Quitting Time
When summer winds down, workers brace themselves to enter the academic world again.
By Tom Chen, STUDENT.COM Staff Writer

It's both wonderful and sad that summer jobs end. After fattening wallets from lucrative summer jobs or thinning out savings accounts from unpaid internships, it's time to prepare for another year of writing papers, studying and weekend debauchery.

Sabrina Cimino, a rising senior at Tufts University, spent the summer working at Children's Hospital in Boston. She assisted with program planning, projects and research in the Office of Community Benefits.

As her internship draws to a close, Cimino will be happy to see her friends again and get out of the "9 to 5 routine."

"When classes begin I'm looking forward to a lot more variety in my schedule. On the other hand I will be losing free time," she said. "Usually after five o'clock, work is over. During school, work is never over."

Closure at a summer job involves more than saying goodbye at the farewell luncheon. To make the most of your summer experience, Nancy Saunders, a counselor at the Harvard University Office of Career Services, recommends thinking about the accomplishments and duties of your summer job before you depart.

"It's a good time to take a personal inventory of what you've learned, what opportunities for real responsibilities you've had over the past 12 weeks," Saunders said.

If you update your resume while you're still in the context of work, you'll avoid the hassle of trying to remember what you did over the summer halfway into the school year.

By the same token, your employers will also have an easier time writing recommendation letters for you while you're still fresh in their minds.

"Ask yourself who are the professional contacts you've made over the summer," Saunders continued. "Someone that you've worked with closely can offer advice on useful classes to take and how to become a better candidate for a full-time position."

Developing a relationship with a mentor depends mostly on your job performance and personality. For extra polish, send a thank-you card after the internship is over.

"Besides being courteous, sending a handwritten note thanking your employers for the opportunity to learn from them is also a stepping off point for networking," Saunders said. The note can initiate a relationship with someone who might provide invaluable advice on his or her field and recommend other contacts in related fields.

Though this year's stint in the working world may be over, it's never too early to start thinking about next year's summer employment. Summer jobs aren't just fillers between academic years, they are building blocks for your future profession. "Always keep your entire career in mind," advises Saunders.

Luckily, Eric Smillie has both career and college still ahead of him. In the fall, the Brookline Town Pool lifeguard begins classes at Dartmouth.

"It's been a relaxing summer, hanging out by the pool with my lifeguard friends," Smillie said. "About 99 percent of the time, I'm yelling at kids to stop fooling around, which can get kind of boring," he noted.

While Smillie won't have to clean accidents in the locker room, there's one thing he'll miss about his summer job.

"Just having money," Smillie said. "I'm not looking forward to asking my parents for money when I'm at school."

Reprinted with permission from Student.com.