<p>Hi Parents!!!</p>
<p>I have come across a bit of a problem in my summer plans, and I was wondering if you guys had any advice. </p>
<p>I applied for a job at a Jewish summer camp in December, and I was told in February that too many returning staff members were coming back. So, I tried to seek out other options. For the past three months I've been looking for jobs (unsuccessfully) but I have been able to come up with two internships. One ends in June, but the other one is Obama's Summer Organizing Fellowship program that lasts the entire summer (and is basically part time/unpaid). I was relatively content with this plan because it meant that I would be able to go to Europe with my family for two weeks. </p>
<p>Anyways, I just got a call from the camp, and they now want to hire me. It would be $1900 for two months of work. </p>
<p>As a side note, I have never been to a "real" camp for more than two week (CTW ftw), but I have a lot of experience with children.</p>
<p>So, which of these summer plans would be more rewarding/look better on my resume (because honestly, that's what part of the summer is about)?</p>
<p>If you need the money, then go for the camp job, but the others sound much more interesting. Unless you want the experience with kids, you’ll probably learn a lot more.</p>
<p>Would you be able to do the shorter internship and the summer camp job? If you can I would do that and get the best of both worlds. Summer camp also puts you in a leadership position, which colleges may like, if you really want the extra money.</p>
<p>The only job I ever quit was as a camp counselor when I was 16. After two weeks. The internship sounds lots better if you don’t know that you’re going to love the camp.</p>
<p>Camp doesn’t start until June 20, but I’m worried that the OFA job won’t be more than a glorified volunteer activity. Which would be fine, but I’m not sure it it will give me the experience I want. </p>
<p>I could use the money, but I don’t absolutely need it. Additionally, this will probably be the last time my family will go on a big trip like this, so that’s a factor. It sounds silly to weigh it so much, but I am entering my second year of college, and I feel like I need time with my family this summer.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about which one ‘looks best’ on a resume - just go with whichever one you think you’d find most rewarding when you include as variables pay/no pay, time spent, doing the family vacation or not, and length of time. It’s a personal decision but don’t get caught up in the resume enhancing piece. Depending on what type of job you end up seeking upon graduation either of them will indicate you didn’t just sit on your duff doing nothing all summer and likely neither of them will be directly applicable to your job either. I might have a different comment if it was a directly applicable internship, like an engineering one, but for you that doesn’t appear to be the case.</p>
<p>I think your last paragraph sums it up. If you weren’t already in college, I would say go with the job that has more responsibility and that you can be “fired” from. That tells a college that you can handle yourself. But since you’re already “in and on the way” I say go, enjoy your family, and do some organizing for your cause.</p>
<p>It seems to me that the opinion that matters here is that of your own parents–what do they feel would be the best choice for you, since presumably they would have to subsidize you should you turn down the camp job.</p>
<p>Do you have other paid work experience? I think the experience of working for a paycheck, real hours, is an important one. If you’ve worked lots of other summers then I’d vote for the unpaid experience. If you’ve got nothing paid on your resume then I’d vote for camp.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your advice! I really appreciate you guys taking time out of your day to write. It means a lot :)</p>
<p>My parents say that they’re fine with anything, but I think they would be sad if I didn’t stay home. </p>
<p>This would be my first REAL job (I have other paid work but it was all relatively minor besides babysitting for heaven knows how many hours) so I feel as though that would be valuable (especially in terms of getting other jobs) but…I’m not sure if it outweighs spending one last summer at home. Thank you all again!</p>
<p>As someone who often hires young college grads, I won’t look at a candidate without some kind of paid work experience. Summer after freshman year is late to start that, in my opinion, I wouldn’t push it any later.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with CuriousJane. It is time for you to get some real job experience on your resume. My son is also home from freshman year and is now working full time and is getting his first real job experience. We really feel, and he knows, that when the time comes for him to seek a paying internship or job in his field, it will be very important that he show he is hard-working and reliable - and not just at a part-time, volunteer gig. He’s getting up at 5 am five days a week and putting in 40 hours. Does he love it? No, but he realizes how important this experience is and that it’s really good for him (not to mention putting some $$ in the bank!).</p>
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<p>Then why don’t you believe them? Parents worry a great deal about their kids’ abilities to be self-supporting, and a paying summer job would be a great relief to many a parent. Sure, we miss our kids, but it is a parent’s job to launch the kid out of the nest.</p>
<p>Me, I’d take the Europe trip plus an internship. </p>
<p>I’ve been a summer camp counselor and I’m not sure the experience compares at all with the potential of the other option. Plus, if they’re calling you at this late date, it could mean something’s up with the camp management or something.</p>
