essay about summer job

How to Write a College Essay about a Summer Job

essay about summer job

Writing a college essay about a summer job can be a great opportunity to showcase your skills and experiences to college admissions officers. It allows you to demonstrate your work ethic, responsibility, and dedication while highlighting your unique personality and qualities. Here are some tips to help you write a compelling essay about your summer job:

1. Reflect on your experiences

Reflecting on your experiences is an essential part of writing a college essay about a summer job. It's not enough to simply recount what you did over the summer; you need to think deeply about what you learned from the experience and how it impacted you.

When reflecting on your experiences, consider the following questions:

1. What did you learn?

Think about the skills you developed or the knowledge you gained over the summer. Did you learn anything about yourself or the world around you? How did this experience change you?

2. What challenges did you face?

Reflect on any obstacles or setbacks you encountered during your summer job. How did you overcome them? What did you learn from these experiences?

3. How did you contribute?

Think about the impact you had on your job or the people around you. Did you make any positive changes or help others in some way? How did you feel about your contribution?

4. What did you enjoy most?

Reflect on the parts of your summer job that you enjoyed the most. Why did you enjoy them? What did this tell you about your interests and passions?

By taking the time to reflect on your experiences, you can gain a deeper understanding of what you learned and how it impacted you. This can help you write a more thoughtful and compelling college essay that showcases your skills, interests, and personal growth.

2. Focus on a specific experience

When writing a college essay about a summer job, it's important to focus on a specific experience that impacted you the most. This could be a particular project or task you worked on, a challenging situation you faced, or a significant interaction you had with a coworker or supervisor.

To effectively focus on a specific experience, it's important to provide details and examples that help bring the experience to life for the reader. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the experience, including what you did, how you did it, and what you learned from it.

Additionally, it's important to connect the experience to your personal growth and development. What skills did you gain or improve upon? How did the experience shape your future goals or aspirations? What lessons did you learn that you can apply to other areas of your life?

Remember that the essay is not just about the job itself, but also about what you learned and how you grew as a result of the experience. By focusing on a specific experience and reflecting on its impact, you can create a compelling and meaningful essay that showcases your personal growth and development.

3. Show, don't tell: 

"Show, don't tell" is a crucial aspect of writing a compelling college essay about a summer job or any personal experience. Instead of merely stating your accomplishments or characteristics, you should try to demonstrate them through your writing.

To achieve this, use specific details and vivid descriptions to paint a picture of the experience. Rather than simply saying that you worked hard at your summer job, show the reader by describing a specific instance where you went above and beyond your duties. Use sensory language to describe what you saw, heard, smelled, and felt during the experience.

For example, instead of saying, "I worked hard at my summer job at the ice cream shop," you could write something like, "The heat was oppressive as I spent hours scooping ice cream for a never-ending line of customers. My arms ached from the constant motion, but I persevered, determined to give each customer a perfect scoop."

By using descriptive language and specific examples, you allow the reader to feel as if they were there with you, experiencing the situation alongside you. This makes your essay more engaging and memorable, and helps the reader gain a deeper understanding of who you are as a person.

4. Highlight your skills: 

When writing about your summer job in a college essay, it's important to highlight the skills you developed during your time there. These skills can demonstrate your personal and professional growth, as well as your potential to contribute to a college community.

First, consider the specific tasks and responsibilities you had at your summer job. Did you develop strong communication skills while interacting with customers or coworkers? Did you become more organized and efficient in managing your workload? Did you learn to think creatively to solve problems or improve processes? Whatever the skills you acquired, make sure to clearly describe them and provide examples of how you applied them.

It's also important to consider how these skills can be relevant to your college experience. For example, if you developed strong leadership skills while working as a shift supervisor at a restaurant, you could highlight how these skills could translate to leadership roles in student organizations or group projects. By connecting your summer job experiences to your future goals and aspirations, you can demonstrate to college admissions officers how you can contribute to their community.

5. Be authentic

When writing a college essay about a summer job, it's important to be authentic and genuine. Avoid trying to sound overly impressive or exaggerating your experiences. Instead, focus on telling the story of your summer job in a way that is truthful and genuine.

One way to be authentic is to write in your own voice. Use language that feels natural to you and avoid trying to sound overly formal or academic. Write the way you speak, and try to convey your personality through your writing.

Another way to be authentic is to share your personal thoughts and feelings about your summer job. Don't be afraid to talk about your successes and failures, your strengths and weaknesses, and your emotions and reactions to different situations. By sharing your true feelings, you can connect with the reader on a deeper level and demonstrate your self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

Being authentic also means being honest about your limitations and areas for growth. If you struggled with a particular aspect of your summer job or made mistakes, don't try to hide it or gloss over it. Instead, acknowledge the challenge and discuss how you learned from the experience and improved as a result.

Overall, being authentic is about being true to yourself and your experiences. By doing so, you can create a compelling and honest college essay that showcases your unique perspective and personality.

Writing a college essay about a summer job can be a great way to showcase your skills, experiences, and personal growth. To write an effective essay, it's important to reflect on your experiences, focus on a specific experience, show rather than tell, highlight your skills, and be authentic. By following these tips, you can craft a compelling essay that stands out to admissions officers and showcases your unique qualities and potential. Remember, your summer job experience can provide valuable insight into who you are as a person and how you approach challenges, so don't be afraid to share your story and let your personality shine through.

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The Value of a Summer Job

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Economists love labor-force statistics, those numbers that help them determine all kinds of things about the improving or declining health of the economy  — unemployment rates, new jobs, emerging job sectors, and so on. It was unsettling this spring when more than one newspaper headline heralded “The Death of the Summer Job.”

Competition from the College Application

The summer job has long been a way for teens to dip their toes into the workforce, begin to earn paychecks, and start to understand what it means to work for a living. Experts see it as a valuable first step toward becoming a full-time employee and to also begin saving money for your future.

However, labor-force statistics suggest summer jobs may not top the high-school-student priority list. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, last July only 4 in 10 teens were in the labor force, compared with about 7 in 10 in July 1978 – and this is while all the other labor market statistics for older people have been getting stronger.

Teen labor force numbers have been on the decline for decades. Many believe that summer job opportunities have been replaced by internships and volunteering that are thought to strengthen college applications, and lots of extracurricular activities – especially for those kids who have the financial means not to have to work. Paul Harrington, a professor at Drexel University’s Center for Labor Markets and Policy in Philadelphia, and an expert on this issue, told NPR’s The Indicator business podcast on June 29, “The higher education system now, I would argue, punishes high school kids for working because the rewards in high school for college admission are not work-related. They’re…community service , that sort of thing and…extracurricular activities.”

Harrington and others have been lamenting the decline of summer jobs among teens, pointing out that they are invaluable preparation for employment later in life. What’s more, summer jobs teach so many key money skills, from earning a paycheck and learning to understand things like gross pay and net pay, to making choices about saving and spending. Many employers will deposit your paychecks directly into your bank account, a convenience that helps support savings. For those teens that haven’t yet opened an account, this is another summer-job advantage. Now’s the time to open one, as you begin to make smart financial choices for your future.

A big believer in the power of the summer job – as a hands-on financial education, as well as a skills builder – KWHS did some on-the-street research to find teen workers. We are happy to report that in many ways the summer job is alive and well. And we were reminded of another skill that makes the summer job difficult to replace: work ethic. This basically means that you show up on time, work extremely hard, dazzle your employers, and develop an internal drive to succeed, no matter what the task.

Buttered Toast and Better Skills

We recently met Katherine Paulino, a 17-year-old rising senior at Bodine High School for International Affairs in Philadelphia. Paulino is spending a big part of her summer waitressing at the T&N Homemade Kitchen restaurant in Northern Liberties, Pa., U.S. “This is my first job,” says Paulino, who hopes to go to college to major in marketing or management . “I decided to take this job because I’ve never had a real job before, I didn’t have any immediate summer plans, and I wanted to make my own money. My goal is to save enough money to buy a new phone, so I would need a job to do that.”

Paulino’s job duties include taking orders, working the cash register to ring up customers, bagging food and helping the cook in the kitchen, primarily by washing dishes and making buttered toast. “I think I’m learning valuable skills when it comes to working with others,” she says. “I feel like I’ve bettered my collaborative skills and communication skills. In school I’m working with people my age, which is fine but can become repetitive and can only teach me so much. At my job, I am the youngest person there and that factor has not been an issue so far. But it’s nice to work with someone with a different mind set than you. Also, I am gaining more things to put on my résumé. When I get to college, I will be able to say I’ve had a job before and know how to be a cashier, so I can get a job more smoothly. To earn my own paycheck is really satisfying and makes me feel accomplished. I work hard and I do my job very well, so I know I deserve to be there and earn my own money.”

While Paulino has more of a traditional summer job, it’s important to remember that you have lots of options to enter the workforce. Candace Fowler, a long-time saver and a writer for Money Crashers , a personal finance blog, says, “Working part-time, even if that just means taking on irregular gigs when you’re not in class or working toward your academic goals, is crucial to your efforts to build a savings cushion before and during college.”

Fowler adds, “Look for opportunities that play to your personal or academic strengths. If you have a knack for writing or graphic design, look for freelance projects in those fields. If you’re a gifted communicator, seek out tutoring work in your strongest academic disciplines. None of these opportunities need to monopolize your time. Those requiring specialized knowledge, such as tutoring, pay significantly more than minimum wage , meaning you can earn a decent paycheck with as few as 10 to 15 hours of effort per week.”

It’s not too late to get a job this summer, which you might classify as an enrichment program with long-term employment and financial-literacy benefits. Where will you work?

Related Links

  • NPR: Why Teen Employment Numbers Are Down
  • Money Crashers
  • Business Insider: Teen Unemployment
  • CBS News MoneyWatch: Why So Few Teens Work Summer Jobs These Days

Conversation Starters

Do you work a summer job? Is it a valuable experience? Why or why not?

How do you feel about the argument that fewer teens, especially those with money, are working jobs because they are doing activities to bolster their college applications? Do you feel they’re missing out?

High school is a particularly important time to begin developing money skills so you can make informed decisions later about your finances. Are the activities that you choose to do outside of school helping to build your financial literacy? Share your experiences in the comments section of this article.

48 comments on “ The Value of a Summer Job ”

Unfortunately I don’t have a summer job. It’s not so commum in my country and also I don’t have time to fit it in my summer plans, due to my studies and tasks. Well, about the matter of “not-so-many” students having summer jobs, of course it is a great experience, but there are many other activities that are as incredible. I mean, the best way to learn and improve ourselves is through life experience, but our time is limited and so we are not able of having all the experiences that this world offers. So I think that everyone has to discover his own path and follow it the best way possible, choosing the activities that will be of best use to him, that will bring the greatest improvement. In fact, a summer job is one of the best picks among the extra activities pool. It helps a lot in the understanding of finances and the marcket movement. But it can also be obtained through other activities, like: I learned a lot about finances when I took WHARTON’s Investment Competition, and now I have plans of really investing in stocks; also I learned how to manege money well when I was really young and worked as cashier (informally) in my father’s ice cream shop. Summarizing, these are of great importance and every student should develop them. Having a summer job is a good way of doing it, but not the only one. And everyone has to reflect until he/she knows the choice that has to be taken.

Hi Ícaro! Thank you for your thoughtful perspective. I’m curious about your home country and the fact that it’s not so common for teens to have jobs. I love learning about other cultures and how they are different. It’s true that this article is very U.S.-centric, so I would appreciate your more global perspective on teens working in summer jobs.

