What Will You Do This Summer? Internships v. Summer Jobs

Summer is finally here, and you're conflicted—should you intern, work, or just take a much-needed break? When our parents were our age, summers were for romantic flings, leisurely car rides, and, most important, summer jobs. These jobs were typically, but not always, in the service or manual labor sectors of the market.

While these sorts of summer experiences are still common for high school students, for those in college, the summer time becomes more fraught with career-driven importance. Like it or not, what you do during the summer could very well dictate what you will do upon launching your first career. The most common enterprise for college students during the summer is obviously the much-coveted internship. Increasingly, employers use internships as filters into future employment.

Still, internships are not without their pitfalls. In fact, we've already established a cultural image of the typical intern. You know exactly what I'm talking about—the young, slave-driven student who gets paid nothing to perform menial tasks like fetching coffee and figuring out the endlessly complex inner workings of the office copy machine. Of course, this stereotype is more often than not only a Hollywood creation. But as with any Hollywood creation, it has some basis in the truth.

The biggest problem with internships, more than anything, is that they are often unpaid. For students who are expected by their legal guardians to have their own source of disposable, personal income, like I was, the internship can sometimes become an impossibility. And so one of the biggest public complaints about our internship system is that it provides future career opportunities only for the already privileged.

However, this doesn't necessarily have to be the case, if you do your research carefully. Now, there are legions of paid internship opportunities out there, especially through your university. At my alma mater, these opportunities were everywhere, only they were not highly advertised. Thus, the responsibility fell squarely on the student to actively seek out such opportunities. Sometimes, you can even find an unpaid extra-collegiate internship and ask an academic department or campus organization to fund you.

What's more, the typical summer job need not be merely an anachronism. There are various important skills you can learn through a retail or other service-related job, even though it may seem pointless at first. You'll learn excellent communication skills and you'll probably pick up a better work ethic than you would through an internship.

So do you really have to choose between an internship and a traditional summer job? Absolutely not. One of the most forgiving advantages of internships is that they're usually part-time. A typical workload will be something like 15 hours a week. This gives you plenty of time to find traditional summer work, which, as I said, provides an opportunity to develop invaluable career skills that you may not experience as an intern. This way, you don't have to decide between a summer job and an internship. If you plan wisely, you can experience both.

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of Online Universities Accredited. She welcomes your comments here and directly through her email.

How to Find a Job if You're a Teen

Question
I'm a teen. How can I find a job?

Answer
Everywhere you go (including online), keep your eyes peeled for possibilities. You may walk by a store front that has a "Help Wanted" sign. Look in the newspaper classified section. Ask your family and friends if they know of job openings. Check out job listings online on some of the teen-oriented sites.

Be creative. You might get a job that wasn't advertised because you saw a need and thought of a way that you could fill that need. For instance, you might see that the CDs at your local music store are always out of alphabetical order. Ask the manager if she'd like someone -- like you -- to keep stock in order so customers can find and buy what they're looking for faster. You might end up with a nice part-time job that could lead to something bigger in the future.

Summer Businesses for Teens

You want to make some money and do something cool this summer but the idea of having a boss doesn't sound so hot. Here are some ideas for businesses you could start, depending on your interests and abilities:

If you like helping people, consider for one of these:
- dog walking service
- non-medical home care for the elderly, disabled, or ill
- baby sitting service
- house sitting service
- tutoring service
- handyman or handywoman service
- hauling service
- gift buying and delivery service
- food delivery service, representing one or more restaurants
- service that prepares, freezes, and delivers a week's worth of homemade dinners to individuals' homes

If you love organizing and cleaning, put together a small biz that specializes in just that:
- party planner and event coordinator
- small catering service for parties, private dinners, and receptions
- grocery delivery service
- house cleaning service
- car washing, waxing, and detailing service
- door-to-door flyer distribution service
- lawn, yard, and gardening service
- recyclable materials pickup service
- telephone wake-up service
- home and commercial window washing service

For the technically or artistically inclined:
- party disc jockey
- photographer
- site designer and developer
- hardware or software consultant for installations, troubleshooting, and repairs
- street curb house number painting service
- face painter
- word processing service
- silk screen service
- sign painter
- TEVO, VCR, DVD programmer

And for anyone who loves to sell, sell, sell:
- Manage a concession cart that sells food items in a busy part of town.
- Develop and distribute coupon booklets that represent local merchants.
- Door-to-door sales of a product you truly believe in.
- Deal in antiques. Buy inexpensive antiques at yard sales and resell them at antique auctions, flea markets, or antique malls.
- Use your artistic skill to make items (like jewelry, clothing, or leather goods) that can be sold to retail outlets.
- Organize yard sales (also called tag sales) to sell your own and other people's stuff.
- Sell ads on your website or blog.

Enjoy trying out your entrepreneurial talents; and have a great summer!

Teen's First Job Interview

It's your first job interview and you're a little nervous. That's understandable. Almost everyone gets the chitters when they feel under the spotlight. So try to think of your interview as a two-way conversation between you and the employer. You're both trying to figure out if it's a good idea for you to take this new job you're applying for.

Here are a few tips to make the conversation go smoothly:

- Before your interview, practice how you'll answer questions the employer is likely to ask, and make a list of questions you want to ask about the job.
- For your job interview, dress one step up from what you would expect to wear normally on the job.
- Make a good impression by smiling, having good posture, making eye contact, and being friendly to everyone you meet at the job site (not just the person interviewing you).
- Avoid talking about pay until after you understand all that's involved with the job.
- After the interview, say "thank you" to the interviewer, as well as to those who ushered you in (such as the receptionist or security guard).

