CampusIntel

In the past couple of weeks I have heard sooo many people complaining about how much they HATE their summer jobs. Suck it up buttercups. A lot of people don’t have summer jobs!

Actually the point of this blog isn’t to critize, it’s to emphasize the IMPORTANCE of those “sucky” summer jobs.

I can already feel your eye’s drooping and your interest fading… WAKE UP this is important! Those crappy summer jobs are going to help you in the long run. I can already hear you saying “no way, not possible, you have NEVER had to work the conditions I have had to so what could you possibly know”. You’re right, I haven’t had to work a lot of different positions, but, from being a ski instructor to young children, to a day camp counsellor, to working in a toy store for three summers, I know and understand the difficulties of working somewhere you don’t want to.

But, ladies and gentlemen, there are benefits so here they are:

1. You will now know how to deal with difficult and adverse situations (if not difficult bosses and coworkers)! You are a better person for it, you can deal with it well, which could potentially earn you brownie points at your next job. Knowing how to deal with a difficult boss or coworker, or tense situation effects all areas of your life.

2. You will have different experience. Often times people hate their first summer jobs, or just summer jobs, and it’s normally not what they want to do. But this way you will learn something new that (if you can believe it or not) be applied to life outside of that particular field of work.

3. Working all summer without vacation seems like a downer but it’s not. I have done it for 4 years now and I gotta tell you, working all year as a student is hard, working all summer as a summer temp is hard … but when you do get downtime (even if it is only one weekend off in the entire summer) you will appreciate it all the more. Real life is like this so think of it as preparation.

4. If you are one of those people looking for a job and desperately trying to find one, don’t be picky! Life is hard enough as it is! Now that you know a job that you may not like could be beneficial to the future you, go get it. The point is that you will be able to support yourself in the future, and that is also super important.

5. For those of you who still rely on your parents, having a crappy summer job teaches you the work ethic you need for school, work, life, reality, arduous people who get on your nerves and just don’t know when to stop….

6. Going along with number 5, it helps you become more financially independant from your parents and starts to teach you the value of money.

7. Last, and finally (I am sorry to all of you who have heard this before but it’s important) these crappy jobs BUILD CHARACTER, they shape and mold you into who you will become. They help you appreciate the better jobs when they come along, and (are you listening first time workers) they will for sure come along!

Summer jobs suck, especially first time summer jobs. But they are good for us in the long run and in the end, it’s only four months of your life, live a little.