Ahh, that moment when you turned in your last final, packed your bags, and finally arrived home for summer. Time to relax, tan, sleep in, and party with high school friends, right?? Err...for some of us, summer is the time when we've got to earn all that money that keeps us partying hard during the school year, and allows those lovely little weekend trips to the city or a neighboring school. I've been lucky to hold the same job for almost four years now-- luckily, they are willing to take me back for holidays and summers when I find myself available. Almost everyone has to find some sort of summer job, especially once they realize how quickly they burn through their savings while away at school. There are always the classic summer jobs-- babysitting (as we get older, we may call it "nannying"), lifeguarding (usually an easy way to make money while tanning), hostessing or barista-ing at a popular eatery (also known as giving free stuff to your friends who come visit). But there are tons of ways to earn money over the summer-- and if you say you can't find a job, you probably don't really want one.
If you live here in Anchorage, there are some unique jobs available. We all know our friends who leave for two months to work at a fish cannery or commercial fishing operation, and make like $2,000 a week. In the words of Sarah Palin's Alaska, "Every Alaskan kid has worked on a slime line at some point in their lives." (This is a lie. I, for one, have never set foot near a slime line, except maybe on a second grade field trip). Or if you're really lucky, you can snag a Prudhoe Bay slope job. These kids usually have parents who work for an oil company, and they go up to the northernmost tip of Alaska for two weeks, work 18-hour days, then come home for two weeks. It's actually a sweet deal and also pays extremely well. It better, because apparently it was snowing up there yesterday.
I work a more conventional job, at a bakery, where I can actually go home after an 8-hour shift and not be stuck in the wilderness. My bakery is so generous about giving college kids their jobs back in the summer, that we have far too many employees. Even though I asked for 40 hours a week, the most I get is about 25. They have to create extra things for us to clean, just to give us the hours. It's kind of an inefficient business model, but I guess I still appreciate it!
I've had to look on craigslist a little for a half-assed attempt at finding another job, because sometimes I feel like I need a little extra cash. Not enough to actually secure a second job, though. I'll supplement with under-the-table babysitting jobs. But craigslist is filled with employment opportunities, each sketchier than the next: "camerman needed for amateur adult films;" "Be the third wheel of our tricycle;" and more. What do those even mean?! My advice would be to stay away from all the job postings that don't mention the name of the business. How do they expect to get any applicants??
An ideal job to me would be one where you make a shit ton of tips. Unfortunately, my job discourages tips, so five dollars a day is making bank for me. But if I was a barista or waitress, where you get around $100 a week in tips alone, I would save my entire paycheck and use just tip money for regular weekly expenses like food and gas. Then, you're fully aware of where the money from your paycheck is actually going. It seems like the best deal to me. Or a full-time, tax-free nanny position. Kids are bearable enough if you're able to drive them around to all those activities that are supposed to take the pressure off the parents. When you nanny, parents pay gas money, activity money, and usually at least ten dollars an hour for you to watch tv and eat their food.
If anyone has either of these jobs available to me in Anchorage, call me up. If you need a job, hopefully there are some places you can start looking: craigslist, local restaurants, your parents' offices, or the nearest summer camp. I say enjoy these jobs while you can, before you have to do something productive and educational like office work or (gasp!) an unpaid internship in your intended field. I'll stick with my mindless daily customer service and cleaning job for now.
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