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imjoee

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
284
0
Anyone know of any friends or family members working at Apple at the age of 18?

I want to become a specialist as my Apple job.
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
55,097
52,707
Behind the Lens, UK
Aim higher. I love apple products as much as the next guy, but working in Apple retail is not the dream ticket it sounds like. Poor pay, and little hope for advancement.

My advice to you is stay on in school if you can. If academia is not for you, learn a trade. Working in the Apple store is not what you want to do for the next 40 years is it?
 

Macman45

macrumors G5
Jul 29, 2011
13,197
135
Somewhere Back In The Long Ago
I agree, stay at school, as appealing as a job in an Apple store is, you are going to get bored pretty fast. If you stay in school and get further qualifications, your chances of a job are greatly improved.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
I believe starting rate for Apple retail is on the higher end of many retailers. I would never work there out of high school without intentions of going to college or finding a better job, but I wouldn't shy away from working there as a whole.

OP, there are many many 18 year olds who work Apple retail jobs. Go to your local Apple store and look. Apply when you turn 18 and hope for the best. Know that not working at Apple retail in no way means you won't have a good job, possibly at Apple (if you're qualified) in the future.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,409
3,404
NJ
You absolutely need retail experience already, especially if it's a popular store.
 

imjoee

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
284
0
Thank you all for your replies, i was hoping to work at apple and still go to highschool at the same time. Are the hours at apple flexible and i have no work experience yet.

thanks.
 

Queen of Spades

macrumors 68030
May 9, 2008
2,644
132
The Iron Throne
Aim higher. I love apple products as much as the next guy, but working in Apple retail is not the dream ticket it sounds like. Poor pay, and little hope for advancement.

My advice to you is stay on in school if you can. If academia is not for you, learn a trade. Working in the Apple store is not what you want to do for the next 40 years is it?

I think he may be talking about working at Apple while in school, which I think is totally different. Most people need to make money while in school, and Apple pays okay for retail.

You absolutely need retail experience already, especially if it's a popular store.

100% not true. They hire based on personality, how well you engage with others, openness, etc. It's a surprisingly complicated process, but you can know absolutely nothing about Apple products (they actually prefer you know less coming in) and have never worked retail, and you can still be hired.

I worked at Apple while in school, and it was...an experience. I will say Apple really does hire some of the best people. People really drink the kool aid and think it's a privilege to sling iPhones for $12 an hour, so they are able to hire some really smart and awesome people to do it. I universally liked my co-workers and was always wondering what the hell they were doing working at Apple, hehe.

OP - The hours are flexible to an extent, like any job. You will most likely be working weekends, but a bunch of us were students and were able to work around our class schedules. They typically don't give you more than 15-20 hours anyway. You don't necessarily need retail experience, but I'm not sure if having no work experience at all will hurt you. Try and be yourself in the interview, but don't overdo the "I'm a nerd, I love Apple!" crap. We had a guy who dressed like Steve Jobs in our group interview (mock turtleneck, new balances), and it was really embarrassing. Needless to say, he and a couple of other over the top people did not move forward to the next interview.

Good luck. And remember, working retail (even Apple) totally sucks, so study hard to ensure you don't have to do it for long.
 

imjoee

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
284
0
I think he may be talking about working at Apple while in school, which I think is totally different. Most people need to make money while in school, and Apple pays okay for retail.



100% not true. They hire based on personality, how well you engage with others, openness, etc. It's a surprisingly complicated process, but you can know absolutely nothing about Apple products (they actually prefer you know less coming in) and have never worked retail, and you can still be hired.

I worked at Apple while in school, and it was...an experience. I will say Apple really does hire some of the best people. People really drink the kool aid and think it's a privilege to sling iPhones for $12 an hour, so they are able to hire some really smart and awesome people to do it. I universally liked my co-workers and was always wondering what the hell they were doing working at Apple, hehe.

OP - The hours are flexible to an extent, like any job. You will most likely be working weekends, but a bunch of us were students and were able to work around our class schedules. They typically don't give you more than 15-20 hours anyway. You don't necessarily need retail experience, but I'm not sure if having no work experience at all will hurt you. Try and be yourself in the interview, but don't overdo the "I'm a nerd, I love Apple!" crap. We had a guy who dressed like Steve Jobs in our group interview (mock turtleneck, new balances), and it was really embarrassing. Needless to say, he and a couple of other over the top people did not move forward to the next interview.

Good luck. And remember, working retail (even Apple) totally sucks, so study hard to ensure you don't have to do it for long.

Everything you said is right on, exactly what i want to hear!

thanks!

i want to become an apple specialist, do they hire specialists at age 18?
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
55,097
52,707
Behind the Lens, UK
Thank you all for your replies, i was hoping to work at apple and still go to highschool at the same time. Are the hours at apple flexible and i have no work experience yet.

thanks.

Sorry ignore my first post then. If you are looking for a job to work around your studies, then go for it. Just remember to get the work/study/fun balance right!

There are plenty of threads on here by people who have been through the selection process. So have a read up before you apply.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1621051/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1120467/

Good luck!
 

imjoee

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
284
0

sk1wbw

Suspended
May 28, 2011
3,483
1,010
Williamsburg, Virginia
I wanted to work at an Apple Store myself. I've only been using Apple hardware since around 1980 or so but that didn't qualify me for some reason. I guess I'm hip enough.
 

Roller

macrumors 68030
Jun 25, 2003
2,852
1,967
Good luck. And remember, working retail (even Apple) totally sucks, so study hard to ensure you don't have to do it for long.

This. Retail gets old quickly. I did it for a couple of summers while I was in college and was happy to give it up. But best of luck to the OP - I think that explaining Apple products to customers would be more fun than pushing widgets.
 

iMikeT

macrumors 68020
Jul 8, 2006
2,304
1
California
This reminds me of when I wanted to work for Worst Buy (Best Buy) when I was much younger and far more foolish. Well I managed to get a job there one day but it proved to be one of the worst jobs I've ever had.

I'm sure Apple retail stores aren't as bad as Worst Buy but the perception of an organization can change once you're on the other side.
 

imjoee

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
284
0
2010 Link for Apple Store pay: OSXDaily.com. Looks like retail to me. If you are working while going to school, no problem. I think they take part time workers.
That's the main reason I want to work with apple, they pay more than minimum wage also it's apple! Haha hopefully I can work part time at apple during my high school, school year
 

Tsuchiya

macrumors 68020
Jun 7, 2008
2,310
372
Aim higher. I love apple products as much as the next guy, but working in Apple retail is not the dream ticket it sounds like. Poor pay, and little hope for advancement.

My advice to you is stay on in school if you can. If academia is not for you, learn a trade. Working in the Apple store is not what you want to do for the next 40 years is it?

This. There's nothing wrong with it of course, but it's still a retail job and advancement is limited. It's not like a small step from being a specialist to working in Cupertino if you know what I mean.
 
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