With the winter term comes the search for a summer job.
Do you like caring for others? Are you a fan of adventure?
A summer camp job might be just right for you.
“But will a summer camp job look good on my resume?” you might ask.
A summer camp job will look great on your resume. In fact, it’ll boost your resume.
How do we know?
We’re the USA Camp Association. We know the power of camp in our lives and the lives of so many others. We want you to take a summer to experience it.
There are all kinds of summer camps and all kinds of summer camp jobs. So there’s a totally-right-for-you summer camp job opportunity out there.
While any summer camp job will help you prepare for that first job or internship after college, some summer camps and summer camp jobs will fit your career aspirations better than others. You deserve to be a little picky.
Studying elementary education? Try for a position on a camp activities staff. Practice coming up with engaging educational activities and leading children through them all summer long.
Dreaming of becoming a chef? See about a summer camp job at a cooking camp or with food services at any summer camp. Master the way you chop vegetables. Build confidence in preparing meals for big groups of people. Learn all about how to run an industrial kitchen.
Studying to be a nurse? See about working with the camp health center. Then, see just how well you can comfort a camper with a bee sting by the end of summer.
Want to become a certified lifeguard? Thinking of working in physical education? You should go after a summer as waterfront director. Being in charge of campers is one thing, and being in charge of campers in the water is another. You’ll learn vigilance, for sure.
If you’re interested in marketing, see if you can find a summer camp job running the camp’s social media and blog posts. If the camp doesn’t have a blog, see if they’ll let you start one.
If you want to be a director, apply to work at a performing arts camp. If you want to be a scientist, apply to work at a science camp. (That’s right: not every summer camp requires you to love being outdoors all day. All day every day in rehearsal, or all day every day in the lab, can totally be more your summer camp style.)
The key questions to ask yourself are: How creative can I get? How much initiative can I take in making my summer camp job work for my present and my future?
Because, really, what employer wouldn’t want to hire someone who demonstrates initiative and goes after a genuine richness of experience?
No matter your summer camp job you’ll…
Practice leadership.
Did you ever go to summer camp as a kid? Do you remember worshiping your counselors? Do you remember the immeasurable difference your counselors made in your childhood summers.
It’s your turn to make a difference in the lives of children. Be a role model for them. Be your best self, and encourage them to do the same. The world can always use some more of that.
You’ll have real responsibility – for your campers, and maybe even for your peer counselors. You’ll probably have more real responsibility than you’d have in most internships. The camp will depend on your work, more than just glad to have your extra set of hands around for the summer. You won’t have a choice but to lead.
Practice teamwork.
You’ll have coworkers. How will you be part of the team? How will you know when to offer your skills, and when to step back so that someone better-qualified can take the lead? When will you speak up? When will you listen?
People skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills are important in this world, and they’re fundamental in many careers. Those skills are all there to be learned and fine-tuned at camp. Because camp is all about spending time with people, and getting better at doing it. It’s all about keeping cool under pressure and working with others to smooth out the bumps that come up along the way.
You’ll teach teamwork, too. If you’re a counselor responsible for a group of campers, you’ll have to model teamwork for them and help them understand its merits.
Build a peer network.
Look around you. Who are the other summer camp workers?
They’re your peers, and they’re part of your network now. Some are your newest lifelong friends. Some are your acquaintances.
Most of them do not plan to be camp counselors or administrators when they graduate.
They’re headed back out into the world beyond summer camp like you, and they just might recommend you for a position when something comes up at the place they land. They might even hire you someday. You might do the same for them.
See the networking potential?
Learn about yourself.
You’ll unplug from the rest of the world for awhile and slip away into the magical time and place that is summer camp. The days will feel long and short all at once. You’ll spend lots of time with new people, taking them in face to face, and getting to know them deeply.
And you’ll spend some time alone, too, getting to know yourself more deeply.
You’ll breathe fresh air – probably more than you normally do. How often do you stop to notice the wonders of the natural world? How often are you outside most of the day?
How often do you have the time and space to contemplate? Walk away feeling centered and with a better sense of self.
For all the fun, you’ll face challenges.
Maybe your co-counselor will get on your nerves. It isn’t easy spending day and night with children, either – just ask their parents! You won’t always know what to do when a camper or peer counselor comes to you in need.
You’ll try something, and learn from what you choose. You’ll seek advice from those who are back for another summer. You’ll grow.
Your summer camp work experience matters to prospective employers.
A summer at camp will give you plenty to talk about in any future job interview – you’ll have learned about some of your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll know about how you handle work and relationships under pressure, and you’ll have some funny ice-breaker stories to share.
Think on: How do your summer camp experiences prepare you for challenges you’ll face in the job you’re applying for (or hope to have someday)?
The more you reflect on what you’ve learned and how what you’ve learned informs your next career step, the better you’ll communicate about it on your resume and during your interview.
Don’t be afraid to show off the go-getter, creative thinker, and expert communicator your summer camp experience helped make you into.
Are you applying for a summer camp job yet?
A summer spent working at camp can forever change your career goals and path. You might find out that you love working with children and go into education. Or, you might find that working with children isn’t really for you, and go after a wildly different internship experience next summer with that assurance.
You might meet your newest mentor, and you might become one for the children you serve.
So why not try it out this summer?
Let us help you find the summer camp job that’s right for you.
Join our prospective staff membership. It’s free and a breeze to join, and we’ll guide the way.
This summer, get paid to do something that really matters in this world, and build your resume, network, and sense of self while you do.