They’re ringing you up at the register, stocking shelves, safeguarding swimmers, scooping ice cream and running social media accounts for a lot of grown-ups.
These teenagers are on the job this summer, joining throngs every year who try to do more than just lounge by the pool, play on their phones or do chores at home. For some, it’s their first job.
The benefits are real. There’s been research showing people who worked as teens make more annually throughout their careers than those who did not.
But this year’s job-hunters faced a tougher time landing summer work. In June, typically the peak of teen summer hiring, the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was up to 14.4%, compared to 12.3% in June 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. Employers hired 12% fewer workers in that age group this May and June than in the same months last year.
Changes in the labor market and economic uncertainty are contributing to the hiring downturn, with tariffs playing a key role, according to the Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Companies that typically hire during the season appear to have held off in anticipation of lower demand due to higher prices.
But the challenging hiring environment didn’t discourage these three Chicago-area teens. They’re from different backgrounds, with their own motivations for seeking work. But they share the same desire to be independent. They made it through the hiring gauntlet and talk about some of their experiences as fresh faces in the workplace.
Carla Fernandez, 17
Carla is spending part of her summer helping kids enjoy a great birthday.
As a party host at Chuck E. Cheese in Skokie, she’s responsible for setting up the celebration area, taking orders and “making sure the birthday child has a blast,” as the job description says.
Her work comes with other responsibilities, too, including checking people in and even cleaning toilets.
It’s all new for the rising senior at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. Her part-time position at Chuck E. Cheese is her first job. She decided to work over break in part because of a little peer pressure. Her friends usually have summer jobs, Carla says, and she felt it was time she got one, too.
Her two older sisters, 21 and 18, both got their first jobs when they were about 16.
Carla, who lives in Skokie, hopes to become a lawyer. She thinks the people skills she’s learning at her job could help as she chases that dream.
What’s something you’ve learned on the job?
“Always just keep a smile because that actually does a lot, honestly. Everyone’s going through different stuff throughout the day. You just got to keep that smile.”
How are you spending your paycheck?
“I’m not, like, a spender. I know a lot of people just like to spend. My cousin, she worked at 14. She just spent it really fast on, like, nails, makeup and all that. I’m just saving it up for … maybe a car. My parents will probably pay for half of it, but I’ll pay the rest.”
What advice can you give other teens looking for a job?
“Just keep trying. Take initiative. I know everyone always says that, but it’s actually true. Don’t lie — people can tell when you’re genuine and when you’re lying.”
Jay Quirke Hornik, 16
Jay, who’s from West Rogers Park, is another first-timer in the workforce. He chose a unique place to get started. The rising junior at Jones College Prep, a Chicago public school, is interning at the International Museum of Surgical Science in the Gold Coast.
He gets to do a lot at the museum, including on a recent day when he shot a TikTok video featuring a prop skeleton at various exhibits. He mans the museum’s social media channels alongside other teen employees, including classmate Dana Eltayeb. They plan, shoot, edit and post videos showcasing the museum’s surgical tools, anatomical sketches and scale models.
Jay also works with the front desk and interacts with guests in the gift shop.
He hopes to get into audio production or sound engineering as a career. It might not seem connected, but Jay says the museum gig is helping — he is putting the money he earns toward funding his punk band Akrasia. His bandmates also are working over the school break. Their goal is to pool their cash to record an album.
Why did you decide to get a job this summer?
“Last summer, I feel like I wasted some of it by sleeping too late or sitting at home all day, and also I’m in a band, and the band requires a certain amount of funding to push forward.”
What has surprised you about working?
“The benefits it’s given me. I feel more structured. It’s really fixed my schedule and, like, motivation to get things done.”
What advice can you give other teens looking for a job?
“I would say apply as early as you can. I waited too long, and it was definitely down to the line, and I was a little stressed about whether I was going to get a job or not.”
Belen Doss, 16
Belen Doss, 16
Belen learned how to save lives last fall. The rising junior at the Woodlawn campus of the University of Chicago Charter School took part in the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s 12-week Water Works program, which introduces students from underserved areas to water-related careers, from oceanographer to lifeguard.
Belen earned her lifeguard certification, learning how to perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator. Thanks to the program, she landed a lifeguard position this summer watching over swimmers at the South Side YMCA pool in Woodlawn.
One of her favorite parts of the job is interacting with kids who come for lessons or to cool off from the sticky Chicago heat.
Belen decided to work this summer because she likes having her own money and developing useful skills.
The Hyde Park area native comes from a big family, with 12 siblings. They all encouraged her to do something productive over the summer. Belen’s goal is to become a dermatologist.
How are you spending your paycheck?
“I’m trying to invest it and probably save it, so it can grow and maybe get into stocks and different things like that.”
What’s something you’ve learned on the job?
“Definitely time management and also really focusing on how to deal with kids and stuff like that. Being more patient.”
What advice can you give other teens looking for a job?
“Take action. Don’t sit and wait. You have to be persistent in what you are doing and what you are saying. Continue applying, and don’t stop.”
Emmanuel Camarillo covers K-12 education for the Sun-Times. Araceli Gómez-Aldana is a WBEZ reporter and host.