<p>Soprano Mom, </p>
<p>It’s very rare for me to hear that. Generally when I call for a reference from an unpaid internship what I get is "Well, I guess I was her supervisor, but really Johnny’s the one who kept tabs on her. She was fine though. We’d be happy to have her back . . . "</p>
<p>First of all, you completely and utterly contradicted yourself Curious Jane with your analogy to your son’s football team. To the extent that you seem to value someone not quitting on a team and having determination, shouldn’t the fact that I have already committed to OFA be some sort of factor in my decision? Maybe I should not drop everything that I had already devoted myself to this summer for $2000 that I don’t desperately need? </p>
<p>But also, I think our conceptions of internships are entirely different. I have never been treated with silk gloves at my internships. I worked the same hours last summer as my head counselor and put in just as much effort, even though that was a mere internship. But additionally, what you’re saying goes completely against how incentive structures work. For someone with a job, they have a concrete INCENTIVE to go into work every single day they can. Interns have nowhere NEAR the same amount of incentive to do that. What does this mean? It means that when interns perform at the same level as paid employees, that it means more because they did not have any incentive besides their own internal motivation. </p>
<p>Also, I will no longer discuss my parents, nor the incorrect idea that I have not looked hard for a job (RI unemployment rate is the second highest in the country. By a fair margin too). At the end of the day, I am more than happy to spend another summer at home, bonding with the parents that I have not really seen all that often since I started school. I don’t think it’s all that clingy to want to make my parents as happy as possible, especially since I have decided that I am 50/50 on each of these options (the reason I appear so argumentative is not you,I promise, but rather it’s a debater thing). </p>
<p>Additionally Emerald Kitty, I think persuading people to give money to a cause is actually a valuable skill that employers like. Persuasion is usually a good ability.</p>
<p>You aren’t 50/50 on the two options. Everytime someone posts in favor of the camp you get defensive and argumentative I think your heart knows which one you want.</p>
<p>I asked you a question that I thought you responded to in a bit of a condescending fashion. I don’t consider that to be defensive. I apologize.</p>
<p>The other reason I got defensive was because you seemed to be casting all of the hard work I did do as an intern over the past few summers in the same light as someone who sat around and watched tv. I’m sorry, but I did not really appreciate that. </p>
<p>I am still considering both options and am very conflicted.</p>
<p>I am going to state the obvious. Go on the trip with your family and do whatever else works out for the rest of the summer. </p>
<p>Not to be too serious here but you never know when you will be able to spend time with your parents on a family trip ever again as in anything can happen to you or your parents at any time that is unexpected.</p>
<p>Don’t worry shulie, you will get a good job in your future, you sound conscientious and resourceful.</p>
<p>Schulie, it might work out for you then you certainly will get a lot of practice!</p>
<p>I hated it myself. I hate selling things - designing them I like, but trying to sell something I didn’t make and don’t feel 100% invested in, I just can’t do.</p>
<p>What is your major? If you are Political Science or in some public policy type field, then the campaign sounds like a good fit. If you are not, then I would say the paid job might be better (although, honestly, a camp counselor job is sort of the bottom rung of paid experience that is helpful in landing a job later on… and I say that as someone from a “camp” family who LOVED camp and sent my kids to camp). I hate to say it, but in today’s environment you will turn off 50% of the people who might look at your resume if you worked on a specific presidential candidate’s campaign… unless you are planning to apply specifically for jobs in government or politics in the future, that OFA job isn’t such a great resume booster with a lot of people.</p>
<p>I can also say that my nephew (business major) is a camp counselor this summer after his freshman year of college. It is the camp he attended, and he was a counselor last year. But I think this is the last year he will do that job. He knows after his sophomore year of college he needs to start getting some better job/internship experience in the summer to compete in the job market coming out of college.</p>
<p>But then again… if you have plans to head straight to grad school after undergrad, then do what you want this summer. And the trip to Europe sound great if you can work it into your schedule.</p>
<p>I vote for an internship plus time with your family and Europe. You will most likely never have the chance to do those things again. You’ll have your entire life to work.</p>
<p>CuriousJane obviously has her prejudices in hiring. So does everyone else. 
Some of the potential employers you encounter will be a better match.</p>
<p>BTW,“organizing” in political campaigns often means recruiting and organizing volunteers to staff phone banks, lit drops, and the like. It does not necessarily mean going door to door yourself, nor does it necessarily mean fundraising. But if you are good at fundraising, that is a skill that can definitely stand you in good stead.</p>
<p>It is my experience that in volunteer activities and entry-level jobs, those who exhibit initiative and a good work ethic are often given other oportunities.</p>
<p>My son did ofa last summer (as a high school student).</p>
<p>He was completely in charge of setting up a grass roots organization in a nearby town. He learned a lot about meeting with people, interviewing, getting volunteers organized. He had to work and direct adults, and got to see how the political process worked.</p>
<p>While there was some knocking on doors, working on phone banks, the main thrust was to to create an organization that would be spreading out and doing this work and would continue without you into the fall.</p>
<p>Hate to sidetrack such a passionate debate, but, Intparent said something about camp jobs being the bottom rung of paid employment. Is this generally agreed upon to be true? </p>
<p>I regard camp counselling as being wildly underpaid, requiring a great deal of responsibility, trustworthiness and excellent communication and leadership skills. The camp my daughter will be staffing charges campers somewhere in the range of $1000/wk; she will be getting paid about $180 /wk. Yes, I understand there are other benefits aside from the pay. </p>
<p>So to repeat, can recruiters and hiring managers address the claim that camp counseling jobs (at sleepaway camp, for rising college freshmen or sophomores) are not highly regarded?</p>
<p>Both my s’s were camp counselors (one at a sleep away camp, one at a local daycamp), and older s also did volunteer for the Obama campaign in 2008 as a college grad and fulltime employed person. Both refer to the camp counselor job as " the best form of birth control", LOL, since it gave them a real taste of dealing with the little giblets.</p>
<p>Both were counselors after their freshman year of college. It was nice to have on their resume and maybe, maybe helped then secure future employment, though who the heck knows. If you don’t need the money and really want to travel with your family, then take the internship. As you can see, camp counselor jobs pop open when scheduling conflicts occur. These opportunities will be there next summer. Working on a presidential campaign will not.</p>