heinz

Freelance Web Editor

I always did clerical temp work over the summer, and during my freshman year in college I fell into the most mind-numbing, dumb job. All summer long, I photocopied blueprints for computer components. The most interesting thing about it was that I didn’t realize copy machines could copy items this large. But then they offered me the job full-time and I tried to explain that it was just a summer job and I was going to school to avoid a job like that. I was just filling in for the summer, but someone actually did that for a living. Hey, I did learn how to use a blueprint machine.

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