How difficult is it for a high school grad to find a job in NOVA? (Leesburg: home, job market)

[minipaws]

We will be moving to Ashburn in 3 weeks. My almost 19 yr old son has not been able to find a job here in NJ yet. It is a big problem in our area. Will his chances improve once we move?

[FCNova]

Any job? Sure there's tons of hourly jobs to be had in the area. It's a big metro area.

[LynchburgLover]

What kind of job is he seeking? What kind of job skills does he possess? It's hard to give you advice with so little info to go on.

If you're talking retail, coffee shops, etc, there is a regional mall -- Dulles Town Center and an outlet mall in Leesburg. There are a couple of large garden centers between Leesburg and Ashburn.

There are also several golf courses/country clubs -- Brambleton, River Creek, Lansdowne, Goose Creek, 1757 and Belmont -- all very close to Ashburn.

There is also a large new movie theater -- Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse -- opening fairly soon as well as one in Leesburg by Wegmans grocery store.

Good luck.

[eyeball]

If I were the parent of an 18 year old high school grad who had no plans on going to college, I certainly wouldn't point him toward the mall for gainful employment. There's a ton of building going on around here though, from home remodels, to new builds, to office buildings, etc. I'd point him to the local community college to maybe get into some program that would eventually lead to an apprenticeship as a carpenter/electrician/plumber, or something like that.

[minipaws]

He has no job experience at all. He hasn't even been able to get a job in a fast food chain around here.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by minipaws

He has no job experience at all. He hasn't even been able to get a job in a fast food chain around here.

Really? I got a job at CVS when I was 16, with no job experience. Maybe the job market in New Jersey is that bad that there is alot of competition for low paying hourly jobs? If that's what he's shooting for I'm pretty sure he'll find something in Northern Virginia.

[LynchburgLover]

Originally Posted by eyeball

If I were the parent of an 18 year old high school grad who had no plans on going to college, I certainly wouldn't point him toward the mall for gainful employment. There's a ton of building going on around here though, from home remodels, to new builds, to office buildings, etc. I'd point him to the local community college to maybe get into some program that would eventually lead to an apprenticeship as a carpenter/electrician/plumber, or something like that.

I agree completely. But OP didn't give any indication of skills, which leads you to minimum wage jobs.

I also agree, Northern Virginia Community College is a great idea and very close to Ashburn.

But a lot of that depends on son's motivation. A few months in a dead-end job may wake him up to the importance of finding an opportunity with career growth thru education or training.

[HereinVA]

How strong are grocery store unions (UFCW) out here?

When I was just starting college at 18, I got a job at a union grocery store chain--this was in Southern California. Pay started just above minimum wage but it was easy to get promoted quickly and pay increased a lot. Within about 2 years I was promoted to checker, making around $12/hr with "time and a half" on Sundays and "triple time" on holidays. This was back in the mid-90s, when minimum wage was around $5.50/hr--so not bad for a 20 year old college student.

Also, since it was union, you got guaranteed hours (number of hours, not guaranteed the days/times you want) and excellent health benefits.

I know I've seen some of the grocery stores around here with union stickers on the door, but not sure if the union here has negotiated as strong a contract as ours did?

[cdmurphy]

It seems like every place around Ashburn is always hiring. A lot of the high school kids don't work (either don't need the money, or they're doing sports camps or SAT camps or whatever) and there aren't a lot of college-aged people here.

Can he lifeguard? Some of the area pools (like Broadlands) didn't open with as many hours last week because the management companies use a lot of international kids (mostly from Eastern Europe) and it's been harder to get visas since the Boston bombings. My neighborhood uses Crystal Aquatics, which hires locally.

[minipaws]

Thanks for the ideas. It sounds like he will have better chances there than he has had here.