This summer I have taken on both a job and an internship simultaneously. I have not worked a summer job in 18 summers, but this year I pulled out the big guns and have found that I am experiencing an interim adult life. Internships and jobs offer life experiences rather than the knowledge from summer classes I have always taken. By week, I am an intern for the California State Treasurer, and by weekend I am a cashier at a large, bustling family buffet. I realized this life was so starkly different from my college experience, I had to share. Here are the 10 things I have learned since I entered this strange, temporary adulthood.
1. Peanuts are a cheat day food...
In college your stomach is invincible. I once ate entire family-sized bags of hot Cheetos and Tostitos chips with salsa at 3:30 a.m.
On my second day in the office, I sat at my cubicle with the paper-thin walls and listened unintentionally
to a middle-aged man and woman talk about their dieting flaws. The man was talking about his utter lack of self-control
because he finished a capful of Planters of peanuts, while the woman was
concerned because she had indulged in two whole Famous Amos cookies.
2. Dressing like an adult and wearing matching socks.
During finals week, you can only live in the most comfortable clothes you can scavenge.
As an adult in a business casual setting, a uniform of power suit button down sweater and flats are a necessary combo. Every day.
3. Waking up before the sun every morning.
By the end of the semester, I was waking up after lunchtime every day for my classes that did not start until the afternoon.
This summer, my internship requires me to wake up at 8am to catch the 9am train to down town for my job at 10am. I wake up at 6am on the weekends for my 7am breakfast shift.
4. No more afternoon naps!
Now instead of a three hour nap, all I need is a quick 10 minute snooze at 3pm in the office...
5. Being on time and sometimes even early.
Since almost all freshman year classes are general requirements and therefore lectures, it is completely acceptable to roll in 5-10 minutes late and settle in the back of the classroom to quietly pass the time.
In the adult world, being late means not being paid. There's some motivation for you.
6. Constantly surrounded by people three times your age.
I spent all year with other freshmen, maybe a few sophomores and a junior or two once in a while. Everyone you know in college is your age; it is something you may take for granted and only realize when you leave.
At the office, you may find that the second youngest people already are married and have children. Thus begins the typical boring office conversation about the weather or even peanuts because let's face it, forty-year-olds are just not that relatable.
7. Working at work and no home work.
College is all about the work that you get done outside of the classroom. The essays, studying, homework exercises, everything is accomplished during your "off" time at home.
However, this summer I get home every day with one goal in mind: to take a nice break from work. Imagine doing that while you're at school!
8. Feeling physically tired from standing.
9. The real meaning of drinks on a Friday.
In college, Fridays mean the end of the week and going out with your friends to have fun.
In the work place, this stands true. However, instead you're going with your coworkers to a bar where the reality is, you are very underage. I'll have some water... on the rocks.
10. A strange independence limbo.
Having a summer job means that you are stuck between being a child under the roof of your parents, which means less independence, while simultaneously being treated like an adult in the workplace.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this summer has made me realize I am still a baby in adult clothes. I'm not sure how the rest of you do it, but this summer job might actually drive me to a mid-life crisis.
