Wouldn't it be nice if you could rush off to the Bahamas for a month and soak up some much-needed sun rays? It would, but unfortunately, rent isn't going to pay itself. While your friends are traveling the world, you're stuck in your hourly pay job wondering what the Bahamas must be like. Don't worry, friend. I'm with you. We can both understand these things.
Long trips are out of the question.
A week or two is fine, as long as you give your manager enough notice in advance. But you can forget about spending half your summer relaxing by the beach. You've got responsibilities to tend to.
Beautiful, sun-kissed skin is also out of the question.
If only the good ol' workplace had an open roof.
Planning outings with friends is hard.
In the rare event that everyone else is free, you're going to be scheduled to work. You can't plan far in advance because you don't know your work schedule. Looks like you'll have to request vacation for a day with the girls.
You’ve gotten good at dealing with boredom.
You have the mental tricks to get you through long hours without going crazy. Just make sure you're not so deep into the daydreams that you can't do what you're actually getting paid for.
You’re also really good at managing money.
Spending $40 on a new shirt isn't as appealing as it was before you had a job. Is that shirt really worth several hours of work? Probably not. You understand the value of money.
Standing for long periods of time doesn’t freak you out.
Most jobs that hire inexperienced college students are in retail or food service, where you'll have to stand for 8 hours (or possibly more) working behind a register or stocking shelves. Your feet have grown used to the pain.
Each and every day has three stages:
before work, work, and after work. Or in the very rare case, there's only one stage: not working!
You've learned to treasure your time more.
You don't take a relaxing day off for granted because you know what it's like to be constantly on the job.
You have a love-hate relationship with your job.
It sucks being scheduled for lots of hours, but it also sucks not being scheduled a lot. Work can be drudgery but you really, really need that money.
Everything that’s not work takes a back seat.
Hobbies and non-work activities are nice, but you just don't have much time for them. After your shift, you just want to relax, rest your aching body, and not do anything too strenuous.
You’re getting rich.
Wealth is relative. That being said, at the end of the summer when it's time to finally time to stop working, you're going to be glad you're sitting on a fat stash of cash. Those long hours will all be worth it once you're able to pay for rent, books, and food. Although you may not have as many of the spectacular memories as your vacationing, non-working friends, you're going to be financially okay and somewhat independent halfway through the year. You rock!
man running in forestPhoto by 
