I couldn’t wait for summer to start this year. It meant I would be done with half of my college career already, and it meant I could start my first ever “big girl” job. I also thought it meant I would finally get to see friends and family that I couldn’t see while being at an out-of-state school throughout the year.

I was wrong.

As college students, we are finding jobs that we love or hate; there is no in between. Whether it’s scooping ice cream, or landing an internship in our field of study, it still requires long shifts and being exhausted when you come home. I love my job, I love the people I work with, and the atmosphere (oh yeah, and the nice paycheck). However, there’s still one problem: I’m missing out.

I’m missing out on the friend campfires because of working the closing shift. I’m missing out on all the family gatherings because they require a full day off, something I really haven’t had these days. I’m missing out on every chance I get when someone reaches out to me and says, “Hey! Let’s get together this summer, I miss you!” and I’m forced to make the excuse “I’m working.” I wish my schedule could have been more open, but summer is different now that we all have jobs and responsibilities.

Every parent, teacher, and adult said the exact same words to me when I first started my job: “Welcome to the working world!”. At that point, I had to come to realize I was in it, but I didn’t feel welcomed. The more hours I worked, the more I felt I was missing summer. I still feel like a high school kid at times, because when I think of summer, I don’t think of all the responsibilities that adults have. I still think of my friends that I haven’t seen and want to catch up with. I still want every beach day I can get, or every chance to just sit by the pool. I still think summer was meant for relaxing and more spare time, but things change when you work a summer job.

I learned that coming home after that long eight hour shift working in retail did not mean I had to sit on the couch and scroll through my newsfeed until the day was over. It meant I could actually be productive for a change, even if I didn’t have the energy for it. As college students, we are overwhelmed during the year with school work, keeping our dorm organized, and participating in this new thing called adult-ing. So, we want to relax whenever we get the chance. Summer is our break from all of that, but unfortunately, it goes by so fast that before you know it, you see your car all packed to move into school again. With three weeks left of summer, I realize I should use every ounce of energy to prepare for school, see the friends that wanted to spend time with me, and focus on giving myself a “mini” vacation for the final weeks I have left at home. I haven’t done that enough this summer, and I really regret it. I never realized that I not only wanted to work, but also to look at my camera roll in my phone and see it full of incredible memories and crazy adventures, not just cat videos and snapchat screenshots.

So, thank you, summer job. You have made my bank account incredibly happy, but I have a summer to finish.

Sincerely,

The college girl that won’t miss out anymore