<p>Does your child work, volunteer, intern, travel, or just relax and do nothing?</p>
<p>Our D works as a paid intern at a local university research facility. She actually began this last summer after she graduated from high school. It was an extremely rewarding experience for her. She was very excited about the project she worked on. Plus, she was able to save up quite a bit of money. Her boss has already expressed an interest in hiring her once she graduates (and she's only a freshman). What an ego boost! Next summer, she is thinking of applying for a paid internship at Google, Facebook, Amazon, or some other tech companies on the west coast.</p>
<p>When I was in college, I worked in various biomedical research labs during the summer. It was a valuable experience, but I would have preferred just hanging out at the beach all summer.</p>
<p>umdclass, your DD is extremely lucky to have found a business that not only pays her, a freshman, but also that has promised to hire her after she graduates. While there may be many other CC posters who will gladly tell their success stories, but the reality is far from that. The unemployment rate continues to hurt this age group. Last summer my son, desperate to find an internship, accepted a non-paying internship. Instead, he had to pay his college for college credits in order to get that internship.</p>
<p>It is awesome to have summer opportunities. We have none, we have waiting lists for some volunteering positions, forget jobs, they do not exist, they are filled with people who stay in town year around. At least D. could afford working during her college years at her college. Now she cannot afford it, nobody does</p>
<p>That is always the big question in our household. The summer before college was a disastrous waste of time that we vowed would not be repeated. Summer after freshman year was spent interning in Washington in a Senator’s office. Great experience. Summer after sophomore year was spent studying/traveling in Europe. Hoping for a paid internship in NYC for this summer [presently interviewing and waiting for results]. Really hope that internship leads to a job offer. Bottom line: the summer cannot be wasted. It has to be a continuation of the educational process and offer a life experience that cannot be duplicated once out in the real world post college. Flipping burgers or life guarding or landscaping is a waste of valuable time in my opinion. Many of our friends have the complete opposite opinion, though.</p>
<p>Son worked in his father’s office just after HS, did nothing, took college classes at the local U, took a course in his college town where he had his apt (did the 5th college year when added a major, hence 4 summers). The latter were after a frustrated mother told him he needed a job, college class or volunteering because I wasn’t going to put up with another summer of him at home doing nothing. He had looked for jobs but they were scarce, especially for underage teens (was 16 at HS graduation). He chose to work after college (instead of grad school right away) and began as soon as he could instead of waiting and enjoying a month off. Don’t be discouraged parents if your child seems lazy. They do mature.</p>
<p>Last spring, as a freshman, DS asked a cool prof he was taking a class from for a summer research job (STEM). After a few days (checking out DS?) prof said sure so he spent the summer working for said professor (grad student anyway) who then went and won a Nobel prize in the fall. DS has continued to work off/on in his lab getting a paper together during the year.</p>
<p>This summer, he says either he can work for him again or, if he gets his act together, try for an internship in the industry (but only if it’s within commuting distance of his campus :D). The kid has no idea how lucky he has been.</p>
<p>It’s been tough for young kids in our neck of the woods also. D has never found a summer job. Her plight is exacerbated by the fact that she often has to stay at school after term ends for some training or other and then has had to be to school early to help with orientation events.</p>
<p>She’s hoping that she’ll find a research spot this summer–she’s studying neuroscience. She’s applied and hasn’t heard anything back yet. She hasn’t formulated a Plan B. Summer school? Plan Z is come home and do odd jobs.</p>
<p>Lima Beans - way back in the day when I was in college I had to do that same thing. I paid tuition to do my unpaid summer internship. I worked every day 8:30 - 5:00 for free. They didn’t even give me bus fare. I learned a lot (mostly that I was in the wrong major) but I didn’t realize that at the time. It was either that unpaid internship or some meaningless summer job so I guess it was worth it. I lived at home for the summer and my parents supported me so it was a good learning experience.</p>
<p>Flash forward to this summer and my son is desperately searching for a research position or an internship. And everyday I think he hears a clock ticking in his head…</p>
<p>The advice from D1s specialized high school was that you have to do something - whether you work, volunteer or do a pre-college program. The colleges want to know that you did something other than play video games. Pre-college programs are nice, some are more expensive than others. NY State has a moderate price arts programs - NYSSSA - but they are by audition, and some are harder to get into than others.</p>
<p>I’m another supporter of flipping burgers et al. My D lifeguarded last summer. It takes a lot of effort to acquire the skills required to qualify for that job, and you’re responsible for the safety of adults and children. It’s also tedious, hot (outdoors in Georgia) and takes self-discipline and effort to maintain appropriate concentration. I’m incredulous that somebody would dismiss lifeguarding as a “waste of time.”</p>
<p>Even if not guarding lives, I think it’s good for privileged kids to get some experience in blue collar type jobs - food service, retail, landscaping, etc. Everyone should know first-hand how tough it is to make a dollar in those occupations. My ancestors were mostly poor people who earned their livings in textile mills, coal mines, etc. I would be horrified for a child of mine to think himself or herself “above” the people who do those jobs.</p>
<p>Landscaping (in a cemetery) the summer after my freshman year in college was far from a waste of time for me. It taught me (a) working outside on the land was much less romantic than it sounded, (b) I did not want to work with heavy machinery as a regular thing, (c) wow! some (not all) people with menial jobs are really challenged intellectually, and (d) much as I loved my parents, two weeks was going to be my limit for visiting them in the future. Later to be reduced to one week. </p>
<p>Also – If you spend a lot of time outside you can tell what the weather is going to be in a few hours.
– Union members don’t necessarily object to working alongside nonunion temporary workers as long as the temps are doing the scutwork.
– The nerve damage probably isn’t permanent, but you can’t tell for a while.</p>
<p>DS finishing freshman year and will be taking courses this summer in 8-week program. After this year hopes/needs to get internships in his field. Last summer after graduating HS we let him “veg” and was not healthy at all! He had earned a rest for sure but was far too long. Even with an 8 week course he has considerable down time this summer.</p>
<p>My kids worked most summers- sometimes taking community college courses as well to build in some leeway to their regular program
Last summer youngest did a study abroad program with her school as her summer retail job couldn’t give her the hours she wanted.
This summer she is going to be enrolled at her university & maybe even find a job!</p>
<p>This is so very, very true. My grandmother was a maid. I have a maid. Therefore, essentially, my children have a maid. I would be offended and angry if they ever were the least bit disrespectful to her or ungrateful for her. </p>
<p>My D started an SAT/ACT tutoring business last summer, after high school graduation. We also required her to interview for retail jobs because we thought she would not earn enough through tutoring and we didn’t want her to waste her summer. As it happened, she did very well through tutoring and was not hired for a regular job. We feel that the interviewing and application experience was still useful.</p>