Summertime beckons with swimming pools, action movies, hanging out with old friends, and employment. Employment? Yes, employment. As college students approach graduation and the real world, they need two very important things: income and employment. Having summer jobs are a great way to get both. Here are some options for summer jobs that are geared towards college students. They don’t all pay great, but you can have a great experience and learn a lot. If you are no longer in college, you could look at this list as a possibility to volunteer and get out of your normal routine.
Here are 12 ideas to get you started:
Summer Internship
Almost all major companies offer internships during the summer. Some are paid and some aren’t. You might find yourself fetching coffee for a few folks, but coffee is important. So is the experience you will gain through doing this, especially if it is something that you can put on your resume.
Fitness Center
Fitness is important. So why not invest yourself in work that promotes healthy lifestyles? You could volunteer at most fitness centers and if you show you can work hard, most will pay you something. The YMCA or YWCA is often the backbone of a community having an influx of summer programs and a need for enthusiastic servant-leaders.
Mission Trip
Urban Christian ministries are always in need of summer staff. A good place to start is the Centers for Student Missions (www.csm.org), which provides an effective urban ministry experience that transforms lives, influences churches/communities, and honors Christ.
Volunteer in you Community
Get in touch with your humanitarian side and volunteer in your community. Some ideas include volunteering at a pet shelter, a food bank, hospital, or special needs organization. What a great way to serve!
Vet Clinic
Many vet clinics offer jobs for the summer. You can help handle the animals for examinations and spend some time cleaning the cages of in house patients. You will not become rich, but the experience of working with the animals will be awesome!
Summer Camp
Working at a summer camp is like adding a few thousand people to your extended family, not to mention the great fun you will have. You can see mega relays, great track times, and transformations due to Christ working directly in others’ lives. Check out www.lifeway.com/camps to learn how you can become a counselor.
Apprenticeship/Mentor
Find a prominent figure in your community who works in your field and offer to be their apprentice. Sure, you’ll do a lot of grunt work, but you’ll gain invaluable experience and contacts. Just remember that someday, when you make it big, be willing to be a mentor to some young apprentice so you can keep the circle of love going.
Nanny/Babysitter
The perks for a nanny are great. You get great pay and you get to relive your days of childhood blanket forts. Kid-sitting is also an attractive skill to include on your resume if your major involves education or family health.
Resort/Hotel
If you want to be in hospitality or management on day, seek out jobs at hotels or hotel resorts. Especially look for hotels connected with amusement parks. Even with an unrelated position, you’ll experience the full gamut of business and get to view daily operations.
Parks and Rec
Picture a summer where you are a park tour guide or a bat counter in your state’s only public cave system. OK, so maybe counting bats isn’t that enticing, but think of the fancy uniforms that come with the job and all the cool things you’ll see.
Farm
If you grew up in a rural community, you know that farmers are always looking for help in the summer months. It is a great chance to get to do a whole bunch of fun and exciting stuff and become one with the land. If you grew up in town and never spent much time on a farm, what a great experience you could have.
Hopefully, this list gives you some ideas. Certainly, there are many more options than the one’s I have listed. If you have ever had a really cool job, please share it with us. Life is all about the opportunities we get and what we make of them. Make your experience one that you will never forget!
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