I worked as a leader in our city parks and rec program. It wasn’t mindless, as I taught kids art, singing and how to get along, but it made me excellent at organizing peoplepeople and let me zone a bit and realize I could be a good teacher and then go home and be a great mom. The next summer, I was a law at the attorney general’s office and the following summer, volunteered to help at a judge’s office. Yep, went to law school.
When I was 14, I worked as a clerk typist and decided I was dreadful at speed and accuracy; crossed that off my list. In HS thru law school, tried babysitting, tutoring and sales jobs–didn’t enjoy those too much either (tho was OK at them if I was in the mood). Worked as switchboard operator at a hotel and then crossed off both hotel industry and phone/receptionist off my career list.
Worked at a commercial bakery one summer and learned a lot about teamwork. Then I found a summer lab assistant job. Washing glassware for a large research lab, stocking supplies, and making buffers were my duties. I was pretty efficient, so I was allowed to some do experiments as long as I was done with the routine stuff.
Just saw an ad by UPS - they are hiring college kids to help with the mountains of packages (guilty as charged!) at their processing center… and they offer college tuition help up to $5,000 a year for these part timers. For a kid with aspirations of getting a career in logistics or supply chain management, maybe worth taking a look.
I think everyone should have a “customer service” job at least once in their lives. Then, regardless of their level of success, they’ll always be kind to those serving them!
Summer after high school, I worked at a car dealer as a receptionist/switchboard operator (had this job during high school, too.) For 3 summers during college I worked at Cedar Point Amusement Park. The first year I operated kiddie rides, then the next two summers I swept up trash (cigarette butts, vomit, etc.) We worked long hours and it was physically exhausting. We lived in dorms at the park, and there were a lot of after-hours activities for employees (mostly college kids)–dances, sports, movies, etc. I worked split shift or late shift and used to hang out at the beach and swim every day before work/between shifts. I had so much fun working there-- It was the best time of my life!
I worked at a structural engineering firm in Austin. I think almost all of the employees, 10 or so, had been students of my dad - that’s how I got the job. I did a lot of manual drafting at first, then simple engineering calculations. I enjoyed it a lot. It was understood that I would get a job there once I got my master’s degree. But then oil prices dropped through the floor and there wasn’t enough work for them to hire me. So I ended up in Maine.
I, too, was a bank teller for one summer in college–possibly the worst bank teller ever, because my cash drawer rarely balanced. It was probably the first thing I’d ever tried that I’d done really poorly at, and as such it was valuable as a humbling experience. DH sold Fuller Brushes door to door one summer. He was a very good salesman, but not very ambitious, so once he’d fulfilled his quota for the day, he’d head to the beach, even if it was only noon. He did at least learn that he had some great powers of persuasion at his disposal. My kids always worked mundane summer jobs–barista, golf caddy, camp counselor, office temp–that they acquired by dint of their own efforts and without the benefit of any parental connections (another element I consider important), and they still take pride in having done so.
Summer camp riding instructor – not mindless and I guess actually associated with my major (animal science). As part of the riding staff, developed the program and moved up over the years to Riding Director. Spent another summer in the kennels at my vets. Maybe most of my job was cleaning cages, but I also worked directly with the vets and techs on some daily medical care.
My take-away would be NONE of this should be mindless. Use your mind to figure out how the enterprise operates and how to make it better. Being on the inside of the organization allows you to understand how things work, and having been the labor portion of the organization prepares you to manage it one day.
I don’t think any job is mindless or worthless, because if you keep your eyes open, you learn a lot. You learn about working with others, easy and hard, you can learn about dealing with people, you can learn how businesses run, and one of the things that is important is learning how to work , it is huge. I know these days getting internships in your field of study is huge, that it can lead to jobs, but in some senses I am of a mind that a job not in your area, that is ‘mindless’, might be more valuable. To be honest, a lot of intern jobs I have seen are not exactly mind stretching (they can be, of course), mostly they are gofer jobs where the kid shows up at work, and is doing things the employees don’t want to do, and get little exposure to the ‘real’ things in the office (and if interns these days are getting more real world experience, that rocks, they should be. When I have had interns in my area, besides of course razzing them and otherwise having fun with them, we also tried to teach them about what we were doing, about the technology and more importantly, the business behind it, and found ways to make them feel a part of what we were doing).
