Summer Jobs: Ian Suszko and Logan May, left, dis­cuss clubs in the Katke Pro Shop. Right, FSU stu­dent Ashley Schultz helps a cus­tomer at her job at B-Tan. There are many jobs avail­able for stu­dents stay­ing in Big Rapids over the Summer. Photo By: Sam Lehnert | Ad Layout Assistant

Decisions on what to do dur­ing the sum­mer can be dif­fi­cult for col­lege stu­dents to make. We have money on the mind, but most do not want to work when the weather is beautiful.

Higher edu­ca­tion costs money. This should come as no sur­prise. Unfortunately, pay­ing for that edu­ca­tion falls on most stu­dents’ shoul­ders. Deciding whether to accu­mu­late a mas­sive mound of debt or attempt­ing to pay off col­lege now is a deci­sion most stu­dents face on a reg­u­lar basis.

I real­ize the first thing stu­dents want to do after two semes­ters of classes is prob­a­bly not an exhaust­ing job search or work­ing away their sum­mer, but I will tell you now, work­ing in the sum­mer is single-handedly the best thing you can do for yourself.

The sum­mer con­sists of three unoc­cu­pied months just ready and wait­ing for you to fill them with con­tin­u­ous labor. In those three months, life-changing expe­ri­ences can be made. A resume can be built and money for a car or next fall’s tuition and rent can be made when that money was not oth­er­wise available.

But the most impor­tant thing about sum­mer employ­ment is per­sonal rela­tion­ships that can amount to long-term friend­ship and ref­er­ences from your employer that you can use for future employment.

A prob­lem many stu­dents are fac­ing when they look for employ­ment after col­lege is that they have not tried the job mar­ket before they grad­u­ated. This mis­take can pre­vent you from land­ing the dream job of your life. References and a diverse resume will get you into the inter­view of your dreams.

Finding a job in the sum­mer requires great deter­mi­na­tion. Luckily, every sum­mer a group of seniors grad­u­ate and leave their part-time employ­ment behind.

The most noto­ri­ous estab­lish­ments look­ing for sum­mer hire are restau­rants, retail jobs, and cus­tomer ser­vice jobs. If you’re out­doorsy, then you chose the right state to live in. Michigan fea­tures sev­eral state parks, recre­ational areas, and local parks which all need peo­ple to help main­tain them.

If an employer sees that you are moti­vated, dri­ven, and con­fi­dent in earn­ing a posi­tion at their place of employ­ment, no mat­ter the expe­ri­ence, you will be a likely can­di­date for the job. If you are given a chance for an inter­view, do not leave with­out ask­ing questions.

Typically get­ting a head start on the job search is help­ful when look­ing for sum­mer employ­ment. However, fast food chains and stores like Meijer, Walmart, and Tractor Supply are always look­ing to add employ­ees. Ferris State University is offer­ing a few jobs that can be found on your MyFSU account.

Photo By: Kate Dupon | Photo Editor

Rite Aid and Walgreens are close enough off-campus jobs that stu­dents can walk to work if they are liv­ing on cam­pus. Try a local busi­ness in down­town Big Rapids where there is a diverse range of employ­ment avail­able suit­able for any stu­dent. If you are des­per­ate, you could even give the Tabu Lounge in Fantasies Unlimited a shot.

Step in and ask if you can fill out an appli­ca­tion. For most entry-level jobs in Big Rapids, that is all they require. If you do not get a call back after an inter­view, do not focus on that one job. You must always be in motion dur­ing your search for employment.

Whatever you do this sum­mer, do not let three months of free time slip through your fin­gers. You may regret it.n

Related Posts

No related posts.