American Teenagers Struggle to Compete in the Summer Job Market

I understand your frustrations - although I never had that problem personally as a teen in need of a summer job, I can blantly see the rising occurance here in the D.C. area.

I am from Pittsburgh, and so when I was 14 a handful of years ago, I had no problem getting a job at a local Burger King with a bunch of other white, suburban, snot-nosed kids. But if I go through the drive-thru at a Burger King in D.C., instead of finding a snot-nosed, white surburban kid I see a petite hispanic woman asking for my money in spanish.

I used to be offended (for lack of a better word) by people who stereotypically looked or acted like they just got to this country yesterday who receive jobs that a needy high school kid would appreciate. But now I work at a mall with a lot of spanish-speaking women (and women who speak a slew of other languages too), and getting to work side-by-side with them has opened my eyes to the fact that (a) not all of them are illegal as my prejudice first made me assume and (b) they're just trying to do the exact same thing we're all trying to do - make money!

Luckily for a lot of middle-class, traditional American families, kids can rely on their parents for financial assistance if they really are having that hard of a time finding jobs. However, I have heard of a lot of businesses, both small and large, that would prefer to hire your traditional American teen over a newly-arrived immigrant. This mostly includes jobs outside the fast food industry. Teens just have to be creative with their job search until the hunt becomes easier (which may take a while...).

Interesting comment from Kelley, it appears that you may have a severe prejudice against "white, suburban, snot-nosed kids" as you describe them. No where in the article does it state that there is a lack of so called "white" kids, re-read the piece... it points out a lack of "poor American kids". American kids are not, and never have been a homogeneous group. An entire establishment that only employs as you put it; "petite Hispanic woman" is discriminating against all those who do not fit that description. Those who see prejudice in every commentary are usually those that are most prejudice themselves.

To suggest that the American dream is for every child to mooch off there parents is a disappointing commentary on your perspective. Most middle income families want their children to work to learn the value of an earned dollar. Further work experience while young gives graduates entering the work force a boost.

As an aside, people in DC and the Northeast lack a full understanding of the tremendous impact of illegal immigration on the Border States. Spend a month in Los Angeles and then maybe your comments will include a fuller understanding of the true crisis the Border States face on a daily basis.