This summer, many AU students have moved into apartments on Capital Hill to start internships with their congressmen, or are traveling all over the world to volunteer, to learn, and to work. Some graduates will begin full-time jobs in their fields. But this summer, I returned to Braintree, Massachusetts and my part-time restaurant job.
It seems like everywhere I look, my classmates have planned amazing, unique summers for themselves. They’re building their resumes, learning, and exploring the world. Yet whenever I say I’m returning to my old, minimum-wage job at home, I get pitying looks with a backwards compliment about how I’ll be saving money by living at home, or how it’ll be great to save up some cash for next semester.
This sort of reaction to my summer plans is incredibly frustrating. Is my summer going to be the most glamorous or memorable one? Not at all. Is it going to help me score a great job after graduation? Probably not. But will it be worth it? Absolutely.
I got my job at a chain restaurant when I turned 16, and have been working there, with the exception of my time at college, ever since. I’m fortunate enough to have a manager that allows me to take both semesters off, and to only work during my winter and summer breaks. It’s the perfect way for me to work when I have time off from school, and saves me the trouble of having to apply and complete training for new jobs. All I have to do is tell my manager when I’ll be ready to start work, and I’m back in action.
By working over the summer, even though the pay may not be fantastic, I’m able to save up for a study abroad program I’m looking into and give myself more spending money for next year. If I were interning for the summer, the odds are pretty high that the position would be unpaid. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but the summer’s an ideal time to make money while you don’t have classes to plan around.
But working a minimum-wage restaurant job offers me so much more than money for the new school year. Though it may not be the same as working for a company in my field, I still truly believe I’ve learned and grown as a person by working in a restaurant. I’ve improved my customer service skills, can work under pressure, can work with other team members, and understand how to carry myself professionally. In addition to professional skills, I can calculate change in my head, make a mean cappuccino, and carry three ceramic plates with full bowls of soup on them. Sure, I won’t put that on my LinkedIn profile, but it still counts for something.
Beyond the job aspect, living at home also means I get to spend the entire summer with my family and friends from home. Three months of home-cooked meals, stealing my sisters’ clothes, and catching up with friends I haven’t seen since Christmas sounds amazing after a long semester of dorm life and long-distances friendships.
We live and attend school in an amazing city, where we can apply for internships and other study abroad opportunities during the academic year. So why not take the summer to save up money and come back ready to start fresh in August?
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Photo credits: Cover