Hi, I’m from India. Here, summer jobs as a concept doesn’t really exist. We aren’t usually encouraged by our parents to go and work at a restaurant per say. Some Safety issues persist and in this paradigm the common opinion is why to work when you don’t need money. However, I feel summer jobs are really helpful. In India, we as children coming from middle class families grow up in a very protected and privileged environment, It’s vital for us to move out of it and face life. I did an internship this summer and it was an eye opener. I took the metro and spent 8 hours working. As students, We’re so used to the Roadmap, the customary way of living, nobody really tells us that managing our finances and dealing with daily mental stress ( that you might go through during a job) are of utmost importance. At a job, you meet people from different spheres of life and trust me, it helps. Be it Multiplying your wealth or daily political news, you learn a lot. It also kind of makes you reconnect. Leave your phones and see the diversity that exists. You get the knack of convincing people (it’s tough, really) and taking orders. As a waiter, you need to listen to the manager even when he’s being irrational. You learn to lead and take orders at the same time. Also, the fact that a summer jobs cut across barriers of wealth, race or caste makes them a must. Expecially in a country where Caste system has existed for so long. A clear example is Obama’s Daughter, Sasha. On a broder Spectrum, these jobs might just tie our generation together and eradicate the divisions. But, The one thing I feel a summer job falls short of is instilling a skill. Unless you’re a freelancer, cultivating art, you don’t get any specialisation in a summer job. Given the status quo, we need individuals who are specialised, exclusive and holistically developed at the same time. So, summer jobs that develop your craft, frame your interests are needed. Yes, extracurricular activities do build our profile and contribute a lot, but for the real, unpredictable view of life and the society, and for great management skills, we must go for summer jobs. Waiting for the cultural shift here in India, among other things the summer jobs will increase the respect for labor and reduce our sense of privilege!

Thank you for your thoughtful perspective, Srishti. I would love to know what you did for your internship! Please respond when get a chance.

Hi Diana! I’m from Brazil. Here teenagers can indeed have some kind of jobs, in programs like “Jovem Aprendiz” (Young Apprentice). But it’s not exactly like summer jobs. Personally, I think that the biggest difference is the bureaucracy envolved. I’ve never lived in the US but at least I think that there it’s “easier” to get a formal job while a teenagers, because it does not involve a specific governmental program like here, right?

I’ve never had a summer job, so I feel that I don’t have much credibility in my response. However, I’ll go ahead anyways.

I want to pursue business in university, so I’ll be talking from this perspective. There are a few options to do in summer – start / expand your own business, participate in an entrepreneurship summer camp, intern in a company, self-study for future tests, travel etc.

It’s really hard to get an internship experience if you want to study business. I’ve approached several firms, which don’t accept high school students (they only accept juniors in college or older), due to lack of knowledge and experience. At least, this is true in Shanghai, China. So, my attempt to intern is blocked.

I really don’t want to get a summer job. What jobs can high school students do? In this article, Paulino is a temporary waitress. Although I see how reflective Paulino is with her experiences, commenting on everything she’s learnt, I don’t think a waitress is a particularly skilful job which requires much training.

Fowler talks about jobs requiring specialised training for high school students, like tutoring. While the minimum wage is different in the different states, high school students aren’t perceived as “credible” unless you are extremely gifted and talented (in academics) and is a great tutor with previous experiences. I don’t think this is realistic for many, as high school students can tutor middle school students or younger. Student tutors will have competition from professional tutors, decreasing demand for student tutors.

While Harrington and others have touched upon many skills you can learn, those most fundamental financial skills only apply to those who haven’t had previous experience to it. As a current economics and business student, I’ve developed financial literacy, hence I already know what “gross pay”, “net pay” etc. are. I’ve also used these terms when I was in Grade 6 when I started my first computer game business.

Less relatively wealthy teens are doing jobs because there are more meaningful things. I’ve read an article on KWHS before saying “Our generation is full of humanitarians and philanthropists”. Many people think we do community service for college application, but most of us do it from the bottom of our hearts. We want to impact and change the world in a way the whole society can benefit. That often comes to service, whether volunteering or fundraising or donating. My school offers students to go to Uganda and Nepal for service trips, and many students wish to go.

Personally, I’ve been developing my social enterprise by myself. I’m currently building a website on Wix for it, but I already have an official QR code for a Wechat account (major platform in China). I think this is the most valuable project I can do in my summer vacation, as it will boost my social enterprise when the school year starts. While I’m building the website, I’m also crowdfunding so I have enough funds to operate during the next academic year, as well as spreading my social enterprise to different companies. Although I’m not a registered tax-deductible charity, I hope to expand it to the extent I can get it officially approved.

Whether one wants to participate in a summer job is totally up to them, but there is always an opportunity cost. One must weigh in the value of this cost, which may worth and value more than a summer job.

Hi Harry! As always, we love your opinions! It sounds like you have a penchant for self-employment, which is a great way to begin to learn the freelance labor market and earn some money. Personally, I think high school students can do lots of jobs and do them well. More importantly, jobs are an extension of the learning they get in other places. For example, waitressing is a great way to learn people skills (you are dealing all day with customers, both happy and grumpy), and you must multi-task in a big way, especially when it gets busy. I was a waitress for 10 years, starting as a busgirl when I was 17, and the experience prepared me in many ways for a career in journalism. I had to learn to be on time, stay calm in stressful restaurant moments, and remember lots of details when my pen wasn’t readily available. Great training for a future reporter! So, even though some jobs may seem on the surface to not provide skills, they are actually so valuable.

Thanks for your anecdote Diana! This is actually making me reconsider my opinion – I never thought of the variety of skills and the invaluable experience of a waitress. However, I do agree with you that the core skills are not transferrable. I’m not sure whether it’s worth it though, to spend so many years and a full time job.

Haha – I’m not extremely inclined to self employment. I just watched Jack Ma’s interview on the World Economic Forum in January 2018, and I’m taking his advice (he really is a genius). The quotation is

“When you are 20-30 years old, follow a good boss, and learn from him or her; when you are 30-40 years old, you can try something interesting and go for it; when you are 40-50 years old, things get dangerous if you are doing interesting things, so go for the less risky options; when you are 50-60 years old, pass on your skills to the next (younger) generation; when you are 60 years or older, stay with your grandchildren”.

I can’t believe I typed all of that out… Anyways, on to the main point – maybe a variety of skills can be learnt from a good leader, experienced worker, or boss. I’m not sure, however I’d probably like more advice even after university before starting my own business or company. Jack Ma does say that 30-40 is the best age for entrepreneurship, and I do agree as one can afford to fail and get a new job.

I’ll dig into this a little further and see if I can get a summer job next summer. I’m afraid I’m occupied this one! However, I am planning to attend Wharton’s LBW Summer Programme next summer…

Thanks again Diana!

Hey Harry! From your comment, I infer that you are currently residing in China, so I completely understand how our opinions on summer jobs differ, as I live in the United States. You mention how “high school students aren’t perceived as ‘credible'”and that you “don’t think [tutoring] is realistic for many”. I, myself, am a high school tutor who reaches clients both independently and through a company, and I truly believe that tutoring jobs are a completely viable option for high schoolers. While this may not be the case in China, I can only speak for my personal experiences in the U.S. Like you said, there can sometimes be skepticism directed at high school tutors, as they might not have the same resources and experience as professional tutors. However, there is an increasing demand for tutors, and many times families do not want to pay the high rates of professionals (they often charge $40 USD – $150 USD) which is why they rely on student tutors who are in a good academic standing (students charge $10 USD – $30 USD and some even do it for free). For reference, I tutor elementary kids all the way up to high school students.

You state that “most fundamental financial skills only apply to those who haven’t had previous experience to it”. While this may be applicable in some scenarios, I still believe that a summer job is still worthwhile because each job presents new challenges and different experiences. Summer jobs, whether it may be waitressing at a restaurant or being a cashier at a department store, provide an insight on what life is like to an average worker and helps develop skills that cannot necessarily be acquired at a corporate job. When I just began tutoring, it definitely took a while before I had any clients, but along the way I learned key skills about how to advertise myself and the professionalism I had to maintain with my clients. Many of my friends often tell me that I am lucky to be earning so much money by just sitting at a desk 3-4 times a week, but tutoring can be mentally grueling which is why I feel like it has shaped me into a better person. I am grateful for all the skills I have acquired through this job and cannot wait to learn more.

We can also take one of my friends, for example. She comes from a family of millionaires, and this summer she decided to pickup a job as a waitress at a sushi restaurant. She could be doing many other things with her summer, but she chose to work instead in order to gain an understanding of the real value of money and develop appreciation and gratitude towards people who make a living off of minimum wage jobs. The best part about these stereotypical high school summer jobs (barista, waitress, cashier, etc.) are the people you meet. They come from all walks of life and may have wisdom to share that no college or hedge fund can offer.

You further mention in your comment how you have developed “financial literacy” already which is why you know the terms “gross pay” and “net pay”. Please take no offense to this, but knowing the definition of terms simply does not prepare you for the real world after college; a real job does. Like Diana states in her reply “some jobs may seem on the surface to not provide skills, they are actually so valuable”. Even by working as an employee at a grocery store or diner, you would have to familiarize yourself with the terms “gross and net pay”, as your paycheck is a reflection of those terms.

I completely agree with you on how it would be nice to have an abundance of internship opportunities available to high schoolers to provide them an insight of what their future might hold, but also like you said, there are many other ways to make your summer meaningful: service trips are a great way to give back to the community in a larger capacity.

Like you, I want to pursue business in my future, and I truly hope that the social enterprise you are heading is a huge success this year. I am well acquainted with the work associated with building a website and crowdfunding and wish that all your endeavors prosper! I just want to conclude by saying that small things such as summer jobs have value and it isn’t always “go big or go home”.

Hey Nikhita, Diana, and Harry,

While reading all of your extremely thoughtful and well-crafted arguments, something occurred to me: by nature of the fact that we all are reading and commenting on this article, we argue from the perspective of collegiate-bound, driven people. We speak from hearts with career plans and big dreams from the future. We likely read this article as a discussion of the “value-added” by summer jobs to our college applications and lives. We probably share these characteristics, and I personally hope they are signs of a future of success and passion. However, by no means is every teenager in the world like us in that way, and for that reason, we cannot debate the true importance of summer jobs for every student without recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all map for a life and career path.

We haven’t yet discussed the fact that for many students that do not attend college, summer gigs turn into full-time jobs when high school is over. Some students may not be bound to attend prestigious universities or obtain higher education at all (regardless of whether you believe in universal higher education or not, this is the reality of today). For these teens, completing other activities like the community service trips Henry mentioned may not be the best fit. Job experience and networking, even in unskilled positions, are more likely to advance these students in their pathway than a volunteer position that they are doing “just for the app.” And of course, for students with financial situations that necessitate supplemental income, it is absurd that a summer job would be pushed aside in favor of an activity that seems to be more favorable to colleges. That being said, I completely agree with Henry and Nikhita that other summer activities have immense value and should be explored, if possible, as well. The important point is that teens are well rounded and prepared for their future, for whatever path they may take.

Now, I would like to say that I have never worked a minimum wage job. I have been fortunate enough not to need to support my family with supplemental income. However, I do tutor and work on the weekends with an entertainment company, and being that I grew up in a family that owns a small business, I hope that I have some sense of the value of money. I am really humbled by people who work labor and minimum wage jobs— especially teenagers, and even more especially teenagers who are wealthy enough to not need to work, like the waitress Nikhita mentioned. While perhaps the “core skills” of waitressing are not transferable, the drive to work is something that needs to be constantly cultivated, and whether you are a millionaire or just getting by, not only are the people skills gained valuable, but also the development of a strong work ethic is a cornerstone of success and happiness.

I would like to finish with two points. One is that I don’t really believe in the “opportunity cost” that Henry mentioned, in the sense that by taking advantage of one open door, you do not close all others. The saying, “whatever you are, be a good one” rings true no matter what activity you choose to do over the summer. If you are a fantastic icecream scooper from June to August, you might not have added 1,000 community service hours to your resume, but you did something that is truly impressive: earned your way to success. And that summer at the icecream parlor might introduce you to your next CEO taking his kids out for soft serve. Maybe you’ll be shift manager after two dedicated summers. Maybe you’ll be inspired to make your own ice-cream startup, and you’ll have the skills to do so. Certainly with some exceptions, if you do whatever you’re doing well, there is always more room for success.

My other point is that it seems to me that colleges understand the value of summer jobs. Admissions counselors seem to constantly advise on the value of doing what works for you, and a summer job works for many of us. If you’re looking to enhance your college application with a job, your success depends what you can gain from the experience, how well you can express that growth, and what opportunities you take from that point on.

