I think it’s safe to say that the majority of college students have had to deal with terrible summer jobs in order to get by during their semesters away at school.
I myself have definitely had my fair share of awful jobs during the summer.
From working at a department store, a thrift store and even a gas station, I had lost hope of ever finding a job I really enjoyed having during my summer break.
I am very happy to say that this changed over this past summer.
I found a job that I really enjoyed doing, and people who will be friends of mine for a very long time.
Although I can’t disclose my job because I currently work for the company, I can say that the position I held was unlike any I have ever had before.
Not many people enjoy me working for this particular place, but I do not regret a single second of the time I spent there.
Having a job that I didn’t dread going to was a great feeling.
Especially because I felt like I lived there the entirety of my summer vacation. I worked long hours, but I got to learn about myself and others while doing it.
I have never had a job that made me feel as though I was learning lifelong skills, but this particular experience was different.
I learned more about myself this past summer than I have my entire life.
I learned how to push myself to be more social and open. This is something I used to struggle with because of how shy of a person I have always been.
Having a job in sales forces you to step out of your comfort zone. Having this job challenged me to face my fear of speaking every single day I stepped into the building.
With this job, I learned how to be myself no matter what.
The one difference between this job and any other I have had was the fact that the people I worked with were the most welcoming, incredible people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.
I would describe my co-workers and I as being a part of “the island of misfit toys” any time someone would ask me about my job.
I use that reference seriously because we were all outcasts in one way or another, but we accepted and welcomed anyone no matter what.
The job gave me a whole new group of people whom I can always rely on and call my friends instead of just co-workers, and I am grateful for that.
Overall, my summer was full of weird stories and long days stuck inside a building, but the things I gained from the experience greatly outweighed any of the stress from the job.

HARLEE BOEHM
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