Summer is nearly here, college students are done for the semester, and that only means one thing: Summer jobs. It is time for the fourteen to twenty somethings to break out the polos, those dreaded knee-length shorts, and the optional-but-not-really buttons for our uniforms. Jobs can range anywhere from food services, to camps, to babysitting, or anything in between. No matter where you are this Summer, whether it be a job you’ve held since you were fourteen or you change it up every year, there is nothing quite like not returning to your first job.

I got my first job when I was sixteen years old and I stayed with the company for the following four years. Like any job, there were days when I loved going into work and days when I wish I could call in sick. Working outside, I had the privilege to brave all kinds of weather such as twenty degrees and snowing and ninety five degrees and sweating. There was also the rain… I can’t even begin to tell you the horror stories of working outside in a torrential downpour. Being with the same company has brought a sense of comfort and family to constantly look forward to every Summer. However, I made the executive decision to move on from my original place of employment.

When the rehire packet came and my old boss called, I felt this pang of guilt in my chest. I was leaving a group of people that had made a significant impact on my life. I had made friends I couldn’t see myself living without, memories that could be described as extraordinary, and found my way out of my shell. Sixteen year old me would be in awe of the person she has become today. I also learned skills that I couldn’t imagine not having. I think the best way to describe leaving my first job is a baby bird leaving the nest. It gave me support, skills, and a place to call home for four years. But at this point in my life, it can’t do much more for me and if I had chosen to stay, I wouldn’t have been truly happy.

I like to believe that I am getting better with change. Not having a job is scary but at the same time, it’s exhilarating. It allows me the chance to find a new job, possibly one in my future field, and rediscover the excitement that is going to work every day. Since deciding to not go back, I have found not one, but two new jobs to keep me busy from now until August. But like starting anything new, I have to relearn how to be a part of a company. I don’t know anyone and I don’t know how each place of employment works from the inside out. Before sure panic begins to set in, I remind myself to take a break and to take a breath. If I were to look back at the sixteen year old version of myself with a sweat-stained face and blue polo, she’d understand the fear that is currently setting in. But she would also look at me and know that she can handle the changes coming her way.

I am eternally grateful for the skills, memories, and the growth that my first job has given me. Thanks to them, I feel confident in the new jobs I will be taking on this Summer and know that if I ever need to be reminded as to how far I’ve come, I can always look back on those warm days and cooler Summer nights.