Adults are concerned about getting jobs in today’s economy.

High school and college students are also concerned.

They know that, in this job market, they will be competing with adults for the same jobs. So, they are choosing their career paths carefully.

Michelle Pelletier, 21, of Pembroke, recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She has been applying for jobs since January.

“I’ve been struggling,” said Pelletier. “The numbers of engineering jobs are fewer than they might be. I’ve gotten a few responses and interviews but no real offers yet.”

Corrinne Foreman-Doherty is a guidance counselor at Pembroke Academy. She said she sees concerns that the high achieving kids wanting to go to prestigious universities are finding the money is not there for scholarships.

“Kids are choosing UNH and Keene State and Plymouth,” said Foreman-Doherty. “Community colleges have a great acceptance rate for high-end kids but, with the way things are now, they will have big bills to pay. I think the kids still have their minds set on what they want and their parents are supporting them. Students are choosing more carefully where they are going. Other kids are purposely going to a community college with the intention of transferring later on. Some kids are not ready to go to school yet and need to work for a while.”

A lot of area kids who want to work locally are lucky, said Foreman-Doherty. A local grocery store, Bi-Wise, located in Allenstown, makes a practice of hiring primarily high school and college kids.

Mark Giradin, who manages Bi-Wise, said the idea of hiring young people has worked for the store since before his being hired 26 years ago. He said two-thirds of the staff is part-time employees and the other third are full time.

“The kids know about us,” Giradin said. “We hire them for cashier, bagging and stocking positions. Most come from Pembroke, but also Hooksett, Chichester and Allenstown. We have college kids who worked here as high school kids and now commute back here to work because they need to make money.”

The reason they are successful in keeping their staff of students is that they try to be as accommodating as possible with the students’ schedules. Giradin said they try to work with the kids so as not to interfere with their sports and other extracurricular activities.

“We have a stack of applications,” Giradin said. “Our kids bring their friends in who are looking for work. As the high school seniors leave, we have sophomores and juniors ready to step in. It’s a good system that works for us. We’re small and independent, so we are able to have an adult supervisor for five kids at a time. If they had to supervise 50 kids, it would not work out as well.”

Two college students and one high school student who are employed at Bi-Wise have high hopes for their future. And, they say they love their jobs and are grateful to be working.

Keith Zona, 19, of Hooksett, attended New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord before transferring to the Motorcycle Mechanical Institute.

“I want to learn about motorcycles and hope to eventually open my own customized shop,” Zona said. “When I graduate, MMI will help me find my first job. There is a high demand for good technicians, so I think I’ll be OK. I was originally planning for a career in business or administration and in this economy that became a concern. I think I have a better focus now.”

Nineteen-year-old Shannon O’Connor is a nursing student at New Hampshire Technical Institute. She works front end customer service at Bi-Wise.

“I chose nursing because I like to help people but also because it’s a sound career,” O’Connor said. “People will always need health care. It’s pretty recession-proof.”

O’Connor knows that as a college graduate she will likely compete with adults who have the upper hand in the job market.

“I’ll just hope to be skilled enough to get the job I want,” she said.

Jenny Poulin, 18, is a senior at Pembroke Academy and works at Bi-Wise as a bagger. She plans to attend the University of New Hampshire to study exercise science.

“I’m lucky to have a job here,” Poulin said. “I have worked here for two years. I have friends who are concerned about finding summer jobs.”

Poulin is not too worried about the economy. She hopes that by the time she graduates from UNH, the economy will be more stable.

“Depending on the status of things then, maybe I will be worried,: she said. “Right now I just have to focus on building my career. I want to be a personal trainer and hopefully that will work out for me.”