Sorry VL5 but if you are still in high school there's no way you are going on tour this summer. They don't just
send anybody out on tour who says they can program a
console. You either need to have an extensive proven
track record working for other tours or you need to get a job in the shop and work your way up. They have way too much money on the
line to gamble on an unproven technician (regardless of age by the way). You need to either prove yourself to the company or another company first.
Your best bet is to
call your local rental houses and see if you can find work in the rental department. They aren't hiring? No problem,
call it an internship, job shadow, ask for a tour, or volunteer. Offer to make coffee or coil cable and prep rentals for free. It doesn't matter how you get in just get in the door. Get a "no"? Then
call back next week and ask if they need anything. You may need to be a very polite pest to get in. You need to prove to them you are valuable and you can't do that sitting at home. One of my former students (a high school senior at the time) called a local operation about doing a job shadow. Within 6 months she was working small gigs all over town. The next year they sent her out on a small regional tour.
VL5 you may be the greatest 17 year old technician ever. But that simply means nothing to your future employers until you prove it to them in person. The problem is they aren't going to even look at you because they already have a stack of proven veterans they turn to. You may be better than everyone on their list, but you are unknown to them and therefore not worth the gamble. Get in the door any way you can and work your way up. If you really are great, next year you'll be out on tour.
This getting to know and prove them
phase is really critical to your long term employment future.
DO NOT ACT LIKE A KNOW IT ALL while you are trying to establish yourself. Learn when to show off your knowledge and learn when to shut up and respect the experience of others who have been in the game a long time. There are a lot of hot shot high school kids who think, "If I can just show them how much I know they will respect me." Then they just start blabbing, drive everyone crazy and find it hard to get work. You will earn your place on a tour by quietly doing your work and doing it well, being the first to jump up and get back to work and the last person to quit working, always volunteer to do the dirtiest hardest job, have a good sense of humor, and most of all respecting the rest of the crew. Show you are willing and eager to learn the
house way of doing things. Ask questions like, "I know how I would do this, but do you have a preferred way that the company wants it done?"
You will instantly be branded as just a "know it all hot shot kid". Your job is to prove you are a valuable member of the team by your actions. Remember everyone in this industry is connected. The most important thing on your job application is who you have worked for and how you impressed them, so don't screw up or you'll spend years trying to recover.