<p>In previous posts the OP wrote a lot about wanting to transfer out of Georgia Tech. I wonder what happened with that? If OP is indeed transferring to another school, then it seems as if doing something productive and earning some money this summer would be important!</p>
<p>I work at a senior center, and although our own members handle all of our volunteer positions, there is a crying need among seniors who are still in their own homes for help with small repairs, yardwork, housework, errands, and transportation. Any hs or college student who can’t find other work could easily fill a summer doing this, as a volunteer or for pay. I’d recommend contacting a local church, senior center, or senior apartment complex to get started, and networking with family and friends who have older relatives. There is a lot of satisfaction in this job - you can work independently and get a glimpse of what being in business for yourself is like.</p>
<p>
That’s how I remember it too, eastcoascrazy. And some kids still apparently never do an internship. My oldest d (2005 grad), who is now well-launched in her field with very nice compensation, never did one. She did have several part-time, lower-paying positions every summer during high school and college, which allowed her to show a progression of responsibility on her resume and garner some excellent contacts and recommendations. </p>
<p>OP, I think you’d eventually regret a summer of doing absolutely nothing more than one with an unappealing job.</p>
<p>^ not to mention, feeling grown up but still asking mom and dad for an allowance.</p>
<p>Burnout is a real possibility. Kids of all ages are eagerly looking forward to summer vacation. Come August they are misbehaving as they have had enough down time and look forward to school starting. The best time to do nothing is after freshman year- resumes look at the most recent time, not the remote. Better to get refreshed and realize you would rather be doing something now than to wait and regret never having a break from the treadmill.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>IMHO, you are too young to be turn up your nose at a job just because it is not what you want to do for the rest of your life and the pay isn’t great.</p>
<p>justina – The answer is “Yes”.</p>
<p>I agree that resumes focus on the most recent events in a person’s life. So, what about after sophomore year, when a student may be looking for a job or internship related to their major? The summer after freshman year WILL be their most recent summer, and, while not necessarily a deal-breaker, I’m guessing that students who have something solid and tangible down for the summer will get a quicker look than students who were mostly idle or “enjoying one last summer of fun”. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>I work long hours, in part to save for my child’s college education. I don’t regret it, my parents did it for me and it’s a pleasure to do the same for my child. </p>
<p>However, if my child made no effort to earn money to contribute to those costs, and it wasn’t because he was doing something educational (like an unpaid career internship, taking courses to get ahead, or studying abroad) or because there truly were no jobs available, it would really really bother me.</p>
<p>If your family can afford it, I say do some volunteer work in your community. Most youth and children’s summer programs, don’t start til the end of June and end by mid-August, so there would be time to travel, read, or whatever else would be restorative. Check out the local non-profit agencies or your town’s Recreation department, library, or senior center and see if they need help! And committing 4-10 hours a week would not be a burden (and may actually be FUN).</p>
<p>But, by the time Junior and Senior year come around…you should really be working at least part-time (in our community, jobs are more available for those 16+).</p>
<p>OP–if you don’t work, what will you do for spending money? Ask your “custodial parent” for an allowance?</p>
<p>My advice is to grow up and not spend the summer keeping the couch from levitating.</p>
<p>
Oh my, LMAO. You know I’m gonna use that phrase in the future.</p>
<p>Yeah, so the problem with “exploring” is that it does cost money. If college finances are stretched then sorry, you do not have the luxury of spending the summer spending money while earning none. Setting yourself up for lots of bad feelings between you and parents. “So, I should go to work all day so you can…?” Many suggestions given for earning $, volunteering and still hours left in the 24 hour day to “relax.”</p>
<p>I work really hard, including teaching summer school, so my D doesn’t have to take out any student loans. I expect her to work and earn some money during the school year and over the summers. And until recently her jobs were minimum wage, retail or clerical work. It all went on her resume. She actually has quite a resume now. Despite the unemployment rate, she has never had a problem finding a job.
I don’t know how any college student would have any self-respect if he or she were still asking for spending money to go hang out with friends.</p>
<p>I didn’t read the whole thread…and assumed the OP was in High School. Yes, working in the summer is a given for most students!</p>
<p>Something seems wrong to me about your OP question . You should want to make the most of these years ,IMO .</p>
<p>There are no jobs, most volunteering positions are filled by now and people at the hospitals are just annoyed with the crowd of “voluneers” around them and cannot wait until they go away, any type of shadow could be obtained only thru very close connections. This is the true situation in May and for many who started looking in January, it has been true situation, period. Real vs. imaginary.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, I can not imagine where you live, where there are literally no jobs, and no places to volunteer other than the hospital. You live in a place where literally not a single person could use a strong, healthy college student’s help with anything? Where no elderly people need yard cleanup? Where there isn’t a single person who needs rides to appointments? Where not a single parent needs summer child care?</p>
<p>^eastcoast,
I do not know where you live and what time you refer in your post, 10 years ago, possibly? Nope, my own kid. had to do absolutely everything (and she needed lots for Med. School application) during school year at her college. Nothing, absolutely nothing was available for her in our home town during summer. She obtained couple volunteering positions because she was very dilingent about it and because she started process much earlier than May. And she mentioned that there are so many of them around that basically everybody gets annoyed with “volunteers”, so do not expect to feel good about “volunteering”, will have to deal with aggravated personnel and basically. You must be joking about driving people to appointment or baby sitting, right? There is no chance for that, period, everything is filled with people who are doing it year around, many older “retired” people too.<br>
Again, this is current situation and going back about 5 years ago. Maybe 10 years ago, it was easier…but I though that we are discussing May of 2012, not January of 2002.</p>
<p>Miami, I have three kids, in high school and college.</p>
<p>The youngest has earned good money since sixth grade, as a dog sitter for multiple neighbors when they are away. She has volunteered several summers at a horse barn.</p>
<p>The middle one has worked in restaurants, in multiple capacities the last two years of high school. He has volunteered for years in the summers for a Habitat for Humanity type of organization. He worked part time on campus this year.His college is out of state, so he started applying for summer positions online months ago. He had several interviews over the phone, and has two follow up in-person interviews lined up early this week. He arrived home for the summer two days ago. I expect he will be employed by the end of the week.</p>
<p>The oldest has an unpaid internship this summer, as well as a part time job, which he has had for the past year. He will be taking a class this summer as well. He worked 15 hours a week at one job the last two years of high school, and volunteered in several local organizations.</p>
<p>In my personal experience with the friends of my children, when someone says, “There aren’t any jobs available”, what they mean is, “There aren’t any jobs that I think are really interesting or cool available”. Those kids who claim they can’t find a job or volunteer position are the same ones who put a full thirty minutes a day, for the first week of summer, into the search, and then spend the rest of the summer sleeping in until noon.</p>
<p>^Two choices: agree that “there is nothing” and sit on your duff; or, go find something. No one can draw conclusions based on one kid’s exerience in one town, one summer, five years ago.</p>
<p>To say volunteers are merely underfoot and annoying kind of takes me back to the Marie Antoinette attitude some hs kids have. There is so much need out there. The energized kids find a way. IMO, if one can generalize, it’s that the energized young adults tend to become energized adults.</p>
<p>This (now absent) OP didn’t start early enough. True. Now, the onus is on her to justify her summer.</p>