Summer is supposed to be a time of rest, relaxation and a summer job. Except no one tells you how hard it is to find a summer job, so unless you know someone or hand in your resume the minute you drop your bags at home, you may end up stuck on the couch, jobless. After a long year of classes and clubs, not having any responsibilities seems like a dream, but as the weeks wear on, the pros and cons of not having a summer job become pretty clear.
Cons
1. No Money
Without a job, it’s pretty hard to make money. My bank account makes me sad and apparently allowance isn’t an acceptable thing once you’re a “real adult." Of course there is a little bit of income from all those odd jobs, but nothing to brag about.
2. Boredom
Eventually Netflix gets old, and once you’ve made it through "Gilmore Girls" for the third time, boredom starts to set in. Sixteen weeks seem infinitely longer when you’ve been window shopping (because you have no money) four times each week and have taken an embarrassing amount of BuzzFeed quizzes.
3. Judgement
It seems like every single person you meet or visit wants to know what your summer plans are, and when you don’t say you’re working here or interning there, first you get a polite “Oh,” then a judging look and sometimes a string of questions about why you’re not doing anything. The number of people who are sympathetic to the sucky job market is much lower than those who think you’re lazy for not working.
Pros
1. Freedom
Hands down, the best part of not having a summer job is the lack of responsibility. If you want to wake up at 3 p.m. and watch Netflix until 4 a.m., you can. No one is waiting for you to clock in at 7 a.m , so why not have a beach day or take a hike? After months of routine, the flexibility is undeniably refreshing.
2. Time for Hobbies
Remember freshman year of high school when you used to read or draw or play tennis? With no schedule, there’s time to devote yourself to hobbies you probably dropped back when homework and extra curricula took over. This summer, I’ve started a blog and a garden, started working out again, and learned how to raise Guiding Eye dogs, purely out of boredom! Doing things you actually care about without worrying how good it will look on your resume is nice.
3. Odd Jobs
Without a stable job, you become the perfect candidate for babysitting, dogsitting or housesitting (basically anything that ends in sitting). These jobs may not always pay as well as a full time job, but they’re usually off the books, so that makes you don't have to pay taxes. Also, they almost all involve getting paid to watch TV or use someone else’s pool.