I have navigated the nightmare that is the summer job market for the past three years. There is something uniquely awful about filling out millions of job applications, getting ghosted by more than half of the places you applied to, interviewing, never hearing back and finally accepting a job only to resent it. I have worked in retail, in a daycare and as a salon receptionist-janitor hybrid (ew, hair splinters).Â
I come from a place of immense privilege in the fact that I have found work every summer. I get to make money and save it to buy groceries and pay for basic living expenses. This is combined with my place of privilege due to my parents’ status as working, college-educated people. I am grateful for my employment and the savings it has brought me. Any hardship or irritation is just how college jobs often go.Â
I have worked some decent jobs and some not-so decent jobs, and I know a bit about surviving a summer job with questionable management, miserable tasks and ungodly hours. My jobs have all been mixed bags. I have found fulfillment and funny stories to tell at parties, all while completing tasks I never would have volunteered to do without the promise of that minimum wage paycheck.Â
At my very first job, I worked as a receptionist at a salon, but mostly did janitorial work. Once, a man came in under the influence, got in the tanning bed and stayed for three hours. I had to call my manager because he would not leave the salon. I was terrified, and my manager’s response did not help: “Oh, that’s just Kevin” (This is a pseudonym). But, the work was not too bad, and I learned time management and a lot of skills that applied in my later places of employment.Â
My second job was at a daycare. This was also my first full-time job, with hours from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and a single 45 minute break during which I scarfed down a protein bar and steeled myself for the afternoon crazies. I worked with children ages six months to 12 years old, and every morning I would be assigned to a different room. I had to calibrate to new groups spontaneously and efficiently, memorize safety procedures and child CPR, all while feeding and caring and changing diapers. Through this work, I learned how to find fulfillment in the midst of chaos. The challenges I faced taught me valuable lessons both about flexibility and connecting with people.Â
My most recent job was in retail, which was a fairly gentle gig compared to my other work. But, I had to sell with a smile while customers could be in bad moods or have difficult requests. This job taught me kindness, how to come into work with a good attitude even if the day ahead seems hard.
Survival Tip One
Always bring a water bottle and carry it with you when your job allows. In my experience, minutes feel like hours when you are dehydrated, especially when the job requires you to work outside in the heat in any capacity. Sipping from a water bottle passes the time and allows me to pause and take a step back if I am frustrated. A water bottle is a working girl essential.
Survival Tip Two
Create a routine. My saving grace at the end of the day was my routine post-work. Whether it is making yourself a coffee, going to the gym or watching objectively awful reality television, make space for yourself at the end of your day. The days go by faster and better.Â
Survival Tip Three
Perhaps this is naive advice, but it has gotten me through hard shifts: Do not forget to feel hopeful. Hope and I have a complicated relationship, but ultimately when I allow myself to ground in the present moment without panicking about the never-ending nature of my future, I feel more hope and less anxiety. It has gotten me through diaper changes and lice infestations, rude customers and awkward interactions. All of these things have helped me develop skills that I hope to bring to my future career, and skills I have already implemented in my academic pursuits. Hope has allowed me to see present challenges as opportunities for future growth and character development, and makes me grateful for the jobs I have worked and summers I have hated.Â
So, ultimately, my advice is instead of slogging through a miserable summer job, think of it differently. Think of it as an opportunity to become better suited for the real world. I know it has given me not only skills, but a lot of fun stories to tell at dinners with friends.