Forcing yourself into a job or internship might seem like a waste of time, but actually, it’s a hidden gem. Summer is intended to be a “break” from life, but a job is a necessity to a student’s understanding of how to encounter “the real world” after high school. A job can be a crucial learning experience for the rest of your life. Managing money, working real hours, learning to be responsible for accomplishing a task, and working for someone who isn’t your teacher or parent are just some examples what experience in a job can provide.
Molly Mahoney ‘15, a hard worker when it comes to jobs, has experienced everything from the list above. Mahoney believes “students should definitely get a job at one point or another. It is purely a learning experience, but choose a job you really enjoy.” Speaking from experience, Mahoney loves working with kids. In the summer she is a lifeguard at a nearby pool; in the winter she teaches kids to snowboard, and year round she works as a babysitter.
However, many students believe that having a prestigious job or internship during the summer is crucial to their resume. When about the importance of finding a prestigious summer job, college counselor Sara Kyle says, “I believe kids should do something… A job is very underrated in this population [generation] and is an incredibly valuable experience. The word prestigious should be taken out, it doesn’t matter what kind of job [it is]… It isn’t so much for the college resume, but the experiences gained.”
Despite the fact of how “glamorous” your job might be, each and every job has the same lessons and experiences. You might not want to spend your precious summer days working, however, Lucia Warner ‘18 believes that “Jobs are great learning experiences and lets one mature, however, the way you decide to spend your summer should fit the definition of ‘meaningful summer’ in your eyes.” So I leave you with a decision that needs to be made, get a job that will help you further in life with valuable skills, or wait until school comes around to start really “working” again.
