For a rising college junior, lifeguarding is not a “real” summer job/internship, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Forgot to add, I am pretty sure the niece already knows her lifeguarding job is not ideal. I hope OP is not pointing that out to the mom or the niece.

But there aren’t enough internships to go around. So many have been cut. So glad the niece has a summer job. There are many college students out there still looking for regular service-type summer jobs.

Again, no. Her lifeguarding job is ideal. It shows that she's relied upon every year at a job that was created to save lives. Much better than a summer "doing social media" for a no name company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Disagree. Employers know their “internship” is some degree of being hand held at a company and given very basic tasks. They are going to treat the kid with an internship, exactly the same as any other- a new hire with zero experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Disagree. Employers know their “internship” is some degree of being hand held at a company and given very basic tasks. They are going to treat the kid with an internship, exactly the same as any other- a new hire with zero experience.

I'd say it depends. Ideally, you have "real summer job" (lifeguard, retail, camp counselor) for a couple summers which shows you can show up, deal with people, do a non-glamorous job well. Then by rising senior summer you have a real internship in your field.

Having the "summer job" first helps you get the internship. The summer job + internship helps you get the full time job.

But, regardless, any working is better than not working.

OP's niece is a rising junior returning to a lifeguarding job. That's totally fine.

[Anonymous]

I was a lifeguard as a rising college junior; it was fun and paid pretty well. I did my one and only serious internship as a rising senior. It all worked out just fine. My internship was interesting, fun and resulted in a job offer (which I declined). When I think back on those days I have many happy memories from being a lifeguard. Wouldn’t change anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Disagree. Employers know their “internship” is some degree of being hand held at a company and given very basic tasks. They are going to treat the kid with an internship, exactly the same as any other- a new hire with zero experience.

I'd say it depends. Ideally, you have "real summer job" (lifeguard, retail, camp counselor) for a couple summers which shows you can show up, deal with people, do a non-glamorous job well. Then by rising senior summer you have a real internship in your field.

Having the "summer job" first helps you get the internship. The summer job + internship helps you get the full time job.

But, regardless, any working is better than not working.

OP's niece is a rising junior returning to a lifeguarding job. That's totally fine.

Meh, my kid has only worked internships and no one seems to respect summer jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are gloating as you try and get strangers to agree how your niece’s future career prospects are not great.

Not in the slightest. I'm a little concerned for her. Our oldest won't start college until next year, so it's not like I'm saying my kids are better than their cousins or anything like that either.

Bull crap. Otherwise, why did you feel the need to say that she goes to an "expensive and selective college" and title your post "For a rising college junior, lifeguarding is not a “real” summer job/internship, right?"

It’s noteworthy. Her parents have paid a fortune for her education and after two years she’s still only equipped for the same low skill gig and not development any new skills for another summer? An est. $180k for training and skill development over two years, yet at the same job any 16 year old high schooler can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a lifeguard as a rising college junior; it was fun and paid pretty well. I did my one and only serious internship as a rising senior. It all worked out just fine. My internship was interesting, fun and resulted in a job offer (which I declined). When I think back on those days I have many happy memories from being a lifeguard. Wouldn’t change anything.

30 years ago? Not relevant to kids graduating into this A.I. and global job market, where basically everyone their age has a bachelor’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are gloating as you try and get strangers to agree how your niece’s future career prospects are not great.

Not in the slightest. I'm a little concerned for her. Our oldest won't start college until next year, so it's not like I'm saying my kids are better than their cousins or anything like that either.

Bull crap. Otherwise, why did you feel the need to say that she goes to an "expensive and selective college" and title your post "For a rising college junior, lifeguarding is not a “real” summer job/internship, right?"

It’s noteworthy. Her parents have paid a fortune for her education and after two years she’s still only equipped for the same low skill gig and not development any new skills for another summer? An est. $180k for training and skill development over two years, yet at the same job any 16 year old high schooler can do.