My summer jobs were mundane, several summers I worked construction in the firm two of my uncle’s owned (and if you think that was an easy,cushy job for s relative, you never met them…I was working as a laborer, doing things like moving debris in a gut job, hauling cinderblocks, helping pour a hot tar roof in 95 degree heat, you name it)…and I did learn a lot about the business, about how tough it is, the details. I also had a job at an auto dealership in the service area as a junior mechanic one summer, because of my mechanical skills and because I was studying CS, they figured I could be a help with the diagnostic equipment they were installing, plus they needed extra help that summer because of a surge in repairs due to some sort of economic boom in the area.
So as to enable financial aid on my own, as well as see the world, I waited till age 24 to return to school for nursing, after some early years at schools in California. I picked peaches at the University Farm in Chico, cleaned houses, was a census taker and interviewer for city directories, worked at a Girl Scout camp counselor and led backpacking in Lassen Nat’l Park, was a CNA in Alaska, worked the end of the season at Glacier Bay in the restaurants and lodge, was a food server in Alaska. I taught English in HK and Korea, was a barmaid at a British pub in HK. I still frequently quote the cultural observations made at that job.
At one point my mom talked me into attempting to sell Fuller Brush, which she did for many years and once the reorders got going, it kept a small income stream going, for her. That was the worst job EVER! For me anyhow, though the customers were fine, and pleasant for the most part. Though I still think they have or had a quality product, I think cleaning supplies can be kept very basic and still keep a house clean, so I had no passion for the product. This was the late '70s, and I remember quietly mentioning I’d not sell aerosols due to the environmental effects. The manager laughed at me.
Given my the nature of my career, I’m glad to have had jobs where I interacted with a wide variety of people from all walks of life quite early on. My kids have had far less exposure to the world of the average citizen, as we live in a rather intellectual and well traveled small city. They have: taught tennis, worked food service, clerked in grocery stores, installed light bulbs in houses, worked summer programs for kids. My S was always hired instantly for those programs. Spanish speaking male-he was in. Daughter, with a little less Spanish, not so much.
My best summer job before college was counter girl at a Scandinavian bakery outside DC. The boys were cute and the place was well known, at the time. I got to wear a cute dirndl, apron and little hat and learned a lot about marzipan (and that they don’t call pastries “Danish.”) I got scammed out of $10 one day, quite a lesson- not only because it happened, but because the owner’s reaction was supportive. Before that I was a receptionist, after school, for a RE firm, answering phones and cutting out their ads in the local newspapers and pasting them on index cards (that was bo-ring and only lasted a few weeks.)
My most fun jobs were during college, waitress in a resort town, then cocktail waitress at a big hotel, (back when you only had to be 18.) Later, at a popular beer bar, across from the U. I had a real interest in people from all walks.
My kids started indoor lifeguarding, which they loved. Then moved on to the pool at a wonderful day camp that drew a range of SES. Some of the other counselors are still friends. Their college jobs were community service.
Some of the fun essays are kids’ takes on summer work.
I think the kids CC pushes are mostly STEM who want a tippy top.
I worked in a factory one summer while in college. It was the only job available where I lived. Yes, it was awful but thankfully lasted only 3 months! I spent breaks and lunch time with the 3 other college students in my department and every day we vowed to finish school. We all did!
A friend who worked at her small town plastics/rubber something or other factory one summer said it reinforced why she was in college and wanted more than that type of job long term. Fall girl- my friend and you could commiserate about hot, awful summer jobs.
I worked at the local pool- aid et al. At least I was with other HS and college students even if the pay was poor (at least I had a job- they were hard to come by those years).
The value- money for school and reinforcing the reason to finish college.
