It's finally time to start going back to school. You are full of all kinds of emotions: excitement, nervousness, and stress, to name a few. For many, summer jobs are a must. It's super easy to spend money throughout the year on late night snacks and Ubers, so you know just how important it is to start stockpiling money early to hold you over for as long as you need it. Some people may be super glad to leave their summer jobs in the past and never work at that place again, while others are only saying a temporary goodbye until winter break or next summer. Either way, lots of feelings are to be had when you are finishing up at your job, and here are a few that you can probably relate to.
1. Relief
Your initial reaction is probably relief. You've worked your butt off all summer, and you're finally done. It's always nice to have one less responsibility, at least until classes start.
2. Pride
You should be proud of yourself! You worked hard, saved your money (hopefully), got up early, and stayed up late. You might have hated your life at times, but you survived and should be proud!
3. Indifference
Indifference applies especially if you are not coming back to this job. Your last shift might include you slacking off more than normal and just not caring. Just make sure you don't burn too many bridges on your last days! You never know when you might need a reference or want to pick up a few shifts in the future.
4. Gratitude
One way or another, you were hired. The management gave you a chance, and you probably made some relationships with people over the summer. Whether you hated the job or loved it, you can always be grateful for new experiences because I can guarantee you learned something while working this job.
5. Confidence
Any new interactions will probably give you a sense of confidence. If you work with people, like in a retail job, you have definitely gotten more patient and are more confident talking to strangers. Either way, you have learned a lot and that can definitely be turned into confidence.
6. Empathy
Working a lot of jobs, especially service jobs, will teach you empathy. You learn empathy for people who do those jobs full-time, and empathy for every other person who is in the same industry. You will never look at waiters or retail workers the same.