<p>Having a paying job is a plus, of course, but it doesn’t have to be obtained this summer. Have you considered getting a paid on-campus job or other p/t job during the school year? An on-campus job can be beneficial in a number of ways (involved at a different level on campus, is a good experience which is reflected on a resume, can actually help you focus better due to time management, can sometimes give you good contacts/references, etc.) plus you can earn money to boot.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, why would you not hire someone who has never had a paid full time job, if they have experience in a relevant field? My internship right now for example is really helpful, and it’s not as if I just slack off all day. I do actual work. I’ve never wasted a summer by just sitting around. I’ve always done something.</p>
<p>But also, it’s not as if I’ve never had any kind of paid job. I had a paid internship last summer at a summer camp, and I do a program called Debate Mate during the school year, where I get paid to teach kids how to debate (as a side note, everyone should look up this program. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever been a part of, and I think probably ever will be a part of). I’ve also done Hebrew School TAing and stuff like that.</p>
<p>As for not believing my parents…they might be “fine” with whatever, but I know that one option will make them happier. There is a difference between being fine and being happy. And honestly l think in terms of opportunity cost, again this is the last summer I’ll spend at home. This job will be around next summer, or something else will be, but I won’t have this kind of time with my parents again for a while. </p>
<p>GladGradDad, I have been looking at jobs on campus. I’m very interested in working at Phonathon (and OFA will actually help with that because of all the phone banking) or anything I could get. One of the problems with Brandeis is that there are never enough jobs for even the work study students, and as someone who does not have work study I obviously get last priority (but I will of course be trying hard to get one this coming year).</p>
<p>As a side note, I went to OFA orientation today, and I learned that we’re actually doing a lot more than just knocking on doors. It seems as though they’re really invested in leadership training and grassroots organizing, which are things that I’m really interested in. As summer fellows, we’re actually going to be organizing neighborhoods around the state (it’s RI so, we’re all involved throughout the state) to facilitate winning New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t I hire someone who hasn’t had paid full time experience? Because in my experience people don’t treat their unpaid interns the same way they treat their employees. I know that in my job if a volunteer or intern calls and says “I don’t feel well” or “I have a paper tomorrow, I need to stay home and work on it” or “I have a Dentist appointment tomorrow”, there are no real consequences. But if a paid employee does the same, then they’re taking a cut in that week’s pay check or giving up their precious leave time. So, if I am calling for references hearing “she was here every day, she stuck with it when the going got tough, she was always professional” from a paying employer it means more.</p>
<p>As far as your point that “this job will be around next year”. You say you looked for 5 months for a job. I’m assuming you sent off hundreds of resumes, called many places, talked to everyone you know. And you got one offer. Jobs aren’t just around. You can’t count on one to show up next year. Next year this camp will be looking at your resume and saying 1) She left us in the lurch last year, why would we ask her again and 2) Why would I hire a rising junior with no experience, when I can have a sophomore who is more likely to come back in the future?</p>
<p>Now, if you tell me that actually you didn’t send off hundreds of resumes, you sent off a couple and maybe talked to the people in a few stores you usually frequent, then I’m going to go back to the fact that you need experience really working at working. </p>
<p>As far as your parents, there are plenty of times when I hope that my child will do something that will make me unhappy. For example, he’s got a football game, it’s raining. I do not like to watch football in the rain. It is not fun. But I still want to be raising the kind of kid that chooses to meet his commitment to the team and goes out and play, and if he does I’ll stand there, be miserable, and watch him. Next summer my kid is thinking about going to Arabic sleepaway camp. If he goes I’ll miss him like crazy. I’ll probably mope around the house and be sad for a while. But you know what? I still support him going. If your parents are saying they support you going, then staying back because they won’t be as happy isn’t fair to them, or to yourself.</p>
<p>You can get college credit for doorbelling for Obama apparently, don’t know details.
I did door belling for a cause once.
I almost lasted an entire day.</p>
<p>A tip.
How you “organize”, is by getting people to donate & handing them brochures.</p>
<p>I disagree 100% with those who say take the camp job because you need to have a paid job by now. If it’s true that you don’t absolutely need the money, do the internship and go to Europe with your family. You will never get this summer back. This is the last trip as a family. The time together is priceless, if you can afford it. Summer camp jobs will always be there.</p>
<p>Curious Jane, so, if you hear “she was here every day, she stuck with it when the going got tough, she was always professional” from an unpaid internship, it means less? That doesn’t make sense to me. If she shows up, acts professionally even though it’s “just” an unpaid internship, that might be even more indicative of a reliable employee–she works hard and effectively even when not getting paid.</p>
<p>Life is not only about making money. Enjoy your family, do your internship, you’ll be fine.</p>