Once you have this first job interview under your belt, you'll have a sense of how to do even better the next time. Good luck with it!

Why Get a Summer Job

It's almost summer and if you're a student you're probably thinking about getting a summer job. Before you start job hunting, think about what kind of job you want. Of course you want one that will put some change (or big bills) in your pocket. What else could you get out of your job? Maybe one of more of the following:

- A chance to work in a cool environment where you like your co-workers and customers. It'd be sweet to look forward to hanging out for hours at a stretch with people you like.
- The opportunity to develop skills in a new field or increase the skills you already have.
- Access to perks like cool company discounts or corporate sponsored scholarships.
- Maybe some insight into a possible career down the road.

Understanding what benefits (aside from greenbacks) you might get from a job, will help you know where to look for one and who among your friends and family to ask for job leads.

Here's to a great summer job!

Cool Summer Jobs for Teens

Are you a teen looking for a summer job? If so, now's a good time to start looking for one. Here are some tips for how to figure out what sort of work you might like for the next few months.

If you're a "people person" and like being on the fronline, try one of these jobs:
Cashier
Restaurant host or hostess
Waitperson
Counter attendant
Fast food worker
Retail salesperson
Receptionist
Hotel desk clerk
Bank teller
Gas station attendant

If you like working behind the scene in a supportive role, check out these jobs:
Technical support
Administrative assistant
Junior administrative assistant
Library assistant
Dispatcher
Mail clerk
Messenger
Maid
Janitor
Kitchen helper

If you have a nurturing personality, you might like one of these caregiving jobs:
Babysitter or nanny
Daycare assistant
Home companion
Nursing aide
Camp counselor
Swimming instructor
Amusement park attendant
Zookeeper's helper
Kennel attendant
Dog and cat groomer

If you like the idea of getting paid to sweat, get a job as one of these:
Landscape worker
Groundskeeper
Construction helper
Deckhand on a fishing boat
Warehouse person
Recyclable material collector
Car washer
Bellhop
Farm worker
Mover

If you've developed a skill and want to earn some dough using that skill, one of these jobs might fit the bill:
Computer programmer
Web site developer
Graphic designer
Word processor
Data entry keyer
Printing press operator
Painter's helper
Carpenter's helper
Auto service technician
Cook

Have a great summer, both on and off the job!

Green Collar Jobs

Is green collar the new blue collar? It is for some, according to Fast Magazine's article, I'm Bad! I'm Slick!, by Linda Baker. In her article, Baker tells how "Oakland activist Van Jones is on a mission to bring green-collar jobs to the urban poor."

Since the dawn of the "green revolution," we've seen green collar jobs expand from scientists, engineers, and other R&D folks to contractors and home supply retailers. Van Jones is looking ahead to the labor force who will put the green technology and resources to use. He's organized training programs for low-income blue collar workers so they can be hired for specialized jobs in the sustainable construction industry. "Say a bunch of guys in the carpenter's union don't know how to work with bamboo. Well, here are some young people who have been trained to work with bamboo. Suddenly, rather than them being in the back of the blue collar line for the less-skilled blue-collar jobs, these kids have the advantage." (quote from Van Jones lifted from the article)

Here's my favorite quote from Van Jones (again, from the Fast Magazine article) about who's involved in our green economy: "Ph.Ds to Ph.Dudes." Are you a green Ph.D, Ph.Dude, or somewhere in between? If so, you might have a career opportunity waiting for you.

You’re a Teen. What’s So Cool About Having a Job?

There are three answers: swag, swag, and more swag. What’s swag? It's goodies, stuff, loot, spoils, profits, or, as pirates used to say, "booty." (No, not that kind!)

Pirate swag was come by illegally (they stole it). But in the context of your job, swag can mean stuff that you get for making an honest effort. Because it’s a big part of having a job, let's talk swag!

Your First Job
Do you nod off when your parents and teachers talk about your "few-cher"? Well, wake up, 'cause your job and the task of finding it can be a really cool adventure.
Your first job is an important step, there's no denying it. It's your official introduction to the world of responsibility. When you sign up for a position, you essentially agree to:
1. Show up on time.
2. Keep commitments.
3. Be honest.
4. Dress appropriately.
5. Make your best effort at performing the job.

Here's the cool part: The better you are at doing those five things, the more swag (money and perks) you walk away with. That can be an awesome experience, especially if you enjoy the job. And why work at a job you hate?

Before you plunge headlong into your job search, let's do a reality check to be sure you really want a job. Take a stab at this quiz and see what it tells you.

Do You Really Want a Job?
1. Does the idea of having a wad of bills in your fist make you do an ecstatic 360?
2. Do you want a sure-fire excuse to get away from your parents for a few hours?
3. Are your friends all getting summer jobs while you haven't thought past what your next text message will be?
4. Do you wish you could get paid to do something you already love to do?
5. Do you quake at the thought of not being able to afford to buy a car, much less pay for the insurance on it?
6. Do you feel that your talents are often under-appreciated and you want a chance to prove how good you are?
7. Do you ever imagine what good things your first employer will say about you when you apply for your next job?
8. Do you have a vague idea of what you might like to do in the future and would you like a way to test it out?
9. Wouldn't you feel kind of proud to be able to grumble to your friends that you have to be at work?

If the answer to any or all of the above is "Duh," then you’re ready to go get your first job! For help in making that step, check out Teen Jobs by Allison Doyle for the nuts and bolts of how and where to look for a job you’ll like.