Students make side hustle from variety of summer jobs

Soon+community+pools+will+open+and+students+will+be+working+at+them+over+the+summer.

Photo used with permission from Google Commons

Soon community pools will open and students will be working at them over the summer.

Every summer, high school students across the country get jobs to earn extra money while they are not in school. The most popular summer jobs are lifeguarding, being a camp counselor, tutoring, caddying and working retail.

The most popular job among students is lifeguarding. To become a lifeguard you have to get a certification where you complete a physical swim test and a written test. Sophomore Sophia Shad wants to be a lifeguard over the summer for the Stonebridge pool. Shad makes sure all the members are happy while enforcing safety rules. Shad said, “I love swimming and being around the pool so, being a lifeguard was an easy choice to apply to.”

Another popular summer job is caddying or working on a golf course. Sophomore Luke Danielian works at the Falls Road Golf Course on the cart staff. Danielian cleans golf carts and bathrooms and takes out the trash around the clubhouse. Danielian said, “My golf coach at Falls Road recommended me for the position and I applied to the manager and completed an interview and I was soon accepted.”  

Summer camps across the country employ over 1.5 million staffers a year and can be a great opportunity for students to travel to different parts of the country for the summer. This year senior Ari Glazier is working as a counselor for Camp Manitou in Maine. Glazier has been going to Camp Manitou since he was a camper and this is going to be his first summer as a counselor. Glazier said, “I really wanted to be a camp counselor this summer and see my friends from camp I knew since I was younger and I really didn’t go for the money. I went to have fun and for the experience.”

These three jobs all make varying amounts of money with a variety of factors. Camp counselors typically get paid less than the other jobs because they get room and board paid for, but they work 24 hours a day for up to 10 weeks. Lifeguards typically get paid about $10 to $15 an hour and only work around 40 hours a week. A caddy or job on the golf course can sometimes collect tips from players in addition to their base salary. Similar to lifeguarding, golf course jobs will work for around 40 hours a week with the pay for a high school student around $15 an hour.

Sophomore Jake Konigsberg is still looking through his options for a summer job until he finds the one right for him. Konigsberg said, “I’m looking into a lot of different options like a retail store and a counselor at my camp but, I also might just want to spend time with my friends this summer and travel.”