A summer job is not flashy, and no one becomes a millionaire in three brief months. But for three brief months, students who are typically trapped in a world of textbooks without real world experience have the opportunity to put what they learn in school (whether knowledge, skills, or ethics) to the test. We have four summers in high school: there is time to work, learn, play, and travel. I believe that the best way to “do” summer is to do everything that fits for you, and to take full advantage of whatever that may be— especially a summer job.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and good luck with everything that you all are doing!

Sincerely, Mikhal Ben-Joseph

P.S. And because I’m spending this week in a Spanish speaking country (ironically taking a break from the summer job I do have), I’ll leave you with this saying: “Vale la pena”— in other words, “It’s worth the effort”.

Hi Nikhita and Mikhal,

Thanks for your insight. First of all, I’d like to ask Nikhita – are you a high school student tutoring another high school student? I’m not sure how AP (or the American system) exactly works, but that’s impossible for the IB, the course I’m taking, during high school. Or do you teach other classes? It’s great to hear that you are earning money from tutoring! The community in China is totally different to an annoying extent – people are willing to pay around RMB 1000 – 2000 ($160 to $320 equivalent) per hour for a lesson. Although I feel like it’s totally unnecessary, parents pressure their kids for “the best” (aka the most expensive) education… However, I do agree now in retrospect that high school tutors are capable, but to get a job you’d need good marketing, and probably be in a community of support, trust, and integrity.

I do agree to some extent about the experience your friend had as a waitress. Developing a gratitude towards people who earn minimum jobs can be achieved through other activities. However, meeting different people with different backgrounds and experiences is quite valuable. I thought this could be achieved in an internship, but do correct me if I’m wrong. Please also see my response later on showing how valuable service activities are.

My reference to “net and gross pay” was actually from the article above. Key money skills may be developed without a summer job – through starting your own business throughout the year. It doesn’t need to be a summer job. It can be self-employment. And that, does prepare you for real life. Alternatively, as a requirement in my Economics and Business course, I need to learn and apply these terms. Yes, I did say “apply”, which is used in a simulation. Of course, a valid argument is that applying isn’t the same as the real world, and simulations aren’t real. However, they are still useful.

In addition, if you read my original comment carefully, I did use those terms under a real life situation. Although within school, it’s far better than a simulation. Back to my main point – you don’t necessarily need a summer job to develop and actually use financial literacy.

I’m actually terrible with computers, so it took me a long time to learn to code, but then it was too confusing so I decided to use WiX instead. “Go big or go home” is more like the spirit of an entrepreneur, however considering that this article is related to summer jobs, I must agree with you! Thanks again!

I do not believe in universal education, because it’s true in mainland China and especially Hong Kong. Demand for universities is higher than supply, so the market is in excess demand, forcing many students to either go abroad (which costs more), or not going to uni at all.

In this scenario, community service may not be the best option. However, life will get more and more busy especially if one doesn’t go to uni (because of real life stress matters). Of course, not everyone gives back to the community; not everyone has time to help others; not everyone knows what poverty is actually like. If that’s the case, then service isn’t a good option. I know that many people are religious, and they’d like to give back to the community, care about those who are underprivileged, develop empathy for those who live under absolute poverty, make donations, etc. According the Washington Times, 84% of the world has faith, so trying community service before real life stress approaches is often a good option.

On the other hand, families that actually need support will hopefully receive it, and with extra money from family jobs, it’d be even better.

I think our interpretations of “opportunity cost” are different. I’ve always thought it meaning the next best alternative foregone. What I exactly said was

“One must weigh in the value of this cost, which may worth and value more than a summer job.”

The next best alternative of a summer job, may be community service. If someone is religious, that’s a massive opportunity cost to give up. When weighing this opportunity cost, one may find it isn’t absolutely worth it for the summer job. I’m still sticking with my opinion here, and I still thinking opportunity cost is a major factor in considering what to do for the summer.

I like your example, however it seems flawed to me. You didn’t miss 1000 community service hours to pad your résumé. You missed the experience – whether teaching children in impoverished regions, playing music at elderly homes, helping to build an orphanage, fundraising in high temperatures, or raising awareness. And that, is a totally invaluable experience, which I think is more valuable than Nikhita’s friend’s experience. The people I’ve met from service – they have come from all walks of life as well, and share wisdom. They’ve experienced more than anyone can imagine, going around the world to help the needy, or staying in an LEDC and volunteering for months.

I’d argue service is more valuable than a summer job, but again, it can be easily refuted. Personally, I think community service is truly impressive. Way more impressive than a shift manager of an ice cream shop. The world is changing. The future generation needs people that are skilful, tact, and experienced but also compassionate, caring, and true global citizens of the world.

Thank you both!

P.S. I’m Harry, not Henry 🙂

Looking forward to hear back from you!

Hey Harry! It was nice hearing back from you 🙂 Last year, when I was in 10th grade, I tutored a girl in 9th grade from another school in the subject AP Human Geography. My school doesn’t offer the IB system (our classes only go up to AP), but I am well acquainted with the IB system since many of my friends at other schools have access to it. I agree that it is indeed nearly impossible to tutor in IB classes, as you take all your IB exams at the end of your senior year and often receive your scores after you’ve graduated (please correct me if I am wrong). I don’t know how your school works, but are there any classes offered that are not IB such as regular level or honors classes? I ask that because last year at my school my AP Chemistry teacher asked our whole class if anyone was interested in tutoring (it would be paid) students in normal chemistry classes. This opportunity to tutor was only possible because regular class students only learned the basics of a few concepts we covered in our AP course throughout the year.

Also, my extended family resides in India, and when I told them I was tutoring, they were shocked that people were willing to hire someone as young as me. I think it’s really just the cultural difference because I know for a fact that my cousins who study in international schools in India (they follow the IB system I believe) would only go to professionals for tutoring and would be iffy to take from a high schooler. I realize that this may not happen in other parts of the world, but tutoring is highly encouraged within my school/city but in more of a “community service” aspect. Many of our school’s honor societies have connections with middle and elementary school teachers and send us there to help with tutoring in return for service hours. One of my middle school math teachers actually calls back her prior students to help tutor her current students (some of these jobs are paid while others are not). Also, I am very thankful for the school community we have in the U.S. because in high school, whenever students ask teachers about any tutors they would recommend, they most often refer high school students they have taught before. I actually got my first tutoring job by replying to a bulletin I found in school!

When it comes to the topic of community service, I could not agree with you anymore in that it is a meaningful experience and a way to meet people from different walks of life. I realize I barely touched on this in my prior response, but I do believe that service really does hold a great value depending on the type of person you are. Many of my friends spend hours of their lives volunteering, but some do it for the sole purpose of attaining an “x” amount of service hours without putting their heart into it. I feel that if you are doing community service, it should always be done wholeheartedly in order to fully receive that invaluable and priceless experience. Personally, I do hold service in higher regards than any job, but I think we can come to a consensus in that not everybody might think that way. This winter break I am traveling to a small village in India to help in rural development, building toilets, empowering women. For me, this experience will provide me memories I can cherish for a lifetime, and yes, it is worth more to me than my job. Then again, everyone is different which is why we cannot take away the credibility and value a job might for an individual.

I apologize for misunderstanding your “net and gross pay” comment; I did not mean it any negative way. Also, financial literacy can be developed through simulations and will especially be helpful when working in the real world. I agree with you when you said “you don’t necessarily need a summer job to develop and actually use financial literacy”; summer jobs are just one method of doing so.

When it comes to internships, I have never had one so far, so I cannot tell you whether or not you can go through the same experiences. Sorry. Also, my “go big or go home” comment was just to make a point that not everybody has the same ambitions or goals. You are developing a website and literally a whole enterprise at such a young age which is extremely impressive. You are someone who is “going big”, and that shouldn’t discredit anyone who is “still at home”. (I hope that metaphor makes sense).

Thanks for responding :), and again I wish you nothing but success for your venture.

Sincerely, Nikhita

WiX is a really good website developer, and I would love to see what you have created! Maybe leave a link when you are finished with it?

Hi Nikhita,

Somehow I can’t reply to your comment, so I’ll have to reply to my previous comment…, which is a little awkward.

My school is a little weird :(. When you step into Grade 11, only IB courses are offered (to everyone). We don’t have an honors system or a regular system – everyone just has to take IB. And yes, you are right – the graduating class of 2018 got their results a few days ago.

It’s great that your school gives opportunities like this, especially tutoring (as it can be paid or community service). But again, I can totally relate to your extended family living in India. Although in the international community, we are still somewhat influenced by the local culture. I’m impressed you can tutor someone only one grade younger than you! Great work!

I love what you do for community service (and I absolutely agree that not everyone regards service highly)! Service comes from deep inside, requiring lots of passion and time. When reflecting on this experience, you’ll be so proud of yourself. Do you have an Indian heritage? I have a Chinese heritage, although I’m a Canadian who resides in China. What I truly love is helping communities that need it most, and especially when I have a personal connection. I’ve never built toilets (or any physical construction) or empowered women in my service. I do think they are especially important as gender inequality in India is still prevalent (correct me if I’m wrong), and sanitation needs lots of improving.

I understand the metaphor now – thanks for clarifying :). That’s probably why I was predicted a A- for English First Language, but I’ll get my results in a month (scary though, two days before school and a few after my birthday)!

I wish you the best with your trip in the winter break! It sounds amazing, and once you finish, I recommend you to write an article with your experiences and send it to KWHS through the feedback section. I’d like to read it!

Best regards, Harry

P.S. I’m almost done, but I’m waiting for WiX to get a 50% discount. i literally missed the last discount by 5 hours so I’ll have to wait until another one gets up. I really don’t want to spend my funds raised after lots of hard work on powering up a website. I do need to subscribe / pay though, to remove ads and custom domain.

This is what it is right now:

https://harryxu86.wixsite.com/twodollarsaday

I’m not done yet, and that’s obviously a terrible domain name xD. I’ve still got “Meet the Team” to do when school starts and the crowdfunding (donations) tab. Interestingly enough, I’ve done most of my crowdfunding in person, which took up lots of time. It works though!

I haven’t shown this link to anybody yet as I just published the website. Neither have I checked for any grammatical errors so please bear with me!

For some reason it’s not letting me reply to your comment which, like you said, is a bit awkward. To answer your question, I do indeed have an Indian heritage but I was born and brought up in the United States. All of my extended family still lives in India, so I visit often and have a deep understanding of the local culture and lifestyle.

It’s so cool that you are a Canadian living in China, and I truly respect and admire your commitment to giving back to your roots through you social enterprise. I checked out your website, and it looks amazing! I love the message behind it and am eager to also participate in the $2 meal challenge myself. 🙂 I really respect how you have done all your crowdfunding in person and are so wise about spending that money. That’s a great feat to achieve at such a young age. You should be extremely proud of yourself!! I also wish you the best of luck on your results and I am sure you did amazing. 🙂

I definitely will try to write an article on my experience in India if time allows!

I totally understand you on the WiX thing regarding domain names; I hate how they make you pay for a domain but advertise it as a free website developer.

Yes, please on the KWHS essay! Be sure to follow up: https://globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu/feedback/

Hi everyone,

I think that having at least one job during high school is a necessary part of growing up to prepare for teenagers for their transition into adulthood. Last summer, I was lucky enough to be able to work as a teller for a local bank in my area, in which I learned not only how to manage my own money, but also about the basics of commercial banking. In my opinion, real-life experiences teach us a lot more than any books would teach us about financial literacy and money management. Seeing actual clients buy various types of financial products like CDs (Certificates of Deposit), or start different types of accounts and funds, educated me more on money management than my 10th-grade financial literacy course did. But other than the various financial concepts I learned during my time at the bank, I was also picked up on certain client-relations skills, and sales skills that I wouldn’t have been able to learn if I didn’t take the job. Whether it was pitching a credit card to a regular customer, or asking new customers if they wanted to open a checking account, I learned new ways to market certain things as time went by. Even experiences like labeling and documenting different bags of coins that were dropped off by the police department, making withdrawals and deposits for customers, and referring clients to our financial advisor were all valuable experiences that also taught me a lot about human interaction in the field of Business. Talking to some of the bank’s clients was also fascinating; I was able to meet lawyers, dentists, policemen, and all types of entrepreneurs, which also gave me the opportunity to network with some of these individuals. Especially since Business is the field I want to go into, I believe that spending a majority of the summer in the bank was worth my time.

