By Sarah Weltman
Round Table reporter

With the end of term three in sight, students are looking forward to a long, enjoyable summer vacation. For most students, summer is the time for relaxation, fun, and for some students when there’s no school to keep them busy, a job. Just when students think they are free from school, they jump head first into a time-consuming job. However, there are some perks to working during the summer. For sophomore Kia Blum, hard work pays off in “mucho dinero,” meaning lots of money.

“I decided to get a job this summer because I will have my license soon and I want to be able to buy myself a car,” said Blum.

Blum works at the local Braddock Heights pool as a lifeguard during the summer. Working at the pool is convenient and enjoyable for her because she spends the rest of her free time during the summer swimming for the Braddock Heights swim team.

Despite the desire to have cash for personal uses, some students, like senior Marissa McKee, work during the summer to help ease the pain of upcoming college expenses.

“I wanted to get a job this summer because I am going off to college at the end of summer break so I needed to save up money for expenses that will not be covered by my parents,” said McKee.

McKee works part time at Middletown’s The Main Cup as a barista and host.

Middletown is full of places to apply; since Middletown is such a small, tight-knit community, there are many local jobs willing to hire students. Try applying to local restaurants or recreational centers now, because the competition to get the job starts before the summer begins. Once you get the job, just begin working later when summer starts. Although it may be a stress in the process of trying to find a job, once you find it, it’s a giant relief.

It’s common to associate negative feelings with work and/or applying for it. However, working is not always a negative experience.

Junior Matt Sweeney shares how he started working as a “Sandwich Artist” at Middletown’s bustling Subway.

“One of my friends called me one night asking if I could come in for an hour or so and just help clean and prepare stuff. When I got there, the manager threw a shirt, hat, and application at me and told me that I was being trained for the next three nights. So I didn’t really have to apply, my friend was the big connection that helped me get a fun job,” said Sweeney.

Applying for a job doesn’t have to be the stereotypical, “get an application, turn it in, wait for a few weeks, and then if you are lucky, you’ll get hired” kind of deal. Use people you know or even your friends to find out where you should try to apply to and when the best time is to talk to the manager about working there.

After you successfully snatch a job, you’ll want to make sure you are enjoying it and getting the most out of your experience. Along with your hard work, don’t be afraid to get to know your co-workers. You could end up making some great friends on the job.

“I have actually made a couple of new friends from working at Subway and it has taught me a lot about how to deal with new people. This job is also helping me prepare for having a career when I graduate from college,” said Sweeney.

Students who have summer jobs often become more experienced and ready for the world after high school than others. They are able to make new friends, gain important people skills, acquire important connections for the future, and sometimes they even end up learning more about themselves just from one summer. Consider getting a job today to improve your tomorrow, and your future.