Hello everyone and happy summer!
As I write this I am sitting in an airport on my way back to camp! Woohoo! No, I’m not a camper (I’m a little old for that). I am working as a camp counselor for the third summer in a row at Tamarack Camps in Ortonville, MI aka the Greatest Place on Earth. I was a camper at Tamarack for 5 years, and it is where I met some of my best friends. This overnight summer camp was the place to be when I was a youngling. And I guess it still kind of is today.
Most of my friends from my camper years are counselors at Tamarack, with many of these friends working in the same village as me. While I am in charge of campers (ninth grade boys and girls this year), being able to live with and work with my friends is almost like being a camper. I am kind of being paid to be camper…just with a lot more responsibility! That is why I think this is the best summer job ever! Not to mention the camp provides me with housing and food for the summer.
With this being said, the final paycheck is not overwhelmingly large. But, I am not spending any of the money I make during the summer as I am living at camp 24/7 (except for a couple days off a session). So, while you don’t get as much budgeting practice, you do not have to worry about blowing through your paycheck during the summer.
I do realize, however, that not everyone is cut out for camp. Luckily there are other options: paid internship, unpaid internship, a summer job (not camp related), or no job. Phew! That’s a lot of options. If you can afford to not work all summer, more power to you! Though personally, I would get pretty bored after two weeks, especially if all of my friends were working during the day. Then again, if I could travel for the summer, that would be pretty awesome. Maybe a backpacking trip through Europe? One of my dreams is to go to the three big cycling events in one summer (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta de Espana).
In order to do this, money is a necessity. Which brings us back to our remaining options: internship (unpaid vs. paid) and a non-camp related summer job. If I were a high school junior or senior I would try to go the internship route. Unpaid or paid you ask? Well, in this case I think it would not matter. Any internship will be a great experience (even the and ones that help you figure out what you DO NOT want to do) and will look good on your resume. Plus, in high school, many kids are still supported by their parents so making money may not be of utmost importance. However, once in college, many students are told to start paying for themselves. Therefore, I would go the paid internship route. An internship will be similar to life after college, as students normally get an internship in a field that interests them. While a normal summer job will bring in the cash-money, an internship will be a great experience to scope out your prospective job field.
Wow that was a lot of writing. So in case you missed anything, here are some cliff notes:
- Camp is awesome
- Being a camp counselor is even awesomer!
- Traveling would be sweet if you can afford it
- Paid Internships, in my opinion, are better than summer jobs, unless said summer job is a camp counselor.
-Jesse
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