Finals are finally over for the year! There are no more exams, term papers, or semester-long presentations to worry about for the next three months. It's finally time to binge Netflix, hit the beach and -- oh right, get a job. Applying for a summer job is never fun, and it usually isn't easy -- especially for returning college kids. The cast of the hit show Parks & Recreation knows what it's like to drive that struggle bus:
Struggle #1: Trying to make a good first impression
If a dozen other college students are looking to earn a little something and think like you, they'll probably be applying to the same places. Now the pressure is on to make a lasting impression!
Struggle #2: Trying not to be picky
Let's be real, does any twenty-something-year-old want to be bagging groceries or scooping ice cream? Nope! But it's always good to have options, and the more open you are to employment opportunities, the more places you can apply. It may seem super boring, but if you can increase your chances of getting hired, then why not?
Struggle #3: When 90 percent of the places you inquire about aren't even hiring for the summer
Wait, you mean you can't just stick me in the back somewhere!? I'm small, and you won't even know I'm there! I'll do anything
!Struggle #4: When the manager is mean about it...
Oh, don't mind me -- I'm just trying to get my life together over here, but thank you so much for the heartfelt consideration.
Struggle #5: When the job application asks you to list your "special talents"
Does knowing how to use Microsoft Word count? How about eating a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting? I can give really good hugs? No? Okay, back to the drawing board...
Struggle #6: When you apply anyway despite hearing horror stories about the employees
Forget the manager, it's the co-workers that can really make or break an experience. You know when you're desperate when you apply to the same place someone got hot coffee thrown at them last year for "stealing" a shift...
Struggle #7: When you finally get hired somewhere, and then proceed to get stuck with all the night shifts since you're the "newbie"
Would I rather have an existing bank account, a social life, or my sanity? I swear, it's like some type of cruel social experiment...
Struggle #8: When a customer gives you a hard time
Does an angry customer care that you've mopped up some kids' puke on aisle 6 an hour into your shift, almost got crushed by three boxes of Pringles while re-stocking shelves, or somehow smell like turkey when you were nowhere near the deli today? Nope, they want to buy that one brand of shampoo you don't sell. Naturally.
Struggle #9: When it's pay day but you can afford nothing
To save or to splurge, that is the true question. (Also commonly disguised as, "How much do I really want that pair of heels?")
Struggle #10: When you're finally allowed to eat
As someone who continually surprises herself by setting new personal records for the most things eaten in a day, I can't think of anything worse than not being allowed a lunch/dinner break on a long shift. Ah, the sweet relief of anything edible after a hard day's work!
As our friends from Parks & Rec have helped us demonstrate, summer jobs aren't always the best, but they're a part of being a young adult. Although working a seemingly uninteresting job may be a part of being more financially independent, it certainly comes with its handful of struggles! And don't worry, you'll have the rest of your life to work a real job...
