Summer. The three months of the year that literally everyone waits for. It's warm, there's no school and all responsibilities feel just a little bit lighter. There is now so much time to do fun and exciting things that you just didn't have time for during the other nine months of the year. Beach days, worldwide vacations, lake days, bonfires, concerts; there are so many ways to spend your newfound abundance of time. Probably at the bottom of this list, however, especially for college students, is working.

Sure, most college students have part time jobs working in restaurants or retail, but there’s a key word in there - PART time. Responsible students understand that there’s a need for acquiring some sort of income for the summer, but the need to fit friends and fun in is still there. I often see my friends (from home and school) plastered all over Snapchat, laying out in the sun, enjoying boats, the beach, amusement parks, bonfires and so much more. The difference between us? I’m watching their Snapchat stories from my desk. I made the executive decision this summer to pass up the fun-filled, reunion-esq summer-after-freshman-year for the mundane, nine to five, commute to work in rip-my-hair-out-traffic internship.

"Why on earth would you do that to yourself?"

Thank you for asking. Honestly, sometimes I ask myself the same question. While I’m lost in a sea of spreadsheets, data backup and intern duties, I see my friends literally just at sea, enjoying their summers and wasting away on boats. And yes, it does hurt. Yes, I do miss the sunshine. Yes, I haven't been to the beach all summer. Yes, I’m WAY more pale than I should be for late June. Yes, I’m too tired to do anything when I finally get home from work after battling rush hour traffic. Yes, my new bedtime is 9 p.m. But, for me, it's worth it. The way I see it, I could be sitting at home doing the same thing every day in my boring hometown, making no money or I could be working my ass off every day at this job making money that I can spend enjoying myself in the greatest city in the world (s/o to my Charleston homies) when I finally go back. Not to mention, getting an internship right out of my freshman year can be seen as an investment. Sure, I’m giving up all of the fun I could be having this summer, but getting this job puts me in a better position to get another great internship next summer and then the next summer and then hopefully leading to a (real, adult) job when I finally cross the Cistern in 2020.

I would rather give up my opportunities now for even better ones in the future. Doing anything I can to secure a career in the ever-fluctuating job market we’re faced with is worth the lack of Vitamin D to me. So, to everyone wasting away on the beach this summer, have fun. I’ll see you when we graduate, and who knows, maybe I’ll even hire you. ;)