But other than my work as a teller, I’ve also worked independently as a tutor for the past two years, especially during the summer where I help different kids prepare for certain standardized tests or certain subjects like math and physics. Despite the fact that tutoring isn’t directly related to the career I want to pursue, I believe that the process of working, making my own money, and making decisions on how to spend it is beneficial as it gives me preliminary experience in budgeting. Covering mortgages, car payments, property taxes, and utility bills are all vital parts of being an adult; while eating out occasionally and buying gasoline aren’t as big of expenses as those are, the experiences teenagers gain now while managing their own money helps them with budgeting their money as they grow older and more expenses come into the picture. As of now, I’m also building a website to advertise my tutoring business and attract more clients, which has also helped me augment my marketing skills (which is especially necessary when talking during a job interview or creating a resume).

Other than the knowledge and practical skills I’ve gained from my work experience as a teller and tutor, having a job can also be rewarding in other aspects. While a bank may not seem like a likely place for memorable experiences, I once helped someone deposit 42 dollars worth of pennies for ten minutes into a cash machine and found a one dollar bill with the ends of ten dollar bills attached to it. Not being able to use my phone (except during lunch breaks) helped me save a lot of money on data and helped curb my FIFA addiction, which was a nice plus as well.

Some students may opt to participate in volunteering or expensive programs during their summers; nevertheless, I believe that having any type of summer job can be beneficial in a number of ways, but especially in educating kids on how to manage their money and how to communicate effectively. In a world where getting a job is becoming increasingly competitive, it’s a necessity for all of us to garner as much experience as possible before entering the workforce.

I have a summer job as a lifeguard and it is a valuable experience because people depend on me for safety. Life guarding taught me patience and how to stay silent with people, and it taught me to always be ready for an emergency. I understand why students participate in other activities instead of working, but having a job can only help people with skills for the future. Outside of school and work I only deal with money when spending it. I used to work as a cashier so I work well with money, but honestly no I do not work with my financial skills (like I should).

Teenagers do summer jobs for many different reasons. Some teens may be motivated to work because they want extra cash to buy a new car, phone, or other items while others may want to work to save money for college or to help out their family’s finances. Also some other teens may want to work in order to gain experience and skills that will help them out in the future. However, common traits that they all share are that they are diligent and hard working. They take time out of their summer and take advantage of their free time to be productive by working jobs instead of just relaxing all day long. Summer jobs require lots of effort and time which teens will get to experience, and the jobs will help make them better prepared and get a feeling of what it’s like when they do enter the work force.

Teens who do a summer job will learn that the job doesn’t just give you money, but it also allows you to interact with all kinds of people and it is a very helpful learning experience. The experience will help you deal with all kinds of people that you will meet and will especially help out in business because you interact with a variety of people all the time. Katherine Paulino’s job of waitressing will help her out if she pursues a career in marketing, management, or any business career because waitressing requires her to interact and deal with all kinds of people, impolite, rude or pleasant, which will help improve her people skills and communication skills. Even though waitressing doesn’t sound like a very important job, I believe that it teaches you valuable skills that will help you be successful. Many people look at famous celebrities success, but they don’t see the hard work that the celebrities put over the summer as teenagers. Carrie Underwood, an American singer and songwriter, used to work as a gas station cashier during the summer in her teens. She said that the summer job has helped prepare her for her current career as a singer. Even though a gas station cashier doesn’t sound like much, it played a big role in her life and her success. I can relate to both Katherine and Mrs. Underwood because I work a summer job of caddying at a golf course and I feel that it is very beneficial to me. Caddying requires you to interact and to aid golfers so it has allowed me to interact with some golfers who are very kind and helpful while others weren’t as pleasant, and these experiences have helped me deal with different types of people. Dealing with all these golfers has helped me try to find positives things I learned from them, to not become discouraged and instead to use the negative comments when I make mistakes to help myself improve as a caddie, and to leave out the negative things that I have experienced.

Summer jobs allow for you to also practice your skills when you interact with other people. For example, I wasn’t really interested in the money, however, I was more interested in learning from the golfers because the golfers sometime share stories or financial tips or information with me. This allows me to practice discussing with them about the current stock market using my knowledge of being able to analyze P/E ratios, earnings predictions, and current news to predict stock performance. I feel that it is a very valuable experience and that it is more valuable than making money because I think that these experiences have the potential to help me become successful. A bonus about summer jobs are that you get paid. Even though I wasn’t that interested in making money from caddying, I felt very accomplished after receiving my hard-earned money and there was joy in being able to do whatever I wanted with the money without the control of my parents.

To conclude, a summer job is an important experience for teenagers in order to learn and practice valuable life skills. Taking a summer job will not just give you money, but it also get you prepared for the workforce. I have learned a lot and experienced a lot form summer jobs, and I believe that a summer job has helped me become stronger mentally and better prepared for my finance career interest. No matter what kind summer job you take, it can change you into a very successful person.

“Leila, this is the third time I am asking you to stop spitting,” I said as I once again had to wipe up the spit on the floor for the third time that day. I was on the verge of losing my patience and struggled to keep a calm tone while addressing my third-grade student. Though I was working as a computer programming teacher, I felt like a babysitter. I enjoy working with kids and find teaching to be a great way to think about the concepts I already know in different ways, which is why I took up this summer job. I enjoyed the challenge of putting together curriculum and applying my technological knowledge outside of school, plus I had the added bonus of receiving a paycheck for my efforts. However, it only took one student to make me question if the job was worth having.

Dancing, talking about My Little Pony, and spitting are just a few of the things that one of my students, Leila, prefers to do instead of focusing on her work. That day, as I struggled to keep my bearings, I was faced with a challenge I had never experienced before. Usually, I’m able to keep my students under control with the incentive of giving them candy if they follow my directions and can answer my questions. However, with Leila, it was a different story. It seemed as though every day was opposite day; every time I said “Can you please sit down and get back to coding instead of dancing,” she would continue dancing, flailing about as if she didn’t hear a single word I said. The toughest moments were when she would get bored and spit on the floor, laughing as I had to wipe it up. No matter how hard I tried or how many lollipops I offered to give her, she simply would not behave. She only paid attention to what I had to say when we would talk about My Little Pony, which is how I came to a solution. I found that by teaching computer programming concepts through My Little Pony metaphors, Leila became cooperate and willing to code. So, as I set beside her the rest of that week teaching her about “if” statements, “for” loops, and methods through the adventures of Princess Celestia and her pals, I realized that this situation is reflective of the real world as well, because as humans we constantly seek to pursue our own interests, so when faced with a seemingly uninteresting task, we can become stubborn in our ways or find it difficult to adapt. However, when given the opportunity to incorporate our interests in some way, we are more willing to help and work hard. Furthermore, in the same way that I had to adapt my teaching in order to accomodate Leila and her interests, the real world is full of instances in which we need to stray away from the routines we are used to in order to surpass the obstacles that we face. After my experiences being Leila’s teacher, I learned the true power of adaptability as it applies to the workforce and the people we may be surrounded by in our current or future jobs. Though my summer job this year was full of spit and crazy children, I am grateful for its most difficult aspects, because they taught me an intangible lesson that I could not have learned anywhere else.

“Wille, please move up, or I’ll call your parent! No Sky, put your phone away.” This is probably the nth-time I am about to lose my patience to a class of eighth-graders who I had thought could handle being cooperative and not just talk across the room after I moved them. I couldn’t even believe I was a class tutor for the SHSAT, or the Specialized High School Admission Test. This job felt more like teaching eight-year-olds how to behave. Just looking at other classes, students even younger than eighth-graders were just quiet and listened to their teachers. Though I enjoyed seeing their happiness in class and their ability to make new friends, I questioned whether I was getting the right job and whether it was worth it.

This was the first class I tutored after I got into high school. Teaching them how to do algebra and geometry, getting them to read books, and simply giving them some information about high schools were elements of the lessons I would do with them. Instead of listening to me, they loved talking across the room, drawing, eating, and using their phones 24/7. It is not easy to teach and watch over a class of eighth-graders for six hours. You cannot use the methods used to teach eight-year-olds, such as watching “Peppa Pig,” nor can you teach them like high schoolers by being strict. Thinking back to the first day I saw these eighth graders, they seemed like the quietest students. That was the beginning of my nightmare: they would try to talk to someone no matter how far they are or how strict their teachers are. They could even fall asleep right in front of me. I discovered that the only way to get them to listen was through food and break time. Every hour, there would be a five-minute break for them to rest their bored and sleepy brains. Whenever I buy candies or snacks, they all turn into rewards for whoever was willing to answer the question correctly with explanations. They began to willingly listen in class and focus on their own work and complete their own homework on time with more accuracy.

As a high school student, I can say that I understand the mentality of my students who were near my age. These students actually reminded me of when I was trying to prepare for the SHSAT, used for admission into New York City’s specialized high schools. My friends and I may have been just annoying as they were, but we learned a lot from our tutors about high school and college. The last time I contacted my co-workers, they told me how well the students had done on the SHSAT and how they were able to get into the high schools they wanted to go to. They should be proud of themselves for working hard during class time and willing to work with others to improve themselves. They remind me that success will come through hard work and a great amount of effort. Their confidence and happiness have inspired me and will push me to move forward. My experience teaching eighth-graders taught me the importance of adaptability in the workforce and communicating with people that might surround us in our life. Although working with the students often left me frustrated, they have taught me how to face my challenges with a positive attitude.

In July of 2017, only four in ten teens were in the labor force, compared to about seven in ten in July of 1978. This drastic shift is due to the replacement of summer job opportunities with internships and volunteering experience. Teens now only search for activities that they’re convinced will help strengthen their resumes for college. It has become a social norm to participate in these prestigious internships, almost punishing high schoolers who choose to hold normal jobs in the summer to help out with family finances. However, many overlook that having a job will be an invaluable stepping stone for the future. Students who have employment experience early on learn money management skills as well as concepts such as gross and net pay, which are underrated and underappreciated benefits. The first step is to provide more exposure to the problem. The reason why not enough people are taking on summer jobs is that it has become the expected norm to participate in company or research internships, meaning many students never even consider summer employment as an option. This ends up targeting poor students who have to get summer jobs to help out with finances at home, such that they are almost “punished” or looked down on by different colleges for working instead of holding a prestigious internship. Students should get summer jobs because jobs are a stepping stone for the real world: they teach you how to get a job, pay taxes, and deposit a paycheck. These skills in financial literacy then help you learn how to make smart choices for your future. One way to fill in this gap is exposure. Guidance cCounselors or advisors can talk about potential benefits of a summer job. This provides exposure for the problem, gives students the choice to do a summer job. Summer jobs are the “first step” of teenagers to the “real world,” so they might be scared to try it at first. In order to make it easier for students to find jobs, guidance counselors should host job fairs or workshops on topics such as creating a LinkedIn profile, job-searching online, and doing job interviews, which can make “employment” less intimidating for high schoolers. These are few of the many ways to assist students with their searches. Schools can make it a part of their schedules and have students volunteer to be presenters during the fair. The fair should be open to all years, but it could be mandatory for the lower division to attend the fair. Summer jobs are a good substitute for internships on college applications because it provides the same benefits. That is because having a summer job will not mean you are “behind” other students. You can get recommendations and skills from your job through retail or service, while others gain them through internships or volunteering. Additionally, summer jobs are important to students because they help them develop financial literacy. Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively apply various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Individuals will then learn to become self-sufficient so that they can achieve financial stability. Students can use skills gained from summer jobs to help them succeed in the real world. The skills and experience they gain will help them decide their futures.

I think a summer job is important. It will give me experience when I am looking for a permanent job. I do have a summer job.

I find this article very interesting. I was shocked to see how more people worked back in the 1970s. I know my parents always worked in high school. However, I don’t have any friends who have jobs during the school year. It is really hard to have a job and participate in school sports. These activities are after school almost everyday. I am personally looking forward to working this summer.

I recently started a summer job instructing beginner piano students and I have to say that it is an extremely value experience. With my job, I’ve been able to develop instruction, leadership, and communication skills and have really fostered my ability to connect with younger students. Another great aspect is gaining financial literacy. With my monthly paycheck, I have started to keep a monthly account of all my spendings and savings. I believe this is a crucial skill to prepare me for future employment and financial skills. The skills I have learned from my summer job are extremely value to apply to the future real world.

