As July draws to a close, and returning to college is just around the corner, it’s crazy to think that summer has come and gone so quickly. The main reason that time has passed in an instant is that I’ve spent the past nine weeks in northern Indiana, being a counselor at a summer camp. Some of you may have attended a sleep-away camp as a child, but some maybe have not. Usually when I say this to those people who haven’t, I get one of those smiles and laugh-type noises you do when your aunt gives you something for Christmas you know you’ll never wear. But I’m here to tell you that this is the best job in the entire world, and you should try it for so many reasons. To name a few:

1. It’s a Chance to Get Out of the House

I’m serious. This is a huge reason why being a camp counselor is just the best. If the first couple of weeks or even days of being cooped back up at home with your parents already has you down, just go away to camp! It’s basically like being back at school: living on your own, never having to call your parents (because you have negative cell reception), eating great dining hall food, you know the drill. The only kicker is the responsibility, because you know after all, parents do entrust their very most prized possession to you for a week (which is the also the best part, see #5).

2. The Sun Exposure and the “Neat”ure

Again, I’m not joking. Think of how much time you spend outside at a summer camp, walking from activity to activity, playing those activities and sports outside, going to the pool, going to the lake, etc. From personal experience, believe me when I say that base tan is there within your first week. Not only does the sun feel great on your Chaco-clad feet and tank-wearing body, but also the places that you get to live in are amazing. I do know that Indiana is not the prettiest state in the U.S.A. by any means, but as I sit on our lodge porch that overlooks a magnificent river, I think to myself, Hey, not too shabby of a view. The hikes we go on, the cool wildlife we get to see, and the breathtaking snapshots of this great earth we get to see make you feel pretty dang glad to be alive.

3. You Get to be Absolutely Crazy 24/7

Think about it. You work at a summer camp in an amazing place, not at home, where you work with kids all day every day. These kids are coming in at about grade school/middle school ages, and are still in the phase of their life where they do not care one bit about being quiet or even sometimes following any kind of rules. Working at a summer camp is for all those days that school is hard, exams suck, the week isn’t close enough to being over yet, and you wish that you were nine again with not a care in the world. I’m here to give you your golden ticket into the past. You’re welcome. Being a summer camp counselor is a chance in a lifetime to get to act like an 11-year-old for a day and then right back to your 20-year-old self the next. Want to scream and sing really loud? Do it. You’re a great counselor if you do. Want to dress up in an outfit your friends would shame you to wear on campus? Wear it. I’m sure you’ll match with one of your kids.

4. Your Coworkers.

My-oh-my, are these people so important to the job, making them some of the best parts. The friends that you can make working a summer as a counselor are some of the strongest bonds, considering you’re all stuck in the same place the whole summer away from your own friends at home, having a different kind of fun no one else understands. You get to tell funny stories at night of the outlandish and hilarious things that your kids said or did that day, and get to share in the times when camp is so hard, or, better yet, when the experience is so rewarding you can’t even keep it in. These people keep you sane, considering they’re some of the only contact you have with people your age the entire summer. Without them, the summer camp life would be full of you talking to yourself, slowly going crazy until one day you snap, and then your kids would probably be scared of you due to your lack of sanity.

5. Those. Awesome. Kids.

Of all the things that I’ve mentioned so far, none of them even comes close to this one. Even when the job gets tiring and you’re on week seven, get no sleep ever, haven’t checked Instagram in ages, and have the grossest feet in the entire world, this is what matters. Who knew that you could change a kid’s life just by hanging out with them, teaching them about the world with games and activities, and by just plain ol’ being their friend? You’ll get kids in your cabins that will make you want to hurl yourself into the river; but you’ll also get those kids that make you cry because they tried something they were scared to try their whole life and loved it. You’ll have those kids that make you realize you can have a 10-year-old as one of your best friends for a week. Most importantly, it’s those times you realize that when you were that super awkward, braces-wearing, four-eyes, funny, weirdo of a kid, that there were counselors that you thought were God’s gift to the planet Earth and that one day you wanted to be exactly like them. That makes you want to wake up every day (even at seven in the morning, and after you’ve chugged four cups of coffee) and reminds you that you really do have the best job in the world.