Ever the faithful aunt…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are gloating as you try and get strangers to agree how your niece’s future career prospects are not great.

Not in the slightest. I'm a little concerned for her. Our oldest won't start college until next year, so it's not like I'm saying my kids are better than their cousins or anything like that either.

Bull crap. Otherwise, why did you feel the need to say that she goes to an "expensive and selective college" and title your post "For a rising college junior, lifeguarding is not a “real” summer job/internship, right?"

It’s noteworthy. Her parents have paid a fortune for her education and after two years she’s still only equipped for the same low skill gig and not development any new skills for another summer? An est. $180k for training and skill development over two years, yet at the same job any 16 year old high schooler can do.

she may have developed a skill set out the wazoo but that doesn't necessarily translate to summer jobs. obviously. not sure why this needs to be said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Forgot to add, I am pretty sure the niece already knows her lifeguarding job is not ideal. I hope OP is not pointing that out to the mom or the niece.

But there aren’t enough internships to go around. So many have been cut. So glad the niece has a summer job. There are many college students out there still looking for regular service-type summer jobs.

This. In this economy she is lucky she has any job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments here about OP are pretty harsh. Yes, having any job is better than sitting at home for 3 months. But lifeguarding (again) at this stage in college will put this student at a disadvantage when she graduates and enters the job market, absent family connections. Internships are an important stepping stone to future employment.

Forgot to add, I am pretty sure the niece already knows her lifeguarding job is not ideal. I hope OP is not pointing that out to the mom or the niece.

But there aren’t enough internships to go around. So many have been cut. So glad the niece has a summer job. There are many college students out there still looking for regular service-type summer jobs.

Again, no. Her lifeguarding job is ideal. It shows that she's relied upon every year at a job that was created to save lives. Much better than a summer "doing social media" for a no name company.

Don’t romanticize it into something it’s not. It’s just lounging at a local country club all day watching little kids swim. It’s not building any new skills for any computer science, engineering, nursing, pre-med, pre-law, teaching, or business student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece goes to an expensive and selective college. Her mother just me told she’s back home and lifeguarding again this summer, the same summer job she’s had since high school. Am I wrong that this is a bad look? At her college career fair this fall, the only work experience on her resume is going to the same summer job 3 or 4 summers in a row, which is a gig any high school swimmer can get when they're 15 or 16.

My son got his summer internship precisely because he had real world job experience. He was told that he actually had something to talk about in the interview because many students don’t. Most companies don’t want kids without any work experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She is in good company. HS age kids can’t get lifeguarding jobs at our MoCo neighborhood job because the college student lifeguards have taken the spots because they have experience and get hired over HS kids.

I noticed this too. Older college kids and foreigners on visas taking lifeguard jobs local teens used to rely on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She is in good company. HS age kids can’t get lifeguarding jobs at our MoCo neighborhood job because the college student lifeguards have taken the spots because they have experience and get hired over HS kids.

I noticed this too. Older college kids and foreigners on visas taking lifeguard jobs local teens used to rely on.

No, companies needed to hire out because our kids were too good for these jobs. Like OP's kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My niece goes to an expensive and selective college. Her mother just me told she’s back home and lifeguarding again this summer, the same summer job she’s had since high school. Am I wrong that this is a bad look? At her college career fair this fall, the only work experience on her resume is going to the same summer job 3 or 4 summers in a row, which is a gig any high school swimmer can get when they're 15 or 16.

My son got his summer internship precisely because he had real world job experience. He was told that he actually had something to talk about in the interview because many students don’t. Most companies don’t want kids without any work experience.

I do think a candidate with experience in a job where they had to show up on time, work with the public, and do non-glamorous tasks is one who is more ready for the workplace. I've taken this into account when hiring.

It's also a tough year for internships. We usually hire a couple each year and this is our second year without interns. This is unfortunately the state in my field right now. I wouldn't look down on a student who worked a traditional summer job one bit.