I am starting to get a summer job, I feel as this may be beneficial because I will be allowed to earn money over the summer while having a balance schedule to also have fun. It allows me to gain experience throughout the job too, it can ready be for future jobs and positions.

I do not have a summer job. In my opinion I think that it is a valuable experience because you get to learn how to communicate, make money, how working feels like, more experience, and this can help you in a future job. I feel that teens who work are trying to get the experience and money for their future. This is gonna help them prepare for college and other opportunities and for those who are not working yet, they are missing some part but at some point they’re going to gain the experience.

I have worked a summer job and honestly it was valuable experience because it gave me other insights of the outside world. It also not only gave me experience, but also preparation for later times. No teens having a job to bolster their college applications are not missing out. It’s good that they have a job because honestly they could instead be doing things illegally to get money and also it gives them a point of view of what people have to go through that are financially struggling.

I’ve been working since summer first the first time this year. I think is a great experience to understand every aspect of the experience I’m currently taking. This helps me understand my payroll, the what is being deducted and why. This is a great push for the future. This teaches me many valuable things I will be using in the near future,

I have never had a summer job in the past. I have had jobs after school but never during the summer. I did apply for some but I didn’t get accepted by any of them. I think working during the summer can be a great experience for students. It can help them get an understanding of the value of money and hard work.

I have just recently started my first summer job in August. I think that this is a valuable experience because it is taught me overtime the importance of communication. Nothing will be understood if it isn’t communicated.

yes, i work in the summer and the experience are great because your learn new things, and yes i recommended.

I have never work in my life But I will love to work, I have a cousin who do internships and they are great. I would love to do this and earn credits.

Yes I do work a summer job and it is great. It is a valuable experience that I believe all young kids should have for their future career.

Even I though have a summer job, I would like one because 1. It builds character and 2. It leaves you with a sense of accomplishment!

I believe that you get the same experince and character building with many interships as you would with a summer job. Because many people have more time in the summer it can be better to do an intership because you can do a lower scare job year round like a cashier

I have worked a Summer job before this school year and I think it was helpful. Not only was it good financially but it helped me understand the adult life style like waking up early to get to work, working with others even people that are more mature and experienced then you and learning to save.

I don’t feel the teens that are doing things to bolster their college applications are missing out, they will have their own jobs in the future (considering they get hired, even with no experience) the only difference is they won’t have the practice of the workforce experience to help them. But having a summer job and working on college applications are both important.

I can’ t get a summer job ,because I’m so busy with my homework.

I think working a summer job can be a valuable experience because it teaches financial literacy and responsibility. Furthermore, it helps build interpersonal skills because oftentimes you are working with co-workers and communicating with managers.

I have never worked a summer job before, but intend on doing so in the coming up one. From second hand accounts, having a summer job is very important and can develop skills you will use in your personal and academic life later on. I am considering a janitorial position in a court house to which I will have a good view of what goes on. I am excited to apply myself to this as a profession I likely want to be is in the field of Law once graduated from college.

It an interesting reading !

For majority of the summer of 2023, I’ve worked as a receptionist at an ENT clinic in Upper Eastside Manhattan. Till the present day, I think about my experiences as it introduced me how important it is to be responsible, organized, and have good communication with coworkers and patients at such a young age that will later prepare me for higher leveled jobs.

As a teenager, many prepare for college by doing services that they can use on their applications. Regardless of having money or not, a job is not one of their main focuses until their junior or senior year of highschool as they will most likely have things figured out for their application to college, in which a job can be used as a plus. However, when thinking about their career, summer jobs offer a great amount of experiences in which they can obtain skills needed for their future to be successful. Therefore, summer jobs are a way where students are able to complete their services for their application during the school year while also gaining workforce experience for their career during the summer.

I didn’t have a summer job or a job in general but im planning on starting a job soon to save a lot of money and invest it.

Yes I have a summer job. I think a summer job is a very valuable experience because it teaches you how to be responsible and also keep you busy when theirs no school.

I believe that holding a summer job can offer valuable lessons in financial management and accountability. Additionally, it fosters the development of interpersonal skills through interactions with colleagues and supervisors.

The importance of a job as a teenager is really important as it has you slowly introduce yourself into the “real” world and gives you an idea on how to save and how to calculate your taxes no matter how little. I myself have had a consistent summer job since the summer of sophomore year and I have learned how to become more social and has really got me out there, and thanks to that job and working on my communication skills I have joined clubs, made a friend group, and I’m currently now thriving with my life. Yet it’s really hard to manage my homework, clubs, and job at the same time but I manage to pull through for the things I love.

The importance of a job as a teenager is really important as it has you slowly introduce yourself into the “real” world and gives you an idea on how to save and how to calculate your taxes no matter how little. I myself have had a consistent summer job since the summer of sophomore year and I have learned how to become more social and has really got me out there, and thanks to that job and working on my communication skills I have joined clubs, made a friend group, and I’m currently now thriving with my life. Yet it’s really hard to manage my homework, clubs, and job at the same time but I manage to pull through for the things I love, and believe that if I can do it other teenagers can as well.

Speaking from no experience I would say a summer job is an extremely valuable experience. And I feel that students that not working because they are getting more things to put on their applications are missing out on a couple of things based on what they are doing. One thing would be the money which is something they could save and invest with but if they do they have money already I would say that yes they are still missing out. Things such as social skills working with people and for the people can build character and skills such as patience, understanding and team/people skills. Not only that but there is the understanding of how money and jobs work, you may learn what taxes on your check are like what workers insurance is and among other stuff but if the student is doing things outside of a job and still leaning these skills and increasing what they could put on their applications only then would I say they are not missing out.

I do not have a summer job, mostly because in my country, it is almost impossible to get a job at my age. However, I do agree that a summer job helps to build good and valuable financial lessons, that will also prepare you to your future. Especially because summer jobs will prepare you to deal with decision making and responsibility, which are two very important factors for later on in our adult lifes.

How do you feel about the argument that fewer teens, especially those with money, are working jobs because they are doing activities to bolster their college applications? Do you feel they’re missing out?

Summer jobs are very valuable because they can teach you the operations of jobs in general and they can help prepare you flor the “real world.” I feel that in this day while children should one working summer jobs over work for their college applications, the latter needs to take priority over summer jobs because getting into a good college can help determine the rest of your career.

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Personal College Essay: My Summer Working Retail at the Mall

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Alice was a student applying to Ivy League colleges. When she saw the essay prompt to write about something “impactful,” she decided to go with what felt most natural to her—what she learned over the summer working retail.

While essays are just one part of your admissions package, they are a chance for the admissions officers to get to know the “real” you: how you think, how you view the world, and how you will contribute to the student body. While you might feel pressure to write about a far-flung adventure, admissions officers say this isn’t as important as the perspective and depth you bring to the piece. This essay is proof that you don’t have to write about an impressive adventure to stand out .

Sometimes it’s all about perspective. Yale asked that I describe something “impactful” in my life—that was the theme of the supplemental essay I needed to write the year I applied. Like many classmates, I chose to describe the summer before my senior year.

But there was a big difference between how my ambitious classmates and I passed the time that year. They all outdid each other with exotic tales of summers spent abroad in far-flung destinations or filled with worthy volunteer work or by snagging “cool” internships.

Me? I worked at the mall. If I wanted to big it up, I worked at New York City’s Manhattan Mall, a shopping complex in the center of Midtown that had the advantage of carrying all my favorite brands (hello, staff discount!). While the gig impacted my bank account, I wasn’t sure it would impress Yale’s admissions board.

Why I Chose to Write About My Job for an Ivy League College Application

As the start of senior year loomed closer, I knew I’d be tasked with answering the inevitable question: What did you do this summer? I practiced how I would respond so that I could tell the truth without embarrassment. “I spent my summer working at the mall” became my mantra.

Over time, something peculiar started to happen. The more I said it, the more I realized that the experience was impactful. I may not have been working at a soup kitchen or going on a safari, but it was a summer that had worth , at least to me. I decided to make this seemingly mundane, minimum-wage job the focus of my essay for Yale. And that’s exactly how I set up my intro:

I wish I could say that last summer I found a cure for cancer or ended world hunger, but all I can honestly tell people is that I worked at the mall for minimum wage. It seemed to be a good match: I liked shopping, and I loved people. 

Did I love the job? No, of course not. The tasks that kept me on my feet all day—like tagging and hanging merchandise—were mind-numbing. But the experience was not without meaningful life lessons in commitment, follow-through, and taking pride in my work. These were all concepts that I used to anchor my essay:

As I worked, I began to notice things, such as how frequently customers dropped merchandise that they then left on the floor for an employee to pick up, and realized how oblivious I had been as just a shopper. I was exposed to a new perspective in an environment I was already familiar with.

Why I Think This Essay Made a Different in My Application

I went on to study psychology on the neuroscience track, but I never forgot that summer I spent working at the mall. As I wrote, the “job most certainly was not life-altering, but it was eye-opening, and I did gain much more than money from it.” One thing that’s stayed with me the most is that I was exposed to a new perspective in a place I thought I knew so well.

I learned a valuable lesson from writing my essay as well. There’s pressure to write applications that focus on a big, defining moment, but capturing a slice of life can be just as powerful and can arguably say more about an applicant. In the end, I chose a topic that expressed who I was as a person, and I think that made an impression . Read the full essay on Admitsee.com or peruse other college applications from real students.

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Home — Application Essay — Engineering Schools — The Lessons I Learned from Working at a Swimming Pool

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The Lessons I Learned from Working at a Swimming Pool

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During the summer of 2007, I worked at a swimming pool, coaching the swim team, giving swim lessons, and lifeguarding. Early on, I realized that this summer job would demand more from me, and in turn give back a lot more, than I had initially expected. By the time summer was over, I had discovered that this experience had had a profound impact upon my life, especially in providing me with confidence and insights into how to better relate to and work with other people.

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During the twenty hours a week I worked as a lifeguard, I learned to be constantly aware of what was going on in and around the pool, to anticipate problems, and, whenever necessary, to be firm and assertive with swimmers of all ages in order to make sure that the pool remained safe. In addition, before anyone arrived at the pool, and after everyone had left, I was responsible for maintaining the equipment, the chemical balance and cleanliness, and the security of the pool.

What was especially rewarding, however, was the additional time I spent six days a week coaching the swim team in competition against other teams, and teaching swim lessons for kids who were five to eleven years of age. As I began my coaching experience, I had all sorts of great quotes in mind from various coaches of the past. Former football coach Eddie Robinson once said, “Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” Former Princeton basketball coach Pete Carill said, “The sterner the discipline, the greater the devotion,” and George Hallas, the oldest coach in NFL league history, stated, “What makes a good coach? Complete dedication.”

Taking my inspiration from these greats, I first felt it was important to teach the kids that they were all capable of going beyond the expectations of others in their performances. By the end of the summer, however, I had learned more about the importance of breaking these barriers than anyone else.

One five-year-old boy was the youngest member of the team and small for his age. No one on the team had high expectations for him, including myself. But right from the beginning he proved everyone wrong. Not only did he work hard, but he never complained. He never stopped in the middle of a lap to rest, as did some of the older swimmers, and he always followed instructions immediately on how to better his stroke. As a result, by the end of the season, nobody was surprised when he was awarded “The Most Inspirational Swimmer.”

Another example was seven-year-old boy. At the beginning of the summer he told me that he would not even try swimming backstroke because the stroke was hard and he was not very good at it. However, as his coach, I firmly insisted that he not give up, and after some practice and continued encouragement, not only did he never again complain about swimming backstroke, but he ended up becoming one of the best backstroke swimmers in his age bracket.

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I am certain, however, that by the end of the swimming season, I had learned more than anyone else. I learned how important it is to always be patient, and yet firm in encouraging each team member to always try hard to do their best. I learned that each person is unique in how they learn and in how they are motivated, and that my response to them needs to be tailored accordingly. In turn, the team members learned to trust me as their coach and to grow in their own self-confidence. Although the summer proved to be hard and challenging, I found that I ended up learning a lot about myself--especially by applying to myself the very principles that I was laboring to instill in others.

