Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
As the school year winds down, summer beaches, trips and concerts are on many students’ minds. For some, their summer will be spent lifeguarding or folding T-shirts in a clothing store, but others will have time to themselves.
Shaina Dennis, a third year mass communication student, began working at her father’s food distribution company when she was in eighth grade. She has worked seven days a week there and at a Bar Harbor restaurant for the past three summers and said working long hours often prohibited her from enjoying leisure time during her breaks.
“I only had two days off the entire summer — one being my birthday,” Dennis said.
Dennis had her first interview the last week of February and was offered an internship in the beauty-fitness department at Marlo Marketing & Communications, which has offices in Boston and New York City.
The internship is unpaid, so she is looking for an evening job in a bar or restaurant.
Dennis will join the ranks of college students who spend their summer as an intern, working for free or a small stipend with hopes of obtaining relevant experience and networking with potential employers.
“I started to look for an internship because I thought one would be a great way to not only help build up my résumé, gain experience, but it’s a great way to network and meet industry people,” Dennis said.
According to Cathy Marquez, assistant director of the University of Maine’s Career Center, internships are crucial to finding a future job. She said companies will often “test drive” potential employees with internships.
Not all students spend their summers working for income or industry or experience. To meet the demands of a Division I athletic program, most athletes must spend their summer training.
Jeff Dimmen, a defenseman on the UMaine men’s ice hockey team, will train at home in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dimmen spends five days a week lifting weights, conditioning and performing agility exercises at a National Sports and Conditioning Association gym. Three afternoons per week he travels to the Air Force Academy to skate. He will also work at hockey camps and clinics in Colorado.
“All my friends back home are hockey players, so we all work out and skate together,” Dimmen said.
He said that all members of his team have to spend their summers working out, much like a job. Coaches usually provide players with a training regimen, but some will follow their own plan, like the one the National Sports and Conditioning Association created for Dimmen.
Students who do not work may be in the minority, but for that lucky few, life is good. For graduate student Christopher Gendron, the reason for not working is simple — he can afford not to.
After earning his undergraduate degree in 2005, Gendron worked for three different companies full time. During this time, he was able to save enough money so he would have “the luxury of not being the poor grad student.” He saved enough so he could live comfortably during graduate school while he was studying food science and human nutrition.
During his undergraduate years of college, Gendron worked as a secretary and as a summer camp counselor. This year he will be traveling to Arizona where his parents and brother live while working on parts of his thesis for school.
“This is going to be the first time in five years that I really don’t have to do anything. I am looking forward to that,” Gendron said.
