Who we are:

Boostapal was founded by brothers and small business owners Jim and John Williamson.

What we do:

Boostapal helps strike a balance between school and work for students by providing a way for students between the ages of 13 and 25 to give their bank accounts a boost, while freeing up their time to focus on their schoolwork and related extracurricular activities.

Why we do it:

The founders noticed an odd trend in recent years in the candidates for open job positions in their companies. The average age of the applicants began to decline with each new candidate search – high school and college students applying for professional positions. Despite candidates being unqualified for the open positions, the applications poured in.

After speaking with many young people and fellow business owners, they found two reasons for the seeming overnight change in applicants. First, as the economy began to decline and jobs were lost, jobs that were traditionally filled by young people were increasingly filled by over qualified adults who were viewed as more stable and dependable (their schedules don’t usually include school and related activities). Second, young people were experiencing the effects that the economy had on their parents. Less household money was available for school-related and other activities. Young people found themselves needing to find supplemental employment if they were to continue with their normal activities. In many instances, young adults were seeking a second after-school job to supplement the first.

In speaking with the young adults, it became clear that the available jobs that provided adequate income were too demanding and could not be managed without a significant negative impact on school and related activities. Whether the student is a high school sophomore with an after-school office job or a college senior delivering pizzas between classes, the normal part time jobs aren’t enough. In short, school performance began to suffer, extracurricular activities became nearly impossible to participate in, and “kid time” disappeared.

A decline in school performance wasn’t the only effect. For high school students, as college admission became more competitive, selection committees were seeking more well rounded individuals – those with heavy participation in activities outside the classroom. Since such activities all but ended for students saddled with cumbersome jobs, some of these students found their college acceptance rates decline as well.

Having grown up juggling school and jobs themselves, the founders strongly believe that after-school jobs help young adults mature. After-school jobs, however, shouldn’t be detrimental to a student’s future. The founders wanted to find a way to help restore balance between work and school for students, and to help them keep up with increasing demands as they prepare for adulthood.

And so, Boostapal.com was born. If you have any questions or comments please email us at: [email protected] or call us at 817.918.4590.