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essay about summer job

Band 7.5 essay sample: Summer jobs

Band 7.5 essay sample: Summer jobs

In some countries children take up paid jobs during the summer vacation. Some people feel that this amounts to child labour. Others argue that summer jobs help children learn valuable lessons. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Student’s response

Work ethic is a value that has to be instilled in a child’s moral code so that he may embrace the ways of success. However, it is imperative for us that we distinguish between a mere summer job and child labor. Thus, I ought to establish the definition of both.

As far as I think, when a child works a full time job so as to provide himself and his family, this is regarded as child labor. As for a summer job, it can be defined as a job with very limited working hours. In this case, a child retains all his rights such as education and welfare.

In many countries, children, as young as ten, are encouraged to work for at least the period of the summer vacations. Parents believe that in order to prepare their children for the real world, it would be best for them to gain exposure to the real world through a job.

As far as a mere summer job is concerned, it offers a child an invaluable lesson in taking responsibilities and respect for authority. Such an opportunity maybe considered as a mere practical lesson, but it may have the potential to reveal child’s capabilities and skills. Hence, it can help a child’s guardians to discover his hidden talents.

In conclusion, a summer job can be extremely beneficial for a child; however, guardians must be careful not to cross the line that separates a summer job and child labor.

(245 words)

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Columbia College | Columbia University in the City of New York

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What Do You Remember Most About Your First Summer Job?

School’s out, time to get to work! From internships to ice cream-scooping, summer jobs have the power to influence professional paths and provide lasting memories. We asked several alums what they remember most from their first summer gigs.

Robert Lipsyte

Former sportswriter for The New York Times and author of 20 books

Sixty-six years ago, at the age of 14, I lied about my age to get my first summer job — mowing the lawn and maintaining the grounds of a nasty old man’s summer home in Monroe, N.Y., for 50 cents an hour. It remains the worst and most important job I ever held. He was a hectoring, bullying employer, but I stayed with it as a pre-manhood test. As a writerly fat boy, I must have sensed I needed some trial by fire. By the time I returned to high school in the fall, I was about 40 pounds lighter and filled with overweening confidence. That job also informed my career: In 1977, I published a Young Adult novel, One Fat Summer, that in 2018 was turned into a film, Measure of a Man , starring Donald Sutherland as a romanticized version of that first summer boss. I have always gotten psychic strength from that first job, for freshman year on Morningside Heights, Army basic training and all the knockdown drag-outs of life.

Germano

I was an assistant to an assistant at a small veterinary hospital. I swept and cleaned up and looked after lonely animals in small cages, including a cat who was, I think, a lifer, having been consigned there by its deceased owner, who’d left funds for the animal’s medical care in perpetuity. At least that was the story. After that it was libraries for me!

cohen.elizabeth

What I remember most about my first summer journalism job was how I got it. It was winter vacation of my first year at the College, and I was working at McDonald’s in my hometown of Needham, Mass. I wanted to be an intern at the Needham Times . I cold-called the editor-in-chief, and she said no. Then I just walked into her office — it was down the street from the McDonald’s — and handed her my clips from Spectator . She said no. I had a few days left of vacation before I returned to New York, so I visited her a second time. This time she said yes. She said she always did that with job applicants — said no before she said yes — because tenacity is an important trait for journalists. She was right!

lendlerphoto2sm

Author of eight books, including Little Sid: The Prince Who Became a Buddha and One Day a Dot: The Story of You, The Universe and Everything

My first summer job was in a factory, opening cardboard boxes and shipping products. I made minimum wage, and required first aid several times. The man who worked next to me had just gotten out of jail for stabbing someone in a bar fight.

Halfway through the summer, my dad asked me how the job was going. “Terrible,” I told him.

“Good,” he said. He’d worked in a factory for over a decade of his life. “Now you’ll appreciate any other job you get because you’ll know it’s not in a factory.”

Rebecca Speir

Host/Producer, WBUR’s Circle Round podcast; Partner, Sheir & Shim audio production

My first summer job was at a TCBY (“The Country’s Best Yogurt”) in the suburbs of Cleveland. It was the mid-1990s: the first time frozen yogurt was trendy (or, dare I say, the first time it was à la mode?). What I remember most about this gig were the smells. The most pleasant came at the start of my shift, as I baked a massive batch of sugary, buttery waffle cones. I know they tell you to throw bread or cookie dough into the oven if you want to sell a house, but they’re wrong; before you put your place on the market, you need to invest in a jumbo bucket of waffle cone mix and an industrial-sized waffle iron. Of course, on the flip side, I keenly recall the less-than-pleasant smells. If you’ve ever disinfected a strawberry-banana-swirl soft-serve machine after a long, humid day, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Andy Bean - Headshot

My first summer job was pumping gas at a full-service Getty station in Londonderry, N.H. I could never seem to figure out how to pull the darned gas nozzle out of a customer’s car without spilling a few drops on my feet. So my most prominent memory of the summer was shoes that smelled like gasoline!

Amanda.Gutterman

My first summer job during college, the summer after my freshman year, was an editorial internship at The New Yorker . I remember feeling electrified that a prominent magazine wanted me. That internship, which ended up lasting three summers, exposed me to the digitization of the publishing world. My takeaway was that in order to have a successful career in media, I would need to learn technical skills. That learning guided me toward my post-college job at The Huffington Post, and then to co-founding my digital media company, Slant. Today, as chief marketing officer of the leading blockchain technology company, ConsenSys, blending storytelling with technical savvy is still my bread and butter.

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Expert Commentary

The impact of summer youth employment on academic outcomes

2014 study in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management showing the later education benefits of summer jobs programs for students.

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

by Joanna Penn, The Journalist's Resource August 12, 2014

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/impact-summer-youth-employment-academic-year-outcomes/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

The summer employment rate for U.S. teens held steady at around 50% from 1950 to 2000, but began to decline dramatically in the 21st century. By 2009, it had fallen below 33% for those ages 16 to 19.

The decline has been most pronounced for more educated and economically advantaged teens, who appear to be moving away from paid employment in favor of voluntary work, perhaps to enhance their college prospects, or to fulfill high school graduation requirements.

An analysis of a broader cohort of young people — those ages 16 to 24 — also reveals a steady decline, despite a slight uptick in employment over the past year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the “July 2014 participation rate was 17.0 percentage points below the peak rate for that month in 1989 (77.5 percent).” (July is typically the peak of youth employment, and thus is used as a statistical benchmark.) Among those ages 16 to 24 working in July 2014, “25 percent of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry (which includes food services), and 19 percent worked in the retail trade industry. ”

(Bureau-of-Labor-Statistics)

While a reduction in teen summer employment may be a positive trend for some, there are significant costs for society as a whole. The White House Council for Community Solutions has identified around 6.4 million “opportunity youth” — young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not enrolled in school and who are chronically unemployed or underemployed. The Council estimated the lifetime cost of underinvestment such youth at $4.7 trillion. A 2014 report from the Brookings Institution suggests a number of approaches to reducing youth unemployment, including expanding apprenticeships and linking high school to post-secondary educational credentials. Further, the erosion of opportunities for young people has hit minority teens particularly hard .

While the major benefits of summer employment may lie in gaining work experience and supplementing family income, it could also have educational implications. For example, having a summer job can increase teens’ time-management skills, motivation, self-confidence and sense of responsibility, all of which could help them succeed at school — but little academic research has been done on this question. Given that many cities invest in summer jobs programs for their youth, and such programs face budget constraints along with most other public spending, evidence of their positive educational impact would be an important contribution to policy and budget debates.

A 2014 paper published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, “What Is a Summer Job Worth? The Impact of Summer Youth Employment on Academic Outcomes,” assesses the impact of New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on high school students’ attendance and academic performance the year after participation in the program. The author, Jacob Leos-Urbel of Claremont Graduate University, uses data for 36,550 SYEP applicants in 2007 matched to their New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) files. The only difference between applicants who were accepted by the program and those who were not was the assignment of a place through a lottery system.

The study’s findings include:

  • SYEP participation increased school attendance by approximately 1%, or one to two school days per year. Broken down by semester, selection for the program increased attendance by around 1% in the fall and 2% in the spring.
  • For students whose school attendance rate was 95% or lower prior to SYEP, the program improved their attendance by 1.6% in the fall semester and 2.7% for the spring semester.
  • SYEP participation had no significant effect on the attendance rates of students who 16 or younger in the school year following the summer jobs program and had an attendance rate below 95% at the start of the study. For those 16 and older, SYEP increased school attendance by around 3%, the equivalent of four to five school days. As school attendance is only mandatory until age 16, it is consistent that the program would have a greater influence on those teens who have more ability to decide whether or not to attend school.
  • Only 70% of those who win a place in SYEP go on to participate in the program. Looking at just those who did take part, school attendance increased 1.7% for all students, 2.6% for those with a low baseline of attendance, and 3.9% for those 16 or over with low prior attendance.
  • The study also looked at the likelihood that SYEP participants would take the more rigorous Regents diploma exams rather than the local diploma. The results showed that SYEP participation modestly increased the likelihood of their doing so, but did not appear to improve the probability of their passing the exams.
  • For students 16 and over with a low baseline of attendance, SYEP increased the likelihood that they would take and pass the Regents exam, but had no significant effect on exam scores.
  • The number of students obtaining Regents diplomas rose, but this was not attributable to the SYEP improving students’ performance. Instead, SYEP increased the number of students taking the exams, which in turn increased the number who passed. Of the 7,533 students in this group who were selected by the SYEP lottery, an estimated additional 128 students passed the English Regents and 98 passed the math Regents.

One limitation of the study, Leos-Urbel notes, is that the data sheds little light on the underlying mechanisms that lead to increased academic engagement. For example, it could be that the SYEP increases participants’ confidence and self-esteem, or that the income from the program reduces the need to work during the school year and thus increases academic focus. Nevertheless, the results are not trivial: “Viewed within the context of school attendance policy, an increase of four to five days of school attended represents about one-quarter of the 18 total days that New York City students may miss and still be promoted to the next grade. Further, these effects are roughly on par with findings of recent experimental evaluations of interventions involving financial incentives (or disincentives) directly tied to school attendance.”

Related research : A 2014 paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research explores the long-term benefits of early employment experiences. The increasingly unequivocal evidence of summer learning loss has been the subject of widespread public attention in recent years. A 2010 study in the John Hopkins New Horizons for Learning journal, “Why Summer Learning Deserves a Front-Row Seat in the Education Reform Arena,” reviews decades of evidence of a “summer slide” in education, with young people losing about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer. More importantly, those from low-income households lose more than two months in reading achievement, while their middle-class peers make slight gains.

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How to turn a summer construction job into a killer college essay, resume bullet

Editor's note: This is part of a series of articles offering expert tips on how teens can craft their summer job experience into a valuable resource for a winning college application essay or a resume bullet point to land a full-time job.  

ROCKLAND — The summer may be a time to relax, but for students preparing for college or those looking to enter the job force, it means getting experience for their resumes.

While some students from the Hudson Valley spend their summers studying microbial cultures in Costa Rica, learning Italian on the coast of Positano or rebuilding homes in countries devastated by natural disasters, many teens scan groceries, fold heaps of clothes at retail stores, mow lawns, work as camp counselors, bus tables at restaurants and other more accessible jobs. But, guess what? Colleges and job recruiters want your reality.

Whether you're working at your family business or other local companies, recruiters care about skills you learned and experience you acquired, not that you could afford a pricey summer excursion in foreign countries. So how can you turn your conventional-but-real summer job into an attention-grabbing essay or line on a resume? We’ve lined up some help from the experts, who will counsel students each week.

Name:  Anthony Sacheli, 17, Clarkstown South

Describe your job: I make gates from scratch (at Yaboo Fence in West Nyack)... and we have to custom fabricate everything.

How did you get it?  I was painting at first and I really had to earn my welding spot. I really had to work my butt off. I just came here, I applied, they needed guys. So I started painting for a while and then I was like "can I weld, can I weld, can I weld?" On my lunch breaks, I would steal the welder and get some practice in and then I bought my own welder and got a lot of practice from that. I wasn't too bad. Our supervisor saw that I was pretty good so then he started putting me to work. From there on I just went up.

