This is a wake-up call. We are almost done with summer, and what do you have to show from it? Have you been kicking butt at your internship? Raking in the dough from your part time job? Are you at least stress-free and wonderfully tan? If your answer to these questions is “no” or a half-hearted “yeahhh,” it might be time to re-assess your goals for the summer, and try to make something happen before it’s too late. And what about that lofty list of projects you wanted to complete, the trips you wanted to take, the books you meant to read? I know I abandoned my lists a week into break. But summer isn’t over. It’s not too late to get back on track and accomplish some of your summertime vision. Let’s focus on three areas:
Your job: Most of us headed into our internship expecting big things. We might have wanted to make a ton of connections and meet really cool people. Perhaps we thought we’d be laying the groundwork for future job offers. Maybe you thought you’d be effecting a greater change in the world. Did any of this happen? Where are you now? We never get everything we wanted, but there is still time to do some important things. Suck up to your boss, and ask for a letter of reference. Let them know that you will probably be contacting them in the near future for letters of recommendation. Talk to the people you work with. Maybe you have not gotten along so far. Maybe you have gotten along, but they don’t seem to have the power to help you along in your career path. Either way, it’s important to end the summer on a good note. Be friendly, let them know how much you’ve enjoyed working with them, and in what ways you felt like you’ve grown. Then ask if they have contacts, or can recommend other people in their particular industry whom you should contact for future opportunities, or simply to ask some questions. Maybe they know someone who can recommend a useful contact. Finally, it is important you ask your boss and colleagues what they think your next move should be. What would they recommend you do now in order to further your career path?
Your intellectual goals: Most people headed into summer saying they were going to read everything under the sun. How’s that going? It’s okay to toss aside that book you’ve been trudging through for the past month. Pretty soon you will be forced to do a lot of less-than-fun reading. Right now, pick up something both interesting and fun, and let yourself get carried away. You can tell it’s the right book if you’d rather stay up reading it then get a good night’s sleep. You’re looking at a fresh start and a brand new semester so try to read something motivational. A few suggestions: Sheryl Sandburg’s Lean In (a book that’s being toted as our generation’s Feminine Mystique), The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (if you’re into essays about life and humanity), Randy Pausch’sThe Last Lecture, Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. If these all sound like a snoozefest, keep looking! Just read something different, take a walk on the wild side.
Your cultural development: Was this supposed to be your summer of adventure? Skinny-dipping, accidental tattoos, losing shoes, getting stuck on the top of ferris wheels, sleeping on beaches kind of summer? Then somehow you got to August and you’ve just spent a lot of quality time with your grandparents, gone through nearly every movie on netflix, and spent money in almost every store in your mall? Fear not! There is still time for adventure. Plan a weekend getaway with friends, or if you can’t do a whole weekend, an epic daytrip. Look up local state parks where you can hike, go swimming, cook out, get lost, and jump into water from incredibly high heights. Think about taking the train or bus into the nearest city. Go to a flea market, music festival, or art gallery. Explore small towns out in the country. Go rafting down a nearby river. If you live in the North, think about heading up to Canada for a few days.
The most important thing is that you stop for a moment now, before it’s too late. Think about what you wanted for this summer and what you’ve done so far. You still have time.