High School Senior-> Summer Ideas?

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I'm a high school senior graduating this year looking to go into engineering. </p>

<p>I have essentially nothing to do this summer so I was wondering if anyone has any ideas for internships/volunteer work.</p>

<p>Being paid is not so much an issue but I need something to do for 3 months</p>

<p>I'm doing well in a private school right now, are there any volunteer opportunities tutoring children? Or maybe a day camp for underprivileged children?</p>

<p>I would also love to do an engineering internship but I don't want to be stuck stapling papers or handling calls. </p>

<p>If anyone has any ideas please let me know!</p>

<p>Get a job in a restaurant. Even if you don’t need the money, the experience of working in an industry where you don’t need a high school degree, let alone a college degree, in order to excel is invaluable. You’ll also gain a much healthier respect for waitstaff when you are out to eat at a restaurant.</p>

<p>I have many friends who bus/wait restaurants (including my roommate), and I already have a high respect for the waitstaff and the people behind the scenes. </p>

<p>How do I go about getting a job? Just travel around to all the local eateries and ask if they have anything open in the Summer?</p>

<p>Put together a resume, and start looking within a couple weeks of when you want to start (unless you could work part-time during the school year). You can always apply to places early, but realistically restaurants don’t really hire waitstaff more than two weeks in advance. They operate on an as-needed basis. Don’t be discouraged if you have trouble finding a place to offer you a job… it’s tough for anyone without prior experience. Just show that you are very interested in working hard and being flexible for the restaurant, and you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>It may be worthwhile to ask your friends to help you get jobs. My first restaurant job came about after I asked a friend what he was doing after school. He said he was going to work at a restaurant, and so I was just like, “so uh… could you get me a job there?” He gave my name to the manager and I was working within three days. At the same time, the job I held for the past three summers came about when I was applying to literally 25 restaurants within two days. This restaurant was the last one I applied to and the ONLY one that responded to me; this is after having two years’ experience, no less!</p>

<p>Keep your head up, don’t be afraid of difficulties, and you will have a helluva good summer :)</p>