Career Lessons From Summer Jobs

For some of us, our summer jobs may have been years ago. For others, they are more fresh in our minds. But what we may not have realized back when we were serving french fries or running a car wash is that the lessons we learned back in those days provided us with a foundation for our careers. Here are just a few of the lessons you likely took away from your summer jobs:

1. Don’t shy away from new opportunities. Summer jobs are by and large something of the fast food or amusement variety. For many members of the summer-employed, these types of roles may not be their first choices; however, they can provide rewarding experience. In our career searches, not all opportunities are going to fit the perfect mold of what your job should be; however, that doesn’t mean that the opportunity isn’t right for you.
2. Pay is hard-earned, but not always high. There’s a big negative for summer jobs, and that is the pay. Typically, summer jobs don’t provide the highest pay in the world, but they can require some physical, grueling work (not all of them, but many). This can also be true of full-time careers. Sometimes you will work long hours and perform hard work, but you might not be earning a glorious six-figure salary. But, the hard work you perform now will set the pace for the remainder of your career.
3. Work requires patience and social skills. Have you ever worked with the public? It’s not easy! Fast food establishments and amusement parks in particular tend to spawn irate, easily angered individuals. Some just want their “double double” from Tim Hortons, and they don’t want to wait. Others have driven hours just so their child can ride a rollercoaster, only to find out that the child is too short. And where do their frustrations end up? Sometimes, it’s on the cashier/ride operator/[Insert your name here]. So how do you get through the day, let alone the summer? With some patience, and the ability to diffuse tense situations. Summer jobs provide the perfect opportunity to hone these skills. Because yes, the public can be a pain, but you may find yourself working with a co-worker who is difficult, or an easily-irascible client. Your patience will really pay off at that point!

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