What surprised you most about the work?  Mainly how focused you really have to be. Things can come out square or they can be a quarter-inch wrong. Everything, all those little stuff you have to be really focused on.

Do you think this job will help you in the future?  One-hundred percent! It taught me good work ethic. I know I got to be up at 5:30 a.m., I got to get my hours in. The experience I am getting here, all the learning I am getting from welding. I have more hood time than I could imagine. I weld all day. I love it honestly.

Tips for writing a college essay

College Counselor: Christine Chu, a former assistant director of admissions at Yale University and current college counselor with the education consulting company IvyWise

Tips for turning a construction job into a standout essay:

For construction, there's a number of things students expand upon in their essays, like technical knowledge, specialty knowledge, interpersonal skills, physicality aspects and relationships.

"The college essay is a personal statement," she said. "The best way to usually go about that is how they think, what they learned, how they've grown and what matters to them."

If you want to show your leadership or creative or compassionate qualities, Chu advises using a situation that occurred on the job as the narrative base to emblem the qualities.

Although she usually gives students a questionnaire to figure out what essay prompt works best, some of the more popular essay prompts are:

  • What is something that you could lose hours doing?
  • Background prompts: Describing their talent or interests
  • Describe a failure or setback and how you reacted and overcame it
  • What's a time you've been challenged on an idea?
  • What's a problem you solved?

Tips for creating a resume 

Resume Expert: Amanda Augustine, career expert for TopResume with 15 years' experience.

Tips for turning a construction job into an eye-catching resume:  "Construction work is hard," said Augustine, who is a certified professional career expert and resume writer with TopResume.com. "You have to have stamina, especially if it's a summer job. Nine out of 10 times, you are working in the heat. It's not for the faint of heart. Just the fact that you are doing this work and made it through the entire summer, it shows that you are not afraid to work hard whether it's at a construction site or in an office setting."

Here are some of Augustine's picks of skills to bullet on a resume:

  • Accuracy: Having a very careful attention to detail, a high level of accuracy and quality in projects.
  • Math skills: Accurately measured and created for a project using the required specifications.
  • Project management skills: Worked with a team-building knowledge around mechanical engineering, how to use certain tools and how to follow directions.
  • Dedication: Two-time returning construction worker at a company.

Depending on the career field or job you want, Augustine also recommended highlighting physical attributes like hand-eye-coordination and prosperity.

Construction falls under what Augustine says is a "do-er" job or a task-oriented service. However, she says that people should strive for an achiever resume or one that highlights accomplishments, which may not always be obvious when doing "do-er" jobs.

"Every do-er job still needs a resume that positions them as an achiever," she said, as a way to show potential employers and recruits that the work you did was valuable and that you were good at what you did.

Here are Augustine's questions she said students should ask themselves to extract their achievements and show that they were trusted:

  • What types of roles were you assigned?
  • Who are you helping or working under?
  • Were you given greater responsibility because you proved you could handle what they were initially giving you?

"Anything where you can show there was a lot of trust in the work you did or proven yourself that is also something worth touting on your resume," said Augustine.

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Campus to Career Crossroads

How to Write an Application Essay for a Summer Program

Uncertain How to Write an Application Essay for a Summer Program?

Written by Jason

College admissions 101 | most popular, last updated dec 27, 2023 | published on dec 27, 2023.

Do you plan to attend a summer program in high school? If so, it can offer a great opportunity to plump your résumé and give you experiences that can put you on trajectories you never knew existed! 

Summer programs for high school students offer educational opportunities over summer break and provide students with enrichment opportunities. They may cover various subjects and activities, and offer exposure to skill sets to help you identify the right career path for your future. 

They might include academic enrichment programs, pre-college programs, STEM camps and programs, arts and performing arts camps, language immersion programs, leadership and entrepreneurship programs, medical and healthcare programs, and more.

Getting into one of these programs may require you to write an essay. What is the secret sauce for writing an essay, and how should you approach it? Let’s find out how to write an application essay for a summer program.

What Are Essay Requirements for Summer Programs?

Essay requirements for summer programs for high school students can vary significantly from one program to another. Each program may have its own set of prompts, word limits, and particular instructions. Do not fret, how to write an application essay for a summer program is more doable than you realize. Here are some common essay requirements a summer program may require you to write.

Personal Statement

A summer program might ask you to write a personal statement, which simply means you describe yourself with an introduction, discuss your interests and goals, and explain why you want to join the program for which you are applying. A personal statement allows you to highlight your unique qualities and life experiences.

Statement of Purpose

More formal than a personal statement, a statement of purpose asks you to describe your reasons for applying to the program, your professional and personal goals, how the program fits into and how it will elevate your plans.

Academic or Career Goals Essay

Programs that align with academic or career exploration might want to see an essay focused solely on your academic areas of interest and career goals. You want to formulate your essay on how the program will help you achieve those goals.

Always Consider Your Career Goals Before Writing an Application Essay

Focused Prompts

Focused prompts may ask for essays related to a specific theme or targeted area. For example, they might ask about a challenge you have faced or a time when you displayed leadership or entrepreneurial skills. Some applications may also focus on extracurricular activities or community service — activities outside the classroom.

Creativity or Innovation Essay

Camps like STEM or similar camps may encourage you to discuss when you have employed creative, outside-the-box thinking skills such as Carnegie Mellon University’s Pre-College programs . You may discuss a creative project or problem you have solved.

Challenges and Overcoming Adversity Essay

Some prompts may ask you to write about overcoming challenges or adversity. For example, they may ask you about a time you have faced a personal challenge and how you overcame it. They might also pointedly ask about diversity and inclusion and how you will contribute to creating an inclusive environment in your future.

Writing Examples

Some camps may want to see samples of your creative writing, particularly if you are applying to attend a creative writing camp or residential program such as the prestigious Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . Some programs may ask you for several pages of poetry, for example, or a piece of short fiction. They may even allow you to submit a portion of the novel you are working on as part of your application!

7 Steps for Writing an Application Essay for a Summer Program

Let’s look at the steps on how to write an application essay for a summer program. As you might imagine, some summer programs are difficult to get into, such as the Stanford University Math Summer Camp (SUMaC) that has an acceptance rate of less than ten percent. Therefore, your application essay must be completely on point. 

Here are the steps to ensure that your essay fits the bill.

Step 1: Start early.

You do not want to start your essay the day before it is due. Starting the process early gives you ample time to think about what you will write, draft, revise, and self-edit. Waiting till the last minute could hurt the quality of your essay.

Step 2: Understand the prompt.

There is nothing worse than writing your essay, then looking back on it and realizing that you did not answer the question asked. Do not fall victim to that danger at all. Carefully review the application guidelines and ensure you address all aspects of the prompt in your essay.

Again, there is nothing worse than realizing you have left out a key critical aspect of your essay after you have already written it.

Step 3: Think through your ideas.

Brainstorm what you might want to write about — take five minutes to scribble anything that comes to mind related to the prompt. Identify themes that come to mind, and describe achievements (personal and academic), that align with the summer program’s aims.

Consider putting all your ideas in an outline to help you structure your essay logically. It will also ensure that you hit all the essay prompt points.

Always Brainstorm Your Writing Ideas

Step 4: Work your intro!

What is the most important part of your essay? The introduction! It gets people’s attention, provides a small skeleton for your essay and sets it up. It is just like the perfect pass and layup in a basketball game. Grab the reader’s attention with a compelling hook and clearly state your purpose for applying for the program, particularly if the prompt calls for that information.

Step 5: Work through the body paragraphs.

The body paragraphs should follow up on what you introduced at the beginning. For example, if you say you will talk about your experiences, skills and interests, do just that in your body paragraphs. Show, do not tell in all your examples and use vivid language and examples. 

Instead of saying, “My brother and I have a special relationship,” say, “My brother, a quadriplegic, communicates to me with his eyes. He shifts his eyes left to communicate ‘no’ and right for ‘yes.’ It is the special code we use to team up against our parents and anyone else who gets in our way.”

Showcase your achievements and relevant skills as denoted by the essay. Discuss any challenges you have overcome and emphasize the lessons you have learned. Use concrete examples to illustrate your points.

Step 6: Conclude, ending on a strong note.

Summarize your key points and restate your enthusiasm for the program. End on a strong note that leaves a lasting impression. Ask yourself whether you demonstrated enthusiasm and an understanding of the program, asserted your desire to attend, and showcased your goals.

Step 7: Edit and proofread your essay.

Review your essay for clarity, grammar, and spelling errors. Proofreading is key when writing an application essay for a summer program. Consider asking teachers, peers, or mentors to review and provide feedback. Make sure your essay is polished and error-free. Campus to Career Crossroads offers a rigorous editing process to refine your essay for submission.

Proofreading is Essential When Writing an Application Essay for a Summer Program

Tips for Writing Your Summer Program Essay

At Campus to Career Crossroads, we believe that you can follow these summer program application tips. They will help you stand out from the crowd and hopefully help you get into the program. 

Write Like You Speak

Have you ever heard a teacher say, “Write like you speak!” for the best essay results? This is a great time to apply that advice! How to write an application essay for a summer program starts with a conversational tone.

Why? Here are a few reasons why you may want to implement this suggestion — we believe in at Campus to Career Crossroads!:

  • Easier to understand: Have you ever read an essay by a student in which they were trying to impress someone? Did it sound stilted and overblown? Avoiding complex sentence structures and sticking to what you know enhances clarity.
  • Engages your readers: Writing like you speak can help the essay’s engagement, making it more relatable and inviting. It can also help you connect with the readers personally, creating a sense of familiarity, and a bond with the reader.
  • Shows off your perso nality: Your personality shines through when you write like you speak. People can understand what you are like and “hear” your voice through your writing.
  • Makes you seem approachable: Conversational tones can mean you appear more approachable and authentic. It keeps you from seeming overly formal and builds credibility and even trust. 
  • Flows naturally: Conversational writing lends to a more natural flow — like spoken language. It can be enjoyable to read and keep your reader’s attention.

Connect with the Program

You may find it difficult to “connect” to a summer program because you may not have attended it before. Read up on everything you possibly can about the program, including testimonials from other participants, descriptions on the website, and more. 

Summer Programs Provide Students Insights into Their Desired Career Interests

Connect your understanding of the summer program with your goals. Connect with specific areas of the program that interest you and go in-depth. 

Sometimes, making a connection for the program includes experiencing your enthusiasm. Enthusiastically explain why you are excited about the opportunity and how it fits into your broader academic and career goals.

Be Authentic

Just as no company wants to hire someone who does not present themselves authentically, a summer program also wants your personality to shine through, so be yourself. Avoid writing using overly formal language or writing what you think they want to hear. They want to hear from you as you are. 

Stay within the Word Limit

This one is easy to implement. (Always good news, right?) Check the word limit! If you are only supposed to write 250 words or less, write 250 words or less.

Adhere to any specified word limit. Being concise and focused demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively, and summer programs always want you to communicate information about yourself most concisely — really, really well!

As you check the word limit, ensure that you have answered the prompt — we have mentioned it already but it is worth mentioning again!

Learn more: How to Write a “Why this Major?” Essay and ChatGPT College Essays: Should You Use ChatGPT to Write Your College Essays?

Check the Format 

Is there a specific format you should use to submit your application essay? For example, are you supposed to submit it a certain way through a website or are you supposed to save it as a pdf and email it? Whatever the process, review it and submit it in the format you are supposed to use.

Example of an Application Essay for a Summer Program

Let’s take a prompt and review how you might want to respond to it: Write a 250-maximum-word essay on important academic or life experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) you have encountered.

My STEM journey includes transformative experiences, notably engineering collaboration and hands-on molecular biology research. I interned at a tech startup and learned how to engineer sustainable solutions, where I learned teamwork and research methods. 

Interning at a tech startup, InTech, showed me the practical applications of academic knowledge. Leadership roles in STEM clubs and outreach programs allowed me to share my passion and foster a sense of community. 

These experiences have shaped me and my role in STEM, so I want to launch my STEM journey through the STEM Intensive Summer Program.

