<p>S has spent the last 4 months applying for a bizillion internships. That’s literally all he’s been doing except for eating, sleeping, attending class, studying, and doing homework. No luck so far, though.</p>
<p>My son (computer science) applied to a lot of internships too. He’d had an offer last fall that got rescinded due to the economy. Luckily he finally landed one last week, but now he really has to scramble to find a place to stay in CA. He starts in 13 days and he’s in the midst of exams! :eek:!</p>
<p>Other job suggestions depend on your skill set. If you’re good at home repairs and/or house painting, you could advertise those as well and perhaps make some good money. Teaching folks how to use computers and technical trouble-shooting can also be very valuable skills. Bottom line, you have to be more creative and get yourself out there–apply in person. Assuming you left your former employer on good terms, start with him/her and ask about getting the job back for the summer or if they know of any openings.</p>
<p>I have known several kids who turned volunteer positions into paid ones because they worked very hard and were greatly appreciated by the staff where they put in their time while learning interesting stuff.</p>
<p>My son has been to more than 75 places–fast food, grocery stores, everything–and no luck so far. (northern NJ)</p>
<p>My best advice would be to get your lifeguard certification. They are typically in short supply during the summer months. Hey, it knocks 99%+ teens looking for a job out of consideration.</p>
<p>D2 is going back to summer camp as a trainer. That’s a fancy name for the counselors who work with the CITs. She’s been going to the same Y Camp in New Hampshire for 11 years (as a camper and then as a CIT and Jr./Sr. Counselor). It doesn’t pay a whole lot, but she doesn’t have expenses so she can save most of what she earns. She uses that money as her spending money for college. There are always last minute jobs available at camps–at least that’s been D2’s experience with her camp. I’d suggest calling some camps and seeing if there are last minute openings.</p>
<p>D’s Prep school requires 4hr/week work, which she did in the kitchen. She did a good job at age 15, so it lead to a full-time kitchen job (min wage) last summer (age 16). This summer she has three offers as assistant cook (higher the mini wage at age 17) at three summer camps/schools. </p>
<p>It is not glamorous, but she learned how to work and that today’s hard work can lead to tomorrow’s better job.</p>
<p>Unfortunately the bizzillion hours spent applying for STEM internships in the past two years she now sees as a hopeless waste. These kids work so hard to build outstanding resumes - and they end up as cooks.</p>
<p>I’m seriously concerned about finding a second job for the summer. I’m incredibly lucky and found a great job doing pretty much exactly what I want to do after graduation, but unfortunately it’s only five weeks long… And my vacation is 3.5 months long. Honestly, I’m not so concerned with the money as I am with the fact that I am going to be bored out of my mind. Why are college vacations so long?</p>
<p>My d is having trouble finding a job - she just finished her freshman year. It’s hard applying long distance, so maybe when she’s home it will be easier.</p>
<p>S was just offered a summer job on campus. Whew!</p>
<p>"My best advice would be to get your lifeguard certification. "</p>
<p>D has spent the past 4 summers working as a lifeguard (camps and health clubs). As an experienced lifeguar, she has no problem picking up shifts during winter break, and her college summer vacation is so long that she can split the summer between internships and a lifeguard job. </p>
<p>This year D will work 3-4days/week at a paid ($10/hr) internship, which she will supplement with a couple of lifeguard shifts. And one of D’s previous employers has already offer her a position as Aquatic Director ($25/hr) for NEXT summer. </p>
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<p>“I’ve a strange anecdote - earlier this year I took on an unpaid internship. . . . I ended up getting both the allowance and hourly technician pay. It wasn’t a lot of money, but it sure was a nice surprise after expecting not to get paid.”</p>
<p>D had a similar experience at her internship last summer. At the end of the summer, the employer handed D a check - - it amounted to no more than minimum wage, but minimum wage over a couple of months works out to a nice piece of change, especially if it’s completely unexpected. </p>
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<p>“Unfortunately the bizzillion hours spent applying for STEM internships in the past two years she now sees as a hopeless waste.”</p>
<p>Last year D applied to several competitive paid intern programs, only a few of the programs even invited her for an interview. This year, at my urging, she re-applied for one of those positions. The employer remembered D, was impressed by D’s continued interest and offered D the job (D ultimately declined in favor of an internship that was more related to her course of study).</p>
