Summer: the time for swimming, tanning, family vacations, road trips, and hanging out with old friends. WRONG. Ever since getting to college I have felt a huge pressure to ditch summer fun and start working at a swanky internship. Although I understand why people do this, I think there is a lot of fear about what will happen if you choose NOT to take a summer internship.
"If I don't work now, will I get a job postgrad? What if my friends think I couldn't get one? What if my parents are disappointed or angry if I chose not to get an internship this summer?"
These are all thoughts that have run through my brain and here to tell you... AN INTERNSHIP IS NOT THE ONLY OPTION. If people think less of you for choosing not to have one this summer, that is their problem. Yes, grad schools and future employers look at this stuff but don't feel like you are never going to get a job if you take a summer (or two...) for yourself.
So what should you do with your summer if you don't accept a fancy unpaid internship....... WORK AT A YOUNG LIFE CAMP.
The past three summers I have given up a month of my life to work at a young life camp and I have never looked back. I've been to the mountains of North Carolina, Colorado, and upstate New York, bussing tables, doing laundry, and answering phones for FREE. And I had the freakin best time.
At these camps, I have met the absolute best people and made real friendships with people that are based on Jesus. Even though I love working at Young Life camps, we do it because we got to be campers once. We got to experience what it was like to have an indescribable amount of fun, try new and scary things, and hear the gospel in a setting that mirrors the perfection of Jesus. The time that I have spent here was not time wasted (even though the world might think so) because kids got to know Jesus and my random jobs played a small role in His mission.
Can Jesus call you towards an awesome internship? OF COURSE. If He does, GO, be a light and glorify Him. But I think most of the time the world just wants us to chase perfection and our own pride.
So my challenge for you is to ditch your pride, humble yourself, serve others, and listen for His guidance. And selfishly, I hope that leads towards you serving on Summer Staff or Work Crew this summer.