Write Your Essay with Campus to Career Crossroads

Consider your interests, goals, and desired outcomes when considering a summer program. Choosing a program that aligns with your passions and provides a valuable and enjoyable experience is essential. Some programs may offer college credit, certificates, or other recognition for successful completion.

Ultimately, what do you want to get out of your experience? Think about the deep reasons why you want to attend. Is it to benefit from college credit, academic enrichment, or to learn how to do something specific, like creative writing or research methods? Maybe it is a bit of all of those things.

Let Campus to Career Crossroads Help You Write an Application Essay for a Summer Program

How to write an application essay for a summer program involves managing a lot of important steps from brainstorming to editing. Campus to Career Crossroads can help you outline and craft your summer program essay.   We can also offer editing services to ensure your essay achieves your goals. Reach out to us for more information! We will guide you through the entire process, from researching the right summer programs for your professional goals to walking through the application process.

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IELTS Podcast

You agreed to take a particular job over the summer, but due to unforeseen circumstances, you can no longer take the position.

Home  »  IELTS general writing task 1: letter samples, phrases and tips.  »  You agreed to take a particular job over the summer, but due to unforeseen circumstances, you can no longer take the position.   

  Write a letter including: - Explaining your situation - An apology - Express that you would be interested in the position next summer

Dear Mrs. Johnston,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing in regard to the lab technician position that I interviewed for last week. I know that I accepted the position after it was offered to me; however, unfortunately, I will not be able to fulfil this agreement.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will no longer have the time available that I would need in order to satisfy the required hours for the position. I sincerely apologize for no longer being able to take on this position, not only for inconveniencing you, but also because I really wanted to gain valuable experience working in the laboratory.

If you can accept my apology and if there is still an available position sometime in the near future, I would very much like to take on a position in the laboratory, even if unpaid.

Thank you and take care, Serena Chung

For sample essays for general task 1 click here.

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Essay on Summer Season for Students and Children

500+ words essay on summer season.

Essay on Summer Season – Summer season is the hottest season of the year. In this season the temperature became so high that water starts to evaporate very quickly. But this is the most entertaining season for kids who enjoy it to the fullest because their school gets off in the summer season. Usually, summers last for mid or later March to June but they can expend up to the first week of July due to a delay of monsoon.

Essay on Summer Season

Facts about the Summer Season

The season occurs when the earth tilts towards the sun and a vice versa phenomenon for winter. In the southern hemisphere, December to February are the summer months. The day becomes warmers and nights become cooler. Besides, the day is longer and nights are shorter.

This season, we get a lot of variety of fruits and vegetables . And this is the season in which farmers prepare their land for cultivation. The sky becomes clearer as there are no clouds to give shade. And the sun shines bright.

Effects of Summer Season

Summer is hot for many reasons these include some natural factors and some manmade factors. These factors also cause many changes in climate conditions . Although the season is quite dry the kids love it.

essay about summer job

Moreover, too much hotness is very bad for certain things and results in many problems. One problem that it causes in human which is very common is dehydration. It not only causes weakness and dizziness but also can lead to death. So, to keep the body hydrated we need to drink plenty of water.

Small ponds, rivers, and wells dry up in this season. The groundwater level declines and in some areas conditions like drought occurs.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Who Enjoys Summer?

Although anyone can enjoy the summers the way they like the Children loves it the most. They love it because they have a long summer vacation ahead of them which they enjoy fully.

Besides, they can do whatever they want, be whomever they want, and spend their day playing and traveling with family. Most of the children visit their grandparents in summer or go to a hill station in a cold place to enjoy with family. For them, it’s the most relaxing time when they do not have to do any homework on a daily basis.

Moreover, they do all kinds of fun and naughty things they could. In this time they become the king of their dreamland.

Effects on Life

Whether humans, animals or birds all become very irritated of the season. The summer season causes them to stay indoors. And it makes condition pretty harsh to go out. During the day temperature rises to a level which causes difficulty.

What’s Good about Summer Season?

There are many good things about summer that includes the king of fruits and everyone’s favorite ‘Mango’. Apart from that, there is a large variety of fruits and vegetables in the market.

To conclude, we can say that the summer season is not as bad as it looks. It is just like any other season. We can also enjoy summer like any other season by finding the right ways like kids. Moreover, the season is rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables especially the mango.

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Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – the view from above

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities , Travel

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city with a population of about 200 thousand people located in the southeastern part of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia , the capital of Sakhalin Oblast .

It is the sixth largest city in the Russian Far East, in which Russian and Japanese cultures are closely intertwined. Here you can often see old Japanese buildings and monuments. The distance from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Moscow , if flying by plane, is 6,640 km and 9,280 km (by car). Photos by: Slava Stepanov .

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 1

Victory Square – one of the main squares of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 2

Cathedral of the Nativity.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 4

About one third of the total population of Sakhalin Island lives in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 5

Lenin Square.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 6

Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore housed in a Japanese building constructed in the Imperial Crown Style in 1937. This is the only such building on Sakhalin and throughout Russia.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 8

The climate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is quite mild, there are no severe frosts in winter, and heat in summer. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of about minus 12 degrees Celsius. The warmest month is August (plus 17 degrees Celsius). Clear and dry weather sets in early September – the best time to visit Sakhalin.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 10

House of Government of Sakhalin Oblast.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 11

“Chekhov Center” – the only drama theater in Sakhalin Oblast.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 12

Sakhalin residents often call the rest of Russia “the mainland.” You can get out of the island by plane, ferry, or other water transport.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 14

Park named after Yuri Gagarin.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 15

Roman Catholic Church “Parish of St. James”. In addition to divine services, organ and violin concerts are held here.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 16

Museum of Railway Technology.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 17

Church of the Resurrection.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 18

Stadium “Cosmos” in Gagarin Park.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 19

Stele “Cities of the Sakhalin Region”.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, photo 21

Tags:  Sakhalin oblast · Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a College Essay about a Summer Job

    We love jobs. We love summer jobs, and we love after-school jobs. We love part-time jobs, and we love seasonal jobs. We advise nearly all of our students to get a summer job that pays real money to do real work, as opposed to an internship — which is also good but different. Many colleges even prioritize applicants who have real-world work experience, so getting a job pays you at work and in ...

  2. How to Write a College Essay about a Summer Job

    5. Be authentic. When writing a college essay about a summer job, it's important to be authentic and genuine. Avoid trying to sound overly impressive or exaggerating your experiences. Instead, focus on telling the story of your summer job in a way that is truthful and genuine. One way to be authentic is to write in your own voice.

  3. The Value of a Summer Job

    The summer job has long been a way for teens to dip their toes into the workforce, begin to earn paychecks, and start to understand what it means to work for a living. Experts see it as a valuable first step toward becoming a full-time employee and to also begin saving money for your future. However, labor-force statistics suggest summer jobs ...

  4. Summer jobs

    Active Summer activity courses. We are looking for university students to work with children on our activity courses in July and August this summer. We need instructors for the following activities: swimming, football, tennis, drama, art, music, photography. Courses are: For more information, email Mr Smith at [email protected].

  5. Personal College Essay: My Summer Working Retail at the Mall

    Alice was a student applying to Ivy League colleges. When she saw the essay prompt to write about something "impactful," she decided to go with what felt most natural to her—what she learned over the summer working retail. While essays are just one part of your admissions package, they are a chance for the admissions officers to get to ...

  6. The Lessons I Learned from Working at a Swimming Pool

    Published: Jul 18, 2018. During the summer of 2007, I worked at a swimming pool, coaching the swim team, giving swim lessons, and lifeguarding. Early on, I realized that this summer job would demand more from me, and in turn give back a lot more, than I had initially expected. By the time summer was over, I had discovered that this experience ...

  7. How to Highlight a Summer Job on Your College Application

    2. College Essay/Personal Statement. You may choose your summer job as your college essay topic. The purpose of the essay is to tell admissions counselors something that isn't reflected in any other part of the application and give the them a sense of your character, personality and interests. Your essay should not simply describe your job.

  8. Tips to turn your work experience into a college essay, resume bullet

    Editor's note: This is the one in a series offering expert tips on how teens can use their summer job experiences to craft a winning college application essay or resume bullet point.

  9. Band 7.5 essay sample: Summer jobs

    As for a summer job, it can be defined as a job with very limited working hours. In this case, a child retains all his rights such as education and welfare. In many countries, children, as young as ten, are encouraged to work for at least the period of the summer vacations. Parents believe that in order to prepare their children for the real ...

  10. What Do You Remember Most About Your First Summer Job?

    From internships to ice cream-scooping, summer jobs have the power to influence professional paths and provide lasting memories. We asked several alums what they remember most from their first summer gigs. Robert Lipsyte '57, JRN'59 Former sportswriter for The New York Times and author of 20 books Sixty-six years ago, at the age of 14, I lied.

  11. The impact of summer youth employment on academic outcomes

    While the major benefits of summer employment may lie in gaining work experience and supplementing family income, it could also have educational implications. For example, having a summer job can increase teens' time-management skills, motivation, self-confidence and sense of responsibility, all of which could help them succeed at school ...

  12. How to turn summer construction job into college essay, resume bullet

    Here are some of Augustine's picks of skills to bullet on a resume: Accuracy: Having a very careful attention to detail, a high level of accuracy and quality in projects. Math skills: Accurately ...

  13. How to Write an Application Essay for a Summer Program

    Step 7: Edit and proofread your essay. Review your essay for clarity, grammar, and spelling errors. Proofreading is key when writing an application essay for a summer program. Consider asking teachers, peers, or mentors to review and provide feedback. Make sure your essay is polished and error-free.

  14. The pros and cons of summer jobs

    i never had a summer job, but in my opinion it´s important to have this experience, because sometimes when i am in holidays, i have a lot of free time, and is a little frustrating, because in spite of be losing time, i could be winning some money and learning about how is have the responsibility of a job or meet a schedule.And this include things like wake up earlier, .And could be good for ...

  15. Summber job application : IELTS Task 1 sample essay

    Home » IELTS general writing task 1: letter samples, phrases and tips. » You agreed to take a particular job over the summer, but due to unforeseen circumstances, you can no longer take the position. Write a letter including: - Explaining your situation. - An apology.

  16. Summer Jobs for Teens and the Benefits of Working

    Or college students giving their brains a rest and taking "mindless" summer jobs—mowing lawns, babysitting or scooping ice cream. These critics scoff at "resume-building" summer internships and work designed "to impress a college admission dean.". They poke fun at teenagers who "spend the hot months building latrines in distant ...

  17. Endless Summer Job by Carolyn Ferrell

    Endless Summer Job. Carolyn Ferrell. 2007. 9th Grade Lexile: 1150. Font Size. Looking down park avenue at dusk. by Clay LeConey is licensed under CC0. [1] In 1982, after my sophomore year of college, an agency arranged a summer job for me: a couple needed someone to assist the cook at their estate in the Hamptons.

  18. Essay on Summer Season for Students and Children

    Facts about the Summer Season. The season occurs when the earth tilts towards the sun and a vice versa phenomenon for winter. In the southern hemisphere, December to February are the summer months. The day becomes warmers and nights become cooler. Besides, the day is longer and nights are shorter. This season, we get a lot of variety of fruits ...

  19. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

    Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russian: Ю́жно-Сахали́нск, IPA: [ˈjuʐnə səxɐˈlʲinsk] ⓘ, lit. ' South Sakhalin city ') is a city and the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia.It is located on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, north of Japan. [10] Gas and oil extraction as well as processing are amongst the main industries on the island.

  20. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city, Russia travel guide

    Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city located in the southern part of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia, the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast. The population of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is about 201,700 (2022), the area - 164 sq. km. The phone code - +7 4242, the postal codes - 693000-693904.

  21. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

    The climate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is quite mild, there are no severe frosts in winter, and heat in summer. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of about minus 12 degrees Celsius. The warmest month is August (plus 17 degrees Celsius). Clear and dry weather sets in early September - the best time to visit Sakhalin.

  22. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

    In the summer months, the city is frequently covered in a thick mist, while in the cold season a fog often rolls over the streets. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was founded in 1882 as a settlement of convicts called Vladimirovka. From 1905 to 1945, it was taken over by Japan and renamed Toyohara, meaning 'bountiful plain'. The city was built according to a ...