Rocky market for jobs leads youths to make their own way
With school out and summer in full swing, a typical teenager might be tempted to sleep well into the afternoon. Ryan Lerman is not your typical teen.
At 9 a.m. Monday, the Branson High School junior is in position at the Fairfax Coffee Roasters, neatly dressed in a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, with his Heritage Gold Eagle guitar in hand.
As customers line up at the registers for their lattes, chat at small tables over scones and flip through the paper, 16-year-old Lerman entertains the crowd with jazzy renditions of "Blackbird" and "My Romance."
"I love performing," Lerman said. "My dad really wanted me to get a job, but I didn't want to get stuck working somewhere that wouldn't help me in the future."
Lerman is among an elite group of Marin teens who are pursuing their passions - and getting paid for doing it. At a time when the slow economy has made the job hunt difficult for teens seeking summer employment, these entrepreneurs are coping with a tight job market by creating their own work.The jobless rate for California teens was at 19.8 percent in May - a nine-year high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Lerman is among an elite group of Marin teens who are pursuing their passions - and getting paid for doing it. At a time when the slow economy has made the job hunt difficult for teens seeking summer employment, these entrepreneurs are coping with a tight job market by creating their own work.The jobless rate for California teens was at 19.8 percent in May - a nine-year high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gene Abbott, coordinator of regional occupational programs at the Marin County Office of Education, collects job descriptions from organizations seeking student workers for the summer. This year, he's only received 20 descriptions, less than a third of what he's seen in the past.
"It's a different job market this year," he said. "There's no question. Students are competing with adults to fill the same jobs."
Lerman has avoided all that by setting up his own gigs. He makes $30, plus another $30 to $40 in tips, for his weekly, three-hour solo performance at the coffeehouse and has a regular weekly gig at Rosetti's Italian Restaurant in San Rafael, where he makes $20 to $30 in tips.
Several Marin teens have been given a financial boost to start their own businesses through the Youth Leadership Institute's Young Entrepreneurs Fund, sponsored by the Marin Community Foundation and Fullerton Family Fund.
Chad Janusch, 16, who will be a senior next year at Novato High School, received a grant of $2,666 from the leadership institute for his video production company, Anti-Analog Productions.
Janusch started the company in December with friends Steve Kenyon and Eric Rivera, who will both be seniors next year at San Marin High School.
The trio put the grant money to good use on new equipment, including a Mackie eight-channel sound board, a Videonic MX ProDV video switch, two digital video cables and eight Panasonic VCRs.
Anti-Analog has produced studio-edited recordings of the Novato High production of "Guys and Dolls" and the San Ramon Elementary School talent show. They did their first live-edit production at the Sinaloa Middle School graduation this month.
"It went really well," Janusch said. The group sold 40 video tapes and 15 DVDs of the event - at $15 and $35 a pop - to eager parents of Sinaloa graduates.
Brendan Davis, 17, who will be a senior next year at San Rafael High, took part in the institute's entrepreneur training program to start his mobile DJ and events company.
"A lot of kids are kind of surprised when they see someone my age doing all these things," he said. "But it's not complicated. It just takes dedication."
Kids with that kind of dedication, however, are rare.
Twelve Marin County teens originally signed up for the institute's young entrepreneur training course, which required 60 hours of training on everything from business plans and feasibility studies to promotions and sales. Only five students completed the program, and only Davis submitted a business plan for grant funding.
"Getting trained to start your own business is not a typical high school endeavor," said Kenji Treanor, program coordinator for youth philanthropy at the institute. "Brendan is an exceptional young man, with a tremendous amount of ambition."
After submitting his business proposal, Davis got a $1,980 grant to fund his first big event: an all-ages hip-hop show at the San Rafael Community Center last year.
Davis spent almost a year planning the event - reserving the space, getting security, designing flyers and booking the performers. In the end, 325 people attended "Elementals," which showcased break dancing, rappers and the work of well-known graffiti artists.
Davis said he could not have pulled it off without the support of his mentor, Treanor. It's a familiar theme for these teens - a strong support network that helps them to achieve.
Parents play a key role in that support. "Unlike a lot of kids, I can go to my parents with anything," Davis said. "I feel that other kids don't have that."
These kids also have an inner spark.
"Some students have an intrinsic motivation," said Mickey Carson, who works with Novato students for the Marin School to Career Partnership program. "They have a spirit of wanting to do the best and take risks."
"I have aspirations. I don't know where they come from," Davis said. "People describe it as being hungry. I've got that hunger."
Contact Carol Hunter via e-mail at chunter@marinij.com
Email This Page!