As soon was spring break was over and we all returned to our classes, the impending summer break was on every college student's mind. The thought of not having to live in a room where you eat, sleep, and do homework all in the same small area was exciting. But then summer break hit and reality set in. It's time for a summer job. With all of the expenses of getting an education, a summer job is a necessity for many students. Picking up an odd retail job or babysitting is usually easy to come by and gets you just enough to save up for the fall while still having some fun during break.

However, when I returned from school in May I found myself struggling very hard to find someone who would hire me. I could find plenty of volunteer opportunities, but those won't pay for gas in my car. After many awkward interviews and plenty of unreturned calls, I finally landed a part time job in a hardware store that was desperate for help. I was just as desperate for a job, so I took them up on their offer right away.

I had big plans for my summer. I was planning on making money, volunteering my time to get experience in the psychology field, and spending lots of quality time in the sun with my boyfriend, my family, and my herd of dogs. I actually have a list in my phone of all the places I wanted to go and the things I wanted to see and do. I have a stack of books waiting to be read and a painting across the room taunting me with its empty spaces. After my first week at work though I realized that I had to put all this aside.

My part time job has turned into a full time 40 hour a week job. While I can't complain much because I am very very poor… I like to complain anyway. Being a young woman in a hardware store is just as bad as it sounds. I am one of three female associates. One being the manager and the other being stock. So, I don't get much time with either of them. Instead, I spend my 8-9 hour days with older men who believe that I don't know anything. I'm not going to lie. I take that to my advantage at times when I don't feel like doing something, and sometimes they're right. I don't know about the tractor the customer is asking about. But I am fairly certain I can push a lawn mower out to the curb for someone. It is not “too hard” for me. But I digress. I realize that many of the comments I took as insulting were just my coworkers trying to help me through my first few shifts. But what really gets me is the customers. When I'm asked a question, I'll admit what I don't know, and find someone who can help them. But if I know the answer I'm going to do my best to get them the help they need myself. But, being a young woman, they tend to think that I do not know what I am doing. They think everything I say is being made up or is wrong just to get them out of the store quicker. I am not the kind of person to do that. No matter the job, I take it seriously. If I wasn't so strapped for cash I would have quit the day I started, in all honesty. Not only do I prefer jobs where I work at a desk and have minimal customer service duties, I also prefer jobs where I am taken seriously. But, as times goes by I realize that I'm thinking too much into it and I just have to make it through the summer with this place. I'm getting paid above minimum, and I'm sure there are plenty of worse jobs out there. But with all of the plans I had for the summer… while I’m standing here for 8 hours straight every day just staring into a sea of tools and tractors I'm constantly finding myself wondering if it really is worth it.

Part of me wants to go back to the time when summer was meant strictly for play. Another part of me wants to fast forward to a time when I have my life together and my “summer job” is a career that I love. This in between stage isn't fun anymore.