Within a year, she applied to 30 different locations. In that span of time, she got two interviews. The desperation grew as money became scarce. She then began to try harder, calling locations weekly and strengthening her interview skills. Since the age of 16, senior Angelique Faison has been trying to find a job. She will soon be turning 18.
It wasn’t until the recent seasonal hirings that she was able to get a third interview and was offered a job. Faison feels the burden of competing with adults.

“I’m competing with people who already had four or five jobs, and my schedule isn’t as flexible,” Faison said. “Why would they want to hire me?” Even now that the senior has found a job, it is only seasonal and does not guarantee a decent amount of hours. In three weeks she was only able to work 13 hours.
It’s no surprise that during the holidays money becomes scarce for many students and their families. Competition in the job market is inevitable; nearly all individuals have financial needs. The problem isn’t the competition that is rising but rather the level at which it is occurring.
The complication is found in the amount of minimum wage jobs that are occupied by adults.
Social studies teacher Tara Hayes speaks to her students about her youth, recalling the minimum wage jobs at places like McDonald’s being predominantly for teenagers.
However, today she claims that many of those jobs are taken by adults, leaving students who seek employment unable to find a job.
According to the Washington Times’ Ben Wolfgang, the number of employed high school students is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. In May of 2012, Wolfgang reported that in 1990, 32 percent of students in high schools had jobs, as opposed to the 16 percent today.
He argues that the decline in percentages is an echo of the great recession.
Many of the adults that students have to compete with are without a college degree. In February of 2012, New York Times reported that the amount of people over 25 who held a college degree was at 30 percent. Since many people fail to complete college degrees, they aren’t able to get jobs that pay more than minimum wage.
However, in some cases, adults who find themselves overwhelmed with college debt also end up being the ones that students have to compete with. Living in a capitalist society, it is more than common to be in a competitive situation, whether it be college acceptance, job placement, or at times even a cosmetic competition. The competition that students face is based on experience, age and flexibility.
However, it is not impossible to get a job as a student. Faison recently received a job offer from another place.
“It’s kind of all luck, you have to look in the places you would least expect,” Faison said.