Not having summer activities or working/having internships in college

[Anonymous]

How much of a red flag is this for employers and grad/business/medical/law school admissions officers?

No summer activities = no classes, internships, volunteering, etc.

Inspired by an earlier thread.

[Anonymous]

For business school admissions it would be a dealbreaker.

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

To add to my question, what if the student gained work experience after graduation?

[Anonymous]

They didn't work at the mall, or a fast food place or as a nanny or camp counselor or Uber driver or anything?

[Anonymous]

Does the student work during the year? As someone who hires entry-level people, I'm not particularly attentive to what they do during the summer, but someone with no work history, who just attended classes and nothing else would be a red flag. Once the person has a work history, I wouldn't be as concerned, but likely would check in with the previous employer about energy level and willingness to stick with the job.

[Anonymous]

This is a screening question for my employer.

[Anonymous]

It would be a red flag for me as a parent.

Something is lacking in your kid if all they want to do for three months is play video games or sleep/hang out.

[Anonymous]

I know adults who absolutely hate and resent working and avoid doing so whenever possible-I wouldn't want to hire one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They didn't work at the mall, or a fast food place or as a nanny or camp counselor or Uber driver or anything?

Yeah not having an internship is not the same as not doing *any* work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be a red flag for me as a parent.

Something is lacking in your kid if all they want to do for three months is play video games or sleep/hang out.

It could just be laziness. Or it could be mental health issues.

[Anonymous]

You should resign to working at McDonald’s their whole life.

Just kidding the kid will be more than fine as long as they have zero student loan debt + graduate in 4 years or so + can live independently + has stellar grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should resign to working at McDonald’s their whole life.

Just kidding the kid will be more than fine as long as they have zero student loan debt + graduate in 4 years or so + can live independently + has stellar grades.

If the kid was willing to get a job at McDonald's, OP wouldn't be posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the student work during the year? As someone who hires entry-level people, I'm not particularly attentive to what they do during the summer, but someone with no work history, who just attended classes and nothing else would be a red flag. Once the person has a work history, I wouldn't be as concerned, but likely would check in with the previous employer about energy level and willingness to stick with the job.

Most kids don't work during the school year if they are taking a full course load. It doesn't signal anything other than lack of time. Now I would wonder about a kid who had no work/internship history at all and they were graduating from college. Summer in college is a good 3 months so there is lots of time to work/intern then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be a red flag for me as a parent.

Something is lacking in your kid if all they want to do for three months is play video games or sleep/hang out.

+1

What did they do with their time if they weren't taking classes or working?

If it was hanging out at the beach house or the country club with friends for 4 months, that would be a red flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the student work during the year? As someone who hires entry-level people, I'm not particularly attentive to what they do during the summer, but someone with no work history, who just attended classes and nothing else would be a red flag. Once the person has a work history, I wouldn't be as concerned, but likely would check in with the previous employer about energy level and willingness to stick with the job.

Most kids don't work during the school year if they are taking a full course load. It doesn't signal anything other than lack of time. Now I would wonder about a kid who had no work/internship history at all and they were graduating from college. Summer in college is a good 3 months so there is lots of time to work/intern then.

NP. Is either of you aware that two summers in a row -- last summer and this summer -- there's been a pandemic?

And despite what DCUM loves to trumpet, no, there are not jobs, even fast food or retail jobs, just lying there waiting for students. Go look at the threads talking about students applying for job after job only to find they never hear a peep because corporate websites are so slammed with applicants right now.

As for the shiny professional internships that look good on resumes, the past two summers my DC and DC's friends have found those mostly dried up due to pandemic concerns. No offices open for regular employees, much less interns. Virtual internships? They supposedly exist but are rarer than hens' teeth.

DC is working at home on a research project for a professor, thank goodness. It's not terribly arduous but it's interesting and DC will be able to write it up to look good on a resume. But this summer and last summer, especially last summer, sucked for many college students re: internships or even basic jobs. And the stuff about "just work at McDonald's, Home Depot, anywhere!" -- easier said than done. Employers aren't very interested in college students when there are so many desperate adults applying for the same jobs and the adults won't disappear when school begins.