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<p>D2, age 17, lacks her sister’s stellar swim skills and continues to look for a summer job, internship or service program (one that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg).</p>
<p>son has also applied to a bazillion internships, had a few interviews and has nothing so far 
He’s very accomplished in his chosen sport so he’ll probably do coaching…again…even though he REALLY wants to move onto something else. I keep telling him he’s lucky to have that skill- especially since the jobs pay above min wage. I think that will sink in more when he comes home…right now he can’t understand how he did all the right things (high GPA, activities) and has come up empty-handed. He’s worried about graduating next year and not having any business experience. Life doesn’t always go as planned…</p>
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That’s pretty hard to do in a short timeframe - especially if one isn’t already a fine swimmer (I used to be a lifeguard and WSI). Also, I know that around here there’s competition to be able to be a beach lifeguard but I don’t know how stiff that competition is but I do know there are experienced people who do it as a semi-career. I think there’s less usage of lifeguarded swimming pools here also since a lot of people just go to the beach and a lot of the pools don’t seem to have lifeguards. I was surprised when my D who went back east for a summer internship said there was a lifeguard at her apartment swimming pool there. There must be some different laws back there regarding the lifeguard requirement.</p>
<p>D was on swim team and it is really hard work to qualify as a lifeguard ( as it should be), but it pays well.</p>
<p>I also should mention to those high school students reading this, that both my kids volunteered a lot in high school- they didn’t have car payments and had minimum clothing expenses, but it gave them skills & experience as well as a resource for recommendations and since then, they haven’t had any trouble finding additional work.</p>
<p>We decided on early in the process with our S, as he searched for whatever summer research jobs that might be available for a HS junior, that the cash potential was less important than what he might be doing and the connection he’d make with a professor.</p>
<p>As it turns out, he’ll be doing an unpaid stint with a young professor, working on climate modeling. Other than the fact that this doesn’t come with a stipend (we hope to work out some arrangement regarding the parking fee!), all the rest of it’s really good. He came back from the interview feeling good about the professor, enough that it sounds like “mentor in the making” to me. Climate studies (think global warming) is a hot field right now, crossing many different academic disciplines, which my S likes. THe working hours are flexible accross the summer. The professor was impressed with him, especially since he’s almost completed a course in linear algebra (which he busted butt on and is now seeing directly the door it just opened.)</p>
<p>Things are so bad here that of the 12 public swimming pools, only one will open this summer.</p>
<p>S had two offers, an unpaid internship at our local university (University of Miami) or a paid internship in the Physics dept where he is attending (Brandeis). We left it up to him, as he is a freshman, and a bit homesick, but he preferred to stay at Brandeis. Maybe its a bit easier in the sciences.</p>
<p>D1 started lifeguarding as soon as she turned 16 (minimum age to get your certification). She never had trouble finding a job–either over the summer or during the school year. (She used to work before school during early bird swim and weekends.) By the summer after her college freshman year, she was a head guard at a city pool. Although she no longer lifeguards, the training she got helped when she got her EMT.</p>
<p>BTW, D1 never was on swim team or anything.</p>
<p>D2 will be working at Yellowstone this summer. And not as hotel maid…</p>
<p>She already had 2 job offers in town (as a head day camp counselor at the summer camp she’d worked at for the past 3 summers, and as a paid full time docent at the local children’s science museum), but decided over the winter break she wanted to be outdoors someplace exciting this summer. She sent out dozen of applications over break and was hired on in mid-January. She reports for orientation and training in 2 1/2 weeks.</p>
<p>She gets an hourly wage, plus subsidized housing and meals.</p>
<p>She says next summer will be for internships. (She already has grant funding for her research project.) This summer is for her.</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom- I know a few people that are both lifeguards and EMTs, and it seems that some of the first aid and emergency preparedness stuff you learn in lifeguard training is very applicable when learning to become an EMT. I also have a good friend who was never on swim team, and became a certified lifeguard. Lots of competitive swimmers become lifeguards (and swim instructors and coaches) because they’re good at swimming, and they probably like being by the pool. I’m one of them!</p>