Best Places for College Student Employment
The timeless exhortation, “You can look, but you cannot touch,” is relevant to college students looking for work during the summer of 2010. With a slight twist, the new exhortation becomes, “You can look, but you cannot have.”
College students begin pounding the summer job pavement shortly after spring break. This year, the pounding will take longer and require perseverance due to the deteriorating condition of the nation’s economy. Unemployment remains entrenched in double digits and consequently, executives are either imposing hiring freezes or contracting their company’s work force. College students will have to utilize every conceivable job search resource just to secure summer employment. There are many places for college students to look for summer employment, but the top places to look begins on your college campus.
College Campus
Two potential leads pop out beneath the ornate majesty of your school’s administration building. First, scour the job board located in the career center. Job boards typically fill up near the end of the spring semester, as employers look to hire temporary or seasonal help. Your college most likely provides an online resource for job recruitment advertisements that probably outnumber the openings on a job board. Second, your college may be looking to hire temporary workers in order to fill jobs vacated by students who return home for the summer. If you are taking summer courses, working for your college may not only pay your living expenses, but also shave some dollars off your tuition bill.
Restaurants
The restaurant industry represents the nation’s largest private sector employer. The industry flourishes during summer, when vacationers and outdoor dining venues increase sales. Restaurateurs look to fill positions in both the front and back of the operation in order to meet the demand increase. If you have a gregarious personality, the perfect summer job for you is waiting tables. You will likely take home cash after each shift and make more per hour than most of your contemporaries. Moreover, temporary restaurant work often becomes permanent once the summer season ends. Students across the country take advantage of restaurant service positions that pay them more for working less than their peers, allowing them to devote more time to their studies.
Landscaping
Landscaping employs more seasonal workers than any other industry. Jobs can be found with independent operators or large companies that pay an above average wage. Work typically begins in April and lasts through October, depending on what part of the country you live. You will work long hours during the summer, especially in wet climates that accelerate grass growth. Most landscaping operators account for your studies during the school year before making their work schedules.
Libraries
Ironically, students who relish the last bell of the school year flock to local libraries during summer break. Libraries offer a respite from scorching heat, but they also conduct a number of group activities geared towards adolescents and seniors. The addition of group activities means libraries need assistants to alleviate full time employee workloads. The pay is not much above minimum wage, but stress is minimal and you have the resources for your next school project at your fingertips.
Theme Parks
There is a job for every type of personality at a theme park. Are you an extrovert? Then, consider working in one of the entertainment venues. Do you prefer to work by yourself? Then, a grounds keeping job may suit your independent streak. Regardless of your interests and personality, landing a job at a theme park is as simple as attending one of the job fairs conducted before the park opens its gates for the season. Theme parks conduct job fairs on site and fill open positions on the spot. Theme parks only operate on weekends before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. Park season usually begins in early April and ends on Halloween.
Recreation Camps
Camp counselors are in high demand during summer. Most camps prefer hiring college students due to maturity issues. In most states, Camp counselor positions do not require someone under the age of 18 to obtain a work permit. Camps operate during the summer bookend holidays of Memorial Day and Labor Day. Because of their rural locations, recreation camps tend to recruit on college campuses via job boards and job fairs.
Despite the turbulent economy, college students still have a number of job opportunities to choose from during the summer of 2010. Maybe, the exhortation for college students looking for work this summer should be, “You can look, and eventually you will have.”
