Summer Fun

Having past the age where the end of the school year actually influences my daily routine, there are plenty of things I miss about the summer. Weekday trips to the beach, sleeping in until noon, biking to A&W for a rootbeer float……the list of sunshine and laziness goes on and on. Surprisingly enough, no activity is so fondly reminisced about as MY SUMMER JOB.

My name was pulled from a massive lottery of students vying to secure full time summer positions working for the city. So when April came along and I was told to report to the Parks Division, I was more than happy to buy myself my first pair of work boots.

What to follow was three straight summers of grass cutting, garbage changing, and bus shelter cleaning good times.  It was a far leap from any of my previous work experience but surprisingly enough, wearing jogging pants and old t-shirts every day actually suited me nicely. Between the months of April and August I had to endure some pretty disgusting situations. I wish I could say I could count on one hand the number of times my dad would bravely hose dog poop off my boots in the middle of the day! Yet, when I look back on it all I have to laugh. 

I miss the smelly dirty beat up truck my partner and I drove around in all day, the characters we would encounter at bus shelters… I even miss the smell of cigarettes in the morning… ok that’s a lie! As a non-smoker, I definitely could have lived without that part of the job!

What makes a summer job so great?

There are those specific things that made my summer job so great… like knowing where all the best buffets in the city were, eating DQ daily, and hiding out in arenas when the sun was too hot to handle.  I think the true reason I miss it so much is more than that. We’ve all had to put in some time doing things that won’t necessarily help further our careers or make us better people….and, as was the case with my summer job, they tend to lack glamour.

We love summer jobs because there’s always an end point in site. Our expectations are really nothing more than a paycheck. We’re there to save money – not usually for a mortgage or utilities, but for the things that we truly want – a new car, a trip to Europe. For the lucky kids like me whose parents funded my post-secondary education, my paychecks could go entirely to things I wanted.  New outfits, weekend trips, and plenty of nights out were easily financed by my earnings.

Summer jobs represent freedom, a future, and a road not quite yet paved.  So, young summer students…embrace the sun, the fun, and YES even the dog poop!