<p>Just talked with my D who returns home this Thursday from freshman year (now it seems like it went SO fast!). She is facing the prospect of having to go back to her cafe job at our local zoo, a job she has had for the past two summers. She has sent in a few other applications, but honestly, there isn’t a lot of hiring going on…I know she is dreading going back to the cafe…!!!</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to think of unconventional opportunities - maybe temporary services companies, tutoring, nanny, etc. to suggest to her. Ultimately, she’s got to come up with something…</p>
<p>Any unique jobs your child(ren) have had in the past??? Something out of the ordinary???</p>
<p>Her major is Comm/Public Relations. She’s has followed a couple of leads, but one at an engineering firm was given to an engineering student and others are w/out pay. She needs to earn $$!!! Once she gets a paying job worked out, she will see if she can still accomodate volunteering somewhere more related to her field. She also has been working on an internship during this spring semester so at least that is under her belt. </p>
<p>My daughter found her internship related to her major (and paying a good amount of money) by ■■■■■■■■ on the departmental website of NYU. They had something listed for the darkest-reaches of Staten Island that nobody wanted and was perfect for her, so she applied. Could you check out online bulletin boards at local colleges?</p>
<p>abasket, the market is tight out there for anyone, so tell your D to grin & bear the cafe job. Once she’s there she can still look around and explore other options. As I’ve told my 20 y.o. D, ‘don’t be an employment snob’. Any job that pays money and is honest, is a good job. And I firmly believe that.</p>
<p>DS posted tutoring services on craigslist last summer and he was able to get enough clients who paid very well ($20-$50 an hour). I do believe he’s planning on tutoring again this summer. He almost always arranged to tutor in public places: local libraries & Starbucks.</p>
<p>Could she segue into another job at the zoo? If she’s known there and liked, which I’m sure she is because she’s going back for another year, it seems to me that the managers can find something different and “out of the ordinary” for her to do.</p>
<p>Lots of college kids around here get great jobs working for temp agencies. Most will be placed for the entire summer.</p>
<p>D1’s friend gets great $$$ driving the beer cart at an upscale golf course. I thought that was unique!
D1 was lucky to get a paid internship with a local sports management company. D2 went through a grueling interview process and was hired to work sports camps through community ed/school districts.
A lot of the guys like working for a big book binding company around here. They have different shifts and they can come in, put their ipod earbuds in and work until they’re done. Good $$$!
Another friend makes good money by watering plants/yards for people who are on vacation or away for the weekend. She supplements by watching their pets, too.</p>
<p>abasket, the market is tight out there for anyone, so tell your D to grin & bear the cafe job. Once she’s there she can still look around and explore other options. </p>
<p>D is excited to be working at an animal preserve, any chance your D could work more with the Zoo animals? Cage cleaner etc? Much more of a feeling that one is making a difference in the world when you’re helping animals than feeding messy ungrateful humans</p>
<p>One of my roommates in college worked on a salmon boat in Alaska every summer. Terrible, physically taxing work, but he did net close to 30K for 6-7 weeks of his time.</p>
<p>Both my kids work at grocery stores. The work is mundane but the pay is better than fast food jobs and it is air conditioned ( a big plus for those of us in the south,lol). </p>
<p>S’s roommate got a job at a county park renting canoes and rowboats.</p>
<p>If there is a big theme oark nearby, they are always hiring for summer.</p>
<p>Lots of Moms are looking for babysitters of school age children. </p>
<p>YMCA’s hire college students to be daycamp counselors</p>
<p>Ditto the pet sitting! My son does that. He made $300 for a week of watching one family’s dog (granted, he did a lot for the dog!). It’s great money and, depending on the pet, can be worked around other jobs at the same time.</p>
<p>If she’s a communication major, she could consider getting a job as a stringer (correspondent reporter) for a local paper. It doesn’t usually pay too much, but she’d get good experience and could (again) work it around another job.</p>