supery00n

Can you guys give me ideas for summer jobs before freshman year college?

I'm going to UCLA next year and I like pretty much anything. Anything that will help me get an internship the summer after my freshman year. I'm an 18 year old male.

p.s. Is it bad to quit a (part time) job in the middle of summer?

Thanks.

JohnN

I am also seeking something to do over the summer. So far the only thing I have in mind is being a teller at a bank because it will look better then working at some restaurant or store (plus i plan on applying to an internship there later).

What do you want to study?

kwtortoise

I'd recommend finding something you could go back to after you are in college (for summers at home). I went home the summer after freshman year and could not find a job. My school got out in late April, and I filled out over 20 applications, but no one wanted to hire me when they saw on my resume or applications that I was going to college out of town. I didn't want to lie either and say that I planned to stay beyond the summer. That could have been avoided by having somewhere to go back to that I had already worked at.

supery00n-If you started that summer and only work half of the summer, that means you worked less than two months. That's not much time to give any company figuring on how much they spent on training you, etc. But, if they know that up front, it isn't a bad thing. To quit on them without a lot of notice could cause you problems in being able to use them as a reference later on.

As for ideas, besides retail places and restaurants, you could try temp work by signing up with an agency and filling in for a receptionist or something similar. Also, some industries need more help this time of year like lawn care or child care (camps, activities).

honied_dreams

Consider that you are fairly limited by your age, especially if you have no prior work experience. This means that employers will be fairly inflexible, hour-wise, and most of the jobs you are offered will probably be in food service, retail, and other entry-level positions. Nevertheless, these jobs will also look good on your resume--they demonstrate that you are able to work in a fast-paced, demanding environment, that you can interact with people, etc. When you're younger, an employer is looking to see that you have built/are building a good base of skills. As kwtortoise said, if you can find a job through a temp agency, that is a good option as well, however I had no luck with that last year, and you may not get as many hours as you would like.

As for quitting a job halfway through the summer, it will look very bad, both to your employer (who you will most likely need later for recommendations) and on your resume. If you anticipate needing to do this, however, simply be up front about how long you plan to work with them. This may affect their decision to hire you, however it is important that you be honest about when you plan to leave, for school or for other reasons. Quitting a job in general can be a sticky situation, so it's best to get the date you're leaving out in the open (unless, of course, the job is unbelievably unbearable).

I've been through this process many a time, and my mother is also a human resources director, so if you have any more questions I am happy to try and give you some advice.

chuy

If you've never served your time in food services give it a spin. They'll hire anybody and you'll get a reminder of why you're going to college.

dilksy

I was a residence counselor for a summer program at the school I was going to be attending in the Fall. If you could find a job like that, I can see the transition to college being much easier if you've spent a few weeks living there before the semester starts.

PlattsburghLoser

I worked at Disney World for a summer in their "College Internship Program" or whatever BS name their giving it now-a-days.

The good thing about Disney is they give you housing and transportation, and because it's a summer program you aren't expected to remain there longer than two-three months, though can stay if you choose.
The bad part is you're only paid $6.40 an hour and $60-$90 is taken out of your check per week for housing.

I thing it's Disney College Program

grace2007

I was a teacher in my freshyear summer holiday. Why i id it ? Because i wanted to help more students to study well ,and also i could earn more money for my everyday life.

krnpsychopath

food service def.

then become a bar back.

eventually bartend which is a job with great hours and fantastic pay. Once you're a bartender you don't have to work for long hours. Couple hours a week and you're set.

OKgirl

I'm thinking about working food service because they are always hiring and tips can be pretty nice.

It would be so fun to be a bartender! You have to be 21 to do that, right?

krnpsychopath

actually no in some states.

I live in MA, I'm 18 and technically I can be a bartender. But no one wants to hire a inexperience 18 yr old or even a experience 18 yr old.

I know the basics in mixing but not very well so I try to barback.
getting a TIPS certificate *a easy test gets you this. it just means you know how to handle a drunk customer* helps when you're young.

tenisghs

@ supery00n

You can do be an assistant/counselor at a camping place if you like nature. How about working at as a operator or food service employee at an amusement park? Retail, library, and summer school programs also have positions for your age cohort during the summer.

kindaslick89

I worked at Barnes and Noble and it was by far the easiest job I have ever had. You should definantly try a bookstore, its so relaxed. BTW, you do not have to quit, just tell your employer that it is a summer job before you go to college.

paulg1

Don't worry too much about previous work experience. It's all about nailing the interview. I worked at McDonalds for the 2 years before I started University (part time during high school). Somehow I got a really good job in engineering. What you do doesn't matter that much, since employers understand that you won't know alot about your career yet. They care about whether you're willing to learn and have good work ethic.

burgler09

paulg1, my first job was mcdonalds.. the only thing that kept me there was the 50% discount, that saved SOO much money.. but as I got a little older I was offered better pay at other places. I've had 5 jobs after McD's

Basically a good job of choice is anything that will score you overtime.. just go to a place where you can make the most money

Landscaping and construction comes to mind.