Teens working on Vashon

By Elsa Vatheuer, Reporter

Many students and teenagers living on Vashon start to look for jobs during high school. Businesses like the Vashon Pharmacy, Thriftway, Island Queen—along with others—are all common businesses for teenagers to find jobs.

In a tight-knit community like Vashon, there are many ways to find work. One way is to take initiative and start job-hunting.

“I sent in my resume and application, and then I got contacted by the owner and had a little meeting with them,” junior Sadie Choo, who works at the pharmacy, said. “[It was] pretty easy.”

Another way to find a job is through connections. Many have friends working somewhere that’s hiring or just personally know someone that’s looking for employees.

“Connections are very helpful. So if you have a friend who’s already working somewhere or if you have connections through family friends and stuff like that, [it’s useful]. The amount of people I’ve talked to when I was applying for jobs, [they said that] there’s such an inner network of people,” Choo said.

Neve Devoght is a great example of someone who found their job through connections. Even when not looking for a job, one can come across an opportunity and still be interested enough to take it.

“I work for a woman named Tavi who’s a tour manager, and I just help her when she’s planning tours. I helped her with some lighting, and volunteer work led to a job,” Devoght said.

Many teenagers can change jobs as well, whether that be because they become disinterested in their job, have a conflict of interest, or just want to switch it up.

“I did work for Snapdragon for a while. I also worked at the recess lab. People rented out the space I’d go and I’d open up the gym and I’d give them their shoes and stuff like that,” Devoght said. “I think I’ve liked all of my jobs.”

It’s important that you get along with your coworkers but some may have more negative experiences with their colleagues. It’s always going to be different at each place, and it can be easier when there are other teenagers working with you as well.

“It’s usually pretty fun. [My coworkers are] all pretty nice. Like, especially when I was first starting out. [They’re all] really welcoming and easy to work with,” Isaac Chasen said.

It’s also good to know what you’re interested in when looking for a job, especially in terms of difficulty and effort. Different people have different preferences on things in a job such as the amount of labor, the people they work with, the work environment, and overall just the type of work they’d be doing.

“I’d say the recess lab was really easy. Snapdragon was very difficult; It was pretty busy. And then the work I’m doing now is medium difficult. It’s mostly working from home,” Devoght said.

Everyone has different experiences with looking for and getting jobs. Connections and knowing what you’re looking for in a job can often help.