Although it doesn’t really feel like it this week, summer is right around the corner! Summer vacation can mean many different things for high school students. For some, it’s nine weeks of freedom, hanging out with friends, trips to the beach, or family vacations. For some, summer is filled with many hours at full- or part-time jobs. For some, summer is filled with athletic practices and games, or academic programs and summer camps. For most, it’s some kind of combination of these plans.
As high school counselors, we hope that whatever students choose to do with their two month hiatus from Nipmuc provides some kind of meaningful experience. This post will focus on the benefits of summer employment. Summer jobs come in all shapes and sizes from babysitting neighborhood kids to doing administrative tasks in an office setting to serving diners at a restaurant. No matter the job responsibilities, working over the summer has many benefits for high school students.
Here are some of those rewards:
Building Up Soft Skills: Soft skills include things like time management, confidence, conversational skills, eye contact, phone etiquette, and maturity. These skills are often not gained from a specific class in school or job training orientation. They are skills that many people pick up along the way as they hold jobs and gain experience. When employers are making decisions about who to hire and who to pass on, they are often looking for soft skills. Having a summer job can help to build up these elusive skills in order to have them at the ready when looking for a full-time job after high school or college.
Broadening Social and Professional Networks: Having a summer job is a great way to meet new friends and make make professional connections. Very often, connections you make in one job can help lead to the next job and other opportunities down the road. It’s always a good idea to keep in touch with coworkers, supervisors, and employers because you never know who may be able to help you out in the future.
- Making Money: Although it seems obvious, making money is worth adding to this list. Not only does making money mean you have cash to spend, but working to earn money can teach the the true value of money. Once teenagers work hard to earn their own wages, it becomes motivation to save. Money can later be used to pay for college, a car, or maybe even a fun vacation with family or friends.
Gaining Experience to Add to a Resume: It is not uncommon for adults to be turned down from jobs because they do not have experience or because another candidate had more experience. Being able to show that you have had job responsibilities, whatever they may be, will make future employers see you as someone they can rely on to maintain the duties of the job for which they are hiring. The more experience young adults can add to their resumes, the better!
Finding a job may be easier said than done. Keep in mind that summer employment doesn’t have to be traditional. Many high school students create their own employment by offering skills and talents to their local communities. Doing yard work, babysitting, or tutoring younger children can be considered jobs. Just be sure to stay organized by tracking your time and money and be reliable by following through on your commitments. Also, make sure to take a little time to relax and have fun. It will be September before we know it!
