Summer jobs: lessons learned

Snow is still on the ground but spring is right around the corner and, believe it or not, summer will be here soon.

If you are a little older, thoughts of summer probably take you back to memories of hot weather, hanging out with your friends and your first summer job.

Maybe it was lifeguarding, landscaping or even working fast food. You either loved your summer job or you hated it. Either way, it taught you something about yourself.

A summer job can teach you all kinds of things. Handling rejection, dealing with embarrassment, the importance of being on time and it can also build confidence.

Most people will agree that it’s better to learn these lessons at an early age, but it’s hard to learn any of them by sitting around the house all summer.

More than likely your parents made you get a summer job. How many of today’s parents are doing the same?

I remember heading up to Westlake City Hall to fill out an application for my first summer job. The man at the desk handed me the application and said to fill it out. I politely told him that I didn’t have a pen. He kindly said, “You should always have a pen with you.” Lesson learned.

I’m now 51 years old and every time I leave the house, I still take a pen with me. There are probably 30 pens in my car right now just in case I need one.

It’s almost spring and now might be the time to plant the seed and encourage your kids or your grandkids to start thinking about looking for their summer job.

It might be exactly what they need – to learn something about themselves. Or maybe how to deal with other people in a reasonable way and treat others the way they want to be treated.  

So, encourage them to fill out an application for that summer job. Just make sure you tell them to take a pen!

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Volume 14, Issue 4, Posted 9:56 